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Mellow speakers

I'm on the hunt for a mellower sound.  I've traced my dissatisfaction to my speakers (I think).  I've got PMC TB2i monitors on good stands.  Occasionally they provide sonic bliss...letting me peer in to the music, great sound stage, etc.  But other times they are just too piercing (for lack of a better adjective).  I also find myself concentrating more on the gear rather than the music.  I'm blaming my speakers.

So, I'd like to put a mellow pair of floorstanders next to them.  I want full, warm, mellow speakers...something I can swim in and just enjoy the music.  My local shop has a super clean pair of KEF 104.2.  And, they're going to redo the woofers while they have them in the shop.  I understand the woofers can be a bit of a bear and that they have an odd proprietary KEF technology that makes them a little difficult to repair (what's with the rod between the woofers?).  With that said, I heard them, and I thought they sounded like anti-PMCs.  Perfect, no?  Why not bring home some old school, rolled off, mellow speakers as a foil to my PMCs.  So...my question...are there modern speakers that have a mellower sound, or other older speakers that I should consider?  Any consensus on the KEFs? 

My gear:
VPI Classic TT
Digital via Mac and Mytek DAC
Ayre pre
Prima Luna tube power amp or Primare solid state

Thanks.

educeus
educeus OP
26 posts
 
In answer to some of your excellent questions:

I've got an Ortofon 2M Black on the VPI, and a Musical Impressions phono pre. 

The harshness I hear occurs on both digital and analogue.  I'm secretly afraid that my old musician/sound guy ears are tired and sensitive.  But my best listening buddy also hears the edge...female voices, pianos, brass bring it out the most.  Plus, the PMCs just lack the body of floorstanders.

I've played with speaker positioning, but I have limited ability to move stuff around.  My listening chair is in the triangle sweet spot, but the speakers can only move around a couple of feet in any direction.  My room is not terrible...a medium living room with lots of furniture.  I've played with measuring the room response with RoomEQ Wizard software (great fun!), and the room actually performs pretty well.  I need to go back and look, but I don't recall any obvious peaks in the mid treble area...mostly bass issues.

Thanks for all your input...sounds like there are lots of options and the Vandersteens keep coming up.  Better do my research on them.   


loomisjohnson
1,526 posts
 
vienna acoustics come to mind when i think of mellow speakers; likewise the older sonus faber recommended above
bojack
539 posts
 
IF you can find Spendor 1/2s or 100's, they will also do it. Both are mellower than the Vandys in the upper mids/treble.
larryi
1,972 posts
 
Although I haven't heard it in quite a while, I would bet that the Shahinian Obelisk would also be a contender.  This is a classic design that seems to never change, nor does it need much updating.
sbank's avatar
sbank
2,038 posts
 
Maybe if possible before you commit to speakers is to borrow your buddie's preamp and see if the culprit isn't that. It would be easy to do, and worse case it confirms you are on the right track. 

For speakers, I agree Vandersteen is a good mellow option, especially the older ones. Cheers,
Spencer
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