I need to be wowed


Next month I'll be starting my hunt for new speakers...new to me, at any rate.
And I will be obsessed...

What I've got:
Arcan Alpha 9
Plinius Integrated 2100i
Analysis plus 12's bi-wire
and shortly HT Pro MK2 IC's
and a *DOUZY* of a room:
http://www.geocities.com/sundaesundaesundae/audio.html
Oh, that room.I think that's the key....I learned early on how much room interaction plays in sound.

I listen almost strictly to classical music....small ensemble/piano/violin/but yearn for large scale to sound
wonderful too. Also listen to acoustical classical/folk/female singers...

What I want:Tonal quality most important....I tend to like laid back/dark sound but needs to be involving and have intensity...
and oh, yes....they must come in black.
What I don't want: Bright tweeters!

Just for comparison I had wanted to hear some stats but have been told there was no way bipoles could work with
in my room....although someone suggested Innersound Isis ....and Gradient(out of my price range)..
I had also been intrigued for a while by Newforms but the fact that most who own them feel the need to do
mods bothers me....I want to own them....not build them...

Any suggestions will be much appreciated!

allegro12
At your budget level my suggestions will not get it - I would look to a rather tall setup because of those ceilings - The Martin Logan SL3 would fill that room quite nicely and are for sale in your price range.
I see references to a budget, but I must be overlooking what the stated budget is. Two reasonably prices possibilities would be the Revel Performa F30 (not absolutely sure of the model, retail price is $3500). It has received excellent reviews all over the place and would appear to get you a great deal of the Revel performance without paying for the exotic cabinetry. I don't have personal experience with them. 4th order x-over to increase the sweet spot of the listening room.

Second suggestion would be the Dynaudio Contour 1.8 Mk II's. List is also in the 3's, but you regularly see them used for <$2K. They would be the best Dynaudio to drive with 100 w/c. My musical tastes don't run the same as yours, but a friend of mine has this exact setup - the 1.8's driven by 100 w/c (Arcam amplification) and listens primarily to classical music. Sounds awesome. -Kirk

Hi, Allegro12. I own newforms and don't feel any need to mod them. I did dump the jumper cables and used mapleshade ribbons[mushc better]. If you love the sound of these ribbons might I suggest trying the VMPS line? Now I haven't heard them but they are also ribbons and have the advantage of crossing over at a very low 160hz to the woofer. The newforms cross over at 1000 to scan-speak drivers. The VMPS' go lower with their ribbons and [in theory] should be more integrated though the low midrange. However, I have not heard them but the newform ribbons, from 1000 up are very, very good......happy shopping...
I listen to the same music you do and have a relatively small room, for the last twenty years I used martin logans first monolith and more recently Prodigies.I just changed to JM Lab Utopias,love them.they do not have an irritating treble and are very detailed.you may find the the other JM Labs just as satisfactory.In the Utopia line you pay a lot for the very high end finish.
Seamless, coherent, superb soundstaging and imaging,
three dimensional. More musically satisfying than
many speakers 4X their modest cost.
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