Nuetrality be Damned...


I am looking for a WARM and MUSICAL speaker, that is more emotive than analytical. I want to be drawn into the music. If the speaker is capable of creating warmth, but is still considered a "hi-fi" speaker, I would very much like to know about it...Please Help. Some of the speakers that I have heard that might fit this bill are: Voce Divina, Swans, JM Reynaud, JM Labs...
kheart
I would include Vandersteen 3A/3Asigs and Proac 2.5/3.8s. And I agree with your thread title. Cheers. Craig
The two standouts are the RB5 II monitor and RF7 floorstanders which I own. Have your cake and eat it too. If you want to be 'drawn' into the music than this just might be the ticket for you. Don't confuse these speakers with the earbleeders of yesteryear - they are in a different class altogether.
Well if it's warmth you want, have you considered a pair of refurbished Quad 57's? You might go so far as to bob the feet so they sit down closer to the floor, which warms them up even more. Mmmmmmm.

Maggies are beloved by many for their musical, engaging, open sound - and deservedly so. Dynamics is not their strong point, and here amplifier matching plays a critical role. Their freedom from boxy colorations is quite refreshing.

I have an extremely low tolerance for boxiness, so while there are a a number of box speakers that I'd call warm (Spendors and Vandersteens come to mind), there aren't many I would recommend.

The dipole Gradient Revolutions are non-boxy, and are a bit on the warm side, and very much on the musical side. They trade off some efficiency and bottom end extension for superb pitch definition. Incidentally, designer Jorma Salmi used Quads as his reference speakers.

The Heil Kitharas are another warm and musical speaker, with higher efficiency and deeper bass than either the Gradients or Quads, but they trade off some pitch definition in the bottom end with their ported woofer.

The Audio Physic line is also voiced warm and sweet. There is a distinct family resemblance up and down the line, so if you've heard one model you can reliably extrapolate.

If you want to explore up into the big buck speaker range, the MBL line is rather warm sounding (in particular the megabuck Radialstrahlers), as are Sound Lab electrostats. The Classic Audio Reproduction T-1's are rather warm sounding for a high efficiency speaker.

Disclaimer - I sell Sound Labs and Gradients.

Best of luck to you in your quest!