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Honing down the speaker shortlist ~$5K

After 20+ years, it's time to replace my restored and very we'll-loved pair of Snell Type Es with something new. Aiming for a budget cap of ~$5k (likely used) I've narrowed it down to a short-list:

Harbeth Super HL5
Harbeth M30.1
Acoustic Zen Adagio
Vandersten 2ce signature

I've been able to audition the Harbeths at a dealer, but haven't heard them yet at home.
As for the others, I'll need to travel a bit to hear them so any input would be welcome.

My room is woody and old. It's 12x16x9 but opens through large archways on three sides to other rooms, each about 12' across. The speakers are currently at the closed end of the room, 3' from the side walls, 4' out from the back walls and 8' feet from the seating position. I listen to jazz, folk, alternative and a little classical. Primarily vinyl. Nothing that requires floor shaking bass. I live in a multi-family building and try to keep the neighbors happy.

For power I'm using a Creek 5350se integrated at 80w per channel. This is prime for a future upgrade, but one thing at a time. The rest of my system should be visible in my profile. 

I'm looking for something that resolves well without being overly analytical, yet retains the openness that I've always enjoyed with the Snells. The Harbeths seem to fit that bill, though the 30.1s sounded a little closed-in at the dealer audition. The 5s were much better in that regard, though struck me as a bit recessed.

Thanks for the advice.
It's a wonderful resource to have the collected wisdom exhibited on this forum!






krabbypantz
mmporsche's avatar
mmporsche
100 posts
 
I heard the new D9 by Spendor and was really impressed. One of the top rooms at RMAF regardless of price IMO. I had never heard this brand, however, they really caught my attention. I can only assume the D7 is a slightly smaller version of the D9.

I heard Harbeth and enjoyed the Spendor significantly more.
jond's avatar
jond
3,400 posts
 
What about an Audio Note AN/E? Great sounding speaker not sure what the new price is but they come up used in your price range from time to time. And the direct descendant of your current Snell E's.
bassdude
194 posts
 
I have similar preferences in music / sound... and... I've tried / owned a number of superb speakers, several of which I still have.  

The ones I've found to have sound to rival the best at any price in your price range (actually below) are the WaveTouch Grand Tetons, which have recently been upgraded to the Antero's.  

See the reviews on the web site:  http://www.wavetouchaudio.com/products.html

For my money that's what I would get - they will rival any of those you noted, and exceed most of them.  
krabbypantz OP
3 posts
 
Thanks for all the responses.

Spendor has been on my radar, but are difficult to listen to in the New England area since dealers for them are very thin on the ground.  Perhaps they'll be at the New York Audio Show. They certainly have a better WAF than Harbeth. I'm discovering that there's very little love for replacing big black boxes with newer black boxes on stands!

As for Audio Note, they've always intrigued me because of their Snell lineage, but I can't help wondering if I'm just moving to a slightly better version of the same thing. Also, corner placement isn't ideal in my room. On the other hand, they're represented in MA along with JM Reynaud. Both would be worth a listen.



jafant
10,525 posts
 
krabbypantz-

since Vandersteen is on your list, I would be remiss, if I did not mention the Thiel CS 2.4 loudspeaker. Both designs use a 1st order crossover, completely different in sound and presentation. Thiel is a nice match for your Creek integrated. My 1st taste was a Creek integrated and the CS 2.4, very musical indeed.
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