We need more context, because there is no "best" speaker, only personal preference. A speaker choice also depends on your specific room and associated components. Are you looking for stand mount or floor standing, and what are room dimensions and budget?
Aah, sense & sensibility. We do need so e parameters here, Also, we know you (bosie) like opera. I would extend that to other classical, but what about jazz, folk, and/or rock? Listening level can be important as well. Do tell!
A lot of the Salk cost is tied up in the furniture/heirloom quality of the cabinetry (iirc, Jim Salk himself started as a cabinet maker, not a speaker designer). Not a bad thing but...
Philharmonic, new, is much cheaper and yet still has a furniture-grade finish. I am over the moon with the quality of the Philharmonics I purchased and they are not at all shamed standing next to furniture handmade by the Amish/Mennonites.
I actually haven’t measured the dimensions of the living room, though it’s essentially a rectangle with the living room, dining area, and peninsular kitchen in that order, perhaps 17’ wide and 30’ deep. I should measure. Levels are moderate, and I do remain within the classical sonic palate.
I actually haven’t measured the dimensions of the living room, though it’s essentially a rectangle with the living room, dining area, and peninsular kitchen in that order, perhaps 17’ wide and 30’ deep. I should measure. Levels are moderate, and I do remain within the classical sonic palate.
I actually haven’t measured the dimensions of the living room, though it’s essentially a rectangle with the living room, dining area, and peninsular kitchen in that order, perhaps 17’ wide and 30’ deep. I should measure. Levels are moderate, and I do remain within the classical sonic palate.
Harbeth speakers are excellent for classical music — realistic reproduction of live, unamplified acoustic instruments and voice. The C7ES-3 or SHL5+ model would be appropriate for your room size.
Today, I was blessed to attend a violin/piano concert (recital?) featuring Kinga Augustyn at the Havre de Grace Opera House. 6 rows from the stage in a tiny opera house seating maybe 200 - sadly only about 1/3 full (we'll blame the arctic freeze/snow for that, yeah, that's the ticket!). The majority of what she played wasn't familiar to me. The Saint Saens and Schindler's List were fantastic!
@artur9 Agree! Last week I listened to Kent Nagano rehearse an orchestra on Die Walküre and the Act 1 overture nearly overtook me, really moved me. I've heard it live scores of times but still, live music has the power to catch you unprepared, surprise you. I love good audio equipment, as we all do, and seek to recreate that live experience, but sometimes I'm reminded that as much as we try, it's likely a goal to be strived for, not achieved.
I had the great fortune to see Rheingold on Saturday at Disney Hall, which to my ear is the best acoustic space in the US. The production was spare, and emphasis on lighting and projection and simple geometric sets reminded me of the New Bayreuth of the 1950s with Wieland Wagner. The less is more approach invites the imagination to fill in the gaps, and opting for an intentionally symbolic or schematic design is in many ways more satisfying than $10M in sets would be, because stage sets are inevitably going to fall short of the musical experience.
The conducting was good but not great—Dudamel has not yet mastered Wagner, though he did a good job throughout. There were no lapses or errors, just a lack of the insight we get from Furtwangler or Bohm or Knappertsbusch or Kubelik. The orchestra was good though the brass had a few squeaks. Playing Wagner is good for the players; Conlon compared a ring cycle for an opera house to a Mahler cycle for a philharmonic. I would say a ring cycle at an opera house is also a lot like a ring cycle at a philharmonic. In any case, they did Tristan last season, and will be better the more Wagner they play. Parsifal and Meistersinger would both be good, though the 2hr blocks are unkind on the backside. Likewise in Gotterdammerung.
Singing was quite good, and the costumes and acting were effective. I would happily attend a ring cycle here. I wish the audience had understood that we can hear people when they whisper. There were a fair number of casualties of Wagner who left at various points. I wonder whether the Phil should have included a warning for the casual subscribers that this is not going to be your 90 minute Mozart concerto and Beethoven symphony program, including intermission.
Last weekend, MTT conducted his final set of concerts, a slow and rather lugubrious Mahler 5. It was of course emotionally moving, less for the reading than the occasion. I'm glad I attended, though I expect my seat in row S was one of the few halfway decent acoustics in the hall. Anything other than premier orchestra is varying degrees of awful. I saw Schubert 6 and Beethoven 7 last night from front row second tier, and just thought that I'd have had a better sonic experience on my couch with the K1000 or HE-6.
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