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Need speaker suggestion for a larger room!

OK, out there - here's my situation:  I'm a Hi-Fi guy that goes back to 1952 - Brooke, Meisner, Mc C-1, etc.
Stayed with the good stuff - Mc., H H Scott, Marantz up until transistors took over in the mid-60's. 
One thing an another, I drifted from serious audio in the mid-80's and watched improving TV (!).

At an advanced age (84), wife and I are crawling back: Got a refreshed C-34 and MC7250 for signal
and a pair of decent M/L Ascents for transduction. LOVE the mid-range spacial effect!  Bass, mid and low,
is disappointing. 
For your consideration: Room is 26'L x 20'W x 8'H (4100+ cu. ft.) and "live"( some carpet and upholstered furniture), but much reflective wall area (glass) on either side; No help on opposite wall.
Unfortunately, aesthetics play a role: Speaker cabinet must be cream, black, or silver (!). 
I'm a fan of Tannoy sound, if this helps (used to own a pair of 12' Silvers WAY back), but their cabs are all
Walnut, or similar. Also, don't need to go to 18 Hz - We're in a condo - so an HONEST 30 cps is perfect.
Music pref: Classical, 20's and pre- 60's jazz, Piano ensembles + vibes,  Blue Grass, Tannoy demo CD's (!)

I'm hopeful some of you up-to date folks will help us uncover a few good speakers options. Our budget:
no more than $7,000.00.  Oh - and good used examples are just fine. Probably preferred, given our budget!

Thanks a lot for whatever you can share!
Bo

broockies
boiseaudio
4 posts
 
I also loved the Ascent, and with upgrade itch, bought the Martin Logan ESL 11. They are very impressive, but overwhelmed my room. If you have a large enough room and already like stats, they will give you a powerful, clean, articulate sound, with plenty of bottom end. 
larry5729's avatar
larry5729
65 posts
 
Without question, the SALK Song3 Encore's are the best speakers I have heard in your price range.  I went to the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in Denver back in October and thought these speakers sounded better than a pair of $60,000 speakers I listened to.  The Bowers & Wilkins Diamond series speakers for $30,000 can come close to reproducing this level of sound quality.  Jim Salk sells direct and because he does not have to discount his prices to sell to retailers (middle men) he can afford to buy expensive drivers.  His cabinet build quality is superior to anything you find.

I just wish I had heard these before I purchased my speakers.  My Paradigm Prestige 85F tower speakers are one year old and I wish I could find a way to sell them.  Not sure what I could get from them.
terry9
931 posts
 
I like panels. And I don't like loud: classical, choral, folk.

Have used Magnepan, ML, and Quads. Have settled on Quad 2905's. No problems in nearly 15 years. Silver and black. Good used examples are within your price range.

Good hunting!
Post removed 
jsandman
7 posts
 
+1 for Ohm Walsh, especially considering the live room, the plethora of cabinet finishes they offer, and you can't go wrong with the 120-day trial period that they offer. Ohm speakers break all conventional speaker "rules," so if you have reflective/live surfaces with no room treatment, that will likely help an Ohm speaker's sound quality! Plus you'll likely be under budget, even for a brand new pair of their largest speakers.

As an over budget option, perhaps also take a look at RBH Sound's flagship options. For a large room, they list their modular SVTR tower pair for about $10k. (That's assuming you've got the amps for them, or for the same price go with the non-reference powered sub version.) The SVTR is a true full-range system (<=20Hz-40kHz!) But here's why else I suggested RBH: contact them directly or go through an authorized dealer and you may be able to work out a better-than-list deal, and they even have a 30-day trial period to boot (but you'll be out on the shipping charges!)

Just my $0.02 based on my limited but ever-expanding experience. Check out Ohm's and/or RBH's websites if anything I mentioned intrigues you. Good luck and I hope you thoroughly enjoy whatever you choose!


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