Laid Back Speakers amps, players etc

Shoe, add Silverline speakers to your list
Shadorne (System | Reviews | Threads | Answers)

My Silverline Sonata III are very revealing of what's upstream. Laid back they are not.

Perhaps other models in the Silverline line-up are.

With the possible exception of the B&W line and maybe Epos, check out any speaker made in the UK. As one member posted - Harbeth and ProAc, you could add Stirling and especially Spendor which I mentioned ealier.

In speaking with many Dealers by phone over the years it seems that the British products(not all and I am not painting them into this corner)have a rep for having a more laid back sound then products made here in America or its other European counterparts. Fire up a JM Lab next to a Spendor and you will get an idea.
I own an Arcam CD36 as a front end and Spendor S6e speaker. My system is very much on the laid back warm side. For me, I am looking for a bit more of a neutral open presentation at this point though.

Good luck.

Tvad,

You are right - not all Silverline are laid back.

I was in particular thinking of the "scooped midrange" on these or these. And the harmonics in the bass here, which will add warmth.

I have not heard your speakers but they are sometimes favorably compared to Sonus Faber Amati (in the magazines) - which suggests they have a much more detailed and flatter response then the above.

Good point.

From what I've been told by folks that have heard two, if not all, the Sonata iterations, the Sonata I and Sonata II were indeed warmer and more forgiving in their presentation than the Sonata III. I suspect this may also be true of the Bolero.

Classe30, I too am using the Arcam FMJ CD 36 , great player. . I currently have Sonus Faber Grand Piano Home and a James EMB sub and get some fantastic sound but the speakers do have some bite to them at times...somewhere in the low highs like with high pitched voices and the dang snare drum on some recordings.... My plaster walls don't help either..
I am using a BelCanto Evo 2i Gen 2 integrated. Other speakers didn't quite sound so hard in the low highs so I do believe it is the speakers. great detail and bass though.

Thanks for the sudgestions everyone....