[ericfarrell85]

[size=13.3333px]  [/size]
[size=13.3333px] I should start by saying I know very little about speakers. They were never my interest, till now. I'm allocating a budget of about $2500 to a setup, but knowing little about room acoustics and the role dimensions play I could use some help. The room is approximately 18' (at it's longest) x 17.5':[/size]
[size=13.3333px]  [/size]
[size=13.3333px] I've built a lot of the furniture in this room myself and so likely will not be removing it in favor of wall treatments and panels. As for amping I have a Marantz 2285B and a Pioneer SX1250 that I need to get fixed. I don't know if either of these would suffice. I was thinking Magnepan 1.6's, but am not sure if the room is too small for such a setup. Again this is not a familiar field so any setup recommendations would be valued. Sorry for the poor pic qualities.[/size]
[size=13.3333px]  [/size]
[size=13.3333px]  [/size]
[size=13.3333px]  [/size]
[size=13.333333015441895px]

 ​

[/size]

 
 

 

'

 

[cssarrow]

May i just say, you have a very nicely laid out/organized/vintage looking room looking on.
 
Tim

 

[PurpleAngel]

You might also post speaker questions on the websites AVSforum & AVforum.

 

[ericfarrell85]

Thank you Tim. 
 
I'll check out AVS. Headfi has not steered me wrong on any topic before so I'm hoping to stay at home, in a manner of speaking. 

 

[ericfarrell85]

Also been reading up on the Mini Maggies lately. Don't really know what size room is recommended for a desktop setup. 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Here is a pair of Infinity Beta 50 towers, selling for a good price.
Usually the Beta bookshelf and centers are often offered for sale on eBay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Infinity-Beta-50-Speakers-/181061973707?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item2a282276cb

 

[ericfarrell85]

Were my hopes to high? No speaker aficionados?

 

[yage]

There are a lot of quality speakers that can be had for $2500. What kind of sound are you looking for?
 
EDIT: Just saw you're planning on using either the Marantz or Pioneer - either should be just fine.
 
The bad thing about your room dimensions are that they're close to square. You're going to have to play around *a lot* with speaker / listening position placement.

 

[ericfarrell85]

I know there is a lot that can be had for $2500, which paradoxically makes the search more difficult. The disadvantage of a square room is exactly the kind of good information I was looking for. The Pioneer / Marantz are what I currently have. They were purchased for the HE6 and so I'm not at all set on them.

The HE6, incidentally, represent my ideal sound signature. Weighty bass that retains a strong sub 50hz signal, relatively dry mids (ala LCD-2's, UM Miracles) and upper frequencies that shine and shimmer without restraint if the recording calls for it. I especially find heft or note fullness (as in planars), imagery and openness (particularly for instrumental separation) important qualities.

I'll likely use the speakers for jazz and classical with some acoustic and avante garde instrumental stuff thrown in here and there. My rock and pop needs are more than taken care of by headphones. The speakers will be more a function of relaxation. Some time-out with a glass of bourbon and likely not to reproduce a toe-tapping quasi concert with a 12 pack of beer. Whatever I get, I'll be far unhappier if it can't nail Coltrane's sax than if it couldn't nail Frusciante's Sunburst Stratocaster.

If at all possible I'd like to mount the speakers. Not seen in the above pics is a large 9 foot poplar desk, which supports my audio equipment. I'll take a photo of it later, but the point being I don't really have any room to put large floorstanders without them being in front or behind something.

 

[Lenni]

try Audiogon for more speaker's suggestions. 
 
nice room and deco. stand-mount speakers would be a better choice than floorstander, imo, unless you listen to music really, REALLY loud. I once bought a pair of floorstanders but had to return them because they were overpowering. I really liked their big bold sound once I turned the volume up, and the more I turned it up the better they seemed to sound. the sound was unbelievable - at some point I feared the wall would crack. unfortunately for me (lucky my neighbours), I listen mostly at low volume, and the floorstanders at low volume were pretty much useless - all the detail were lost - though at higher volume they would open up and shine. with the stand-mount I can listen at the lowest of volumes and still fully enjoy the sound. the volume on my amp is 99% of the time between 8 and 9 o'clock. of course they cannot reproduce the same level of deep room-shaking bass, but I find the bass to be better defined, tighter, clearer (for lack of better words). I've been happy with the choice, though I wouldn't mind a sub.
 
the latest Paradigm Inspiration stand-mounts should be worth an audition.

 

[yage]

Like Lenni posted, you won't get weighty bass without a floorstanding speaker. Sure, a really good monitor will sound convincing, but after a while you might be left wondering what you're missing, particularly if you like very dynamic classical pieces.
 
Given that, you might opt to buy a great pair of monitors and then save for a good sub. However, not knowing what your speaker terminals look like on the receiver, it's hard to know whether they would accommodate two sets of speaker wires (one to the monitors, the other to the sub).
 
I like to reference companies that design speakers with a generally flat frequency response and wide dispersion (in other words, the off-axis frequency response doesn't change much from the on-axis). There's been research that shows that these are qualities that people generally associate with good sounding speakers. PSB and Paradigm make speakers following this philosophy and seem to be the most noticed (among others such as Axiom Audio).
 
Personally, I've listened to the Paradigm Signature S2 v2 - not sure if the current v3 iteration is still priced at $2500 as that was about two years ago. I've also heard the biggest one in the Signature line - the S8 - with the same tweeter that the S2 v3 should have. Taken together the sound is very refined and exceptionally clear. The treble seems to extend forever without getting shrill. I think it would acquit itself very well with jazz or classical.
 
I've also listened to the PSB Synchrony One. If the bookshelf possesses the same qualities as the floorstander, then you can expect a clean top end but perhaps a bit more midrange bloom than the Paradigm.
 
Either will definitely highlight weaknesses in the rest of your system, so it may cause a case of upgrade-itis.
 
KEF might also be a good choice. The R300 was well-reviewed so the monitor in the line will probably share the same characteristics. I've also read good things about the Monitor Audio GX100.
 
That being said, I recommend starting with the Paradigm Signature / PSB Synchrony lines and branching out from there with your specific tastes.

 

[Spillages]

Quote:

 Not seen in the above pics is a large 9 foot poplar desk, which supports my audio equipment. I'll take a photo of it later, 

I must apologize that I have nothing to contribute to the topic at hand and know nothing about what you are doing. I just couldn't resist commenting. I really like your style and am quite intrigued to see this poplar desk as I assume you have built it yourself?

 

[ericfarrell85]

Great post with plenty of solid information. Researching the Paradigm's now. Have you heard B & W 685's? They seem to receive consistent praise and are served up repeatedly as a solution to constraints of space. Generally flat frequency response is always the ideal, but nothing I can honestly say I've ever come across. Given my preference for jazz and classical I'd take a little warmth over something cold. I was hoping to avoid going the sub route, knowing little about crossovers and placement, but as with all things audio-related, nothing is simple and tweaks are always just a thought or a weak moment away. I'll see if I can audition the Paradigm's somewhere here in NYC. I know that I can with Magnepans and B & W with relative ease. I'll also lookup the other models mentioned at the end of your post, so thanks for that. 
Quote:

Like Lenni posted, you won't get weighty bass without a floorstanding speaker. Sure, a really good monitor will sound convincing, but after a while you might be left wondering what you're missing, particularly if you like very dynamic classical pieces.
 
Given that, you might opt to buy a great pair of monitors and then save for a good sub. However, not knowing what your speaker terminals look like on the receiver, it's hard to know whether they would accommodate two sets of speaker wires (one to the monitors, the other to the sub).
 
I like to reference companies that design speakers with a generally flat frequency response and wide dispersion (in other words, the off-axis frequency response doesn't change much from the on-axis). There's been research that shows that these are qualities that people generally associate with good sounding speakers. PSB and Paradigm make speakers following this philosophy and seem to be the most noticed (among others such as Axiom Audio).
 
Personally, I've listened to the Paradigm Signature S2 v2 - not sure if the current v3 iteration is still priced at $2500 as that was about two years ago. I've also heard the biggest one in the Signature line - the S8 - with the same tweeter that the S2 v3 should have. Taken together the sound is very refined and exceptionally clear. The treble seems to extend forever without getting shrill. I think it would acquit itself very well with jazz or classical.
 
I've also listened to the PSB Synchrony One. If the bookshelf possesses the same qualities as the floorstander, then you can expect a clean top end but perhaps a bit more midrange bloom than the Paradigm.
 
Either will definitely highlight weaknesses in the rest of your system, so it may cause a case of upgrade-itis.
 
KEF might also be a good choice. The R300 was well-reviewed so the monitor in the line will probably share the same characteristics. I've also read good things about the Monitor Audio GX100.
 
That being said, I recommend starting with the Paradigm Signature / PSB Synchrony lines and branching out from there with your specific tastes.

 

[ericfarrell85]

Quote:

I must apologize that I have nothing to contribute to the topic at hand and know nothing about what you are doing. I just couldn't resist commenting. I really like your style and am quite intrigued to see this poplar desk as I assume you have built it yourself?

 
Yes, I have, but I need to refinish the poplar desk so it's in my workshop. It's developed little polyurethane pimples, which requires a lot of sanding to get out. I have another desk that I built that sits in its stead. I'll post photos up later as it is large and so is relevant to the dimensions of the space. Thanks for the compliment  
 
*Desk posted

 

[yage]

I've only listened to the B&W 602 S2's and that was a *long* time ago. However, my guess is that you might find them to be a step down from the Paradigm Signature S2 in terms of top end extension and clarity. That's not to say they won't sound great so you should give them a listen. You might end up saving some bucks in the end. A direct competitor to the S2 from B&W could be the PM1, but it's priced a bit higher than the S2 (or so it seems).