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What are your favorite monitors?

I'm interested to hear what your favorite monitors are, both for general reasons and specific reasons. There seem to be a lot of quality monitors out there and it's an easy size to deal with. I'd like to become more familiar with more of them.

For the more specific reason. I'm going to be able to set up a small system in a small room using a modified SS Blue Circle integrated amp and RA Opus 21 CDP. Right now I have a pair of Spendor S3/5 speakers that are very good and this is the approximate size box I'm interested in, but larger are fine too. For this small system are there other monitors that you might recommend, that perhaps have a synergy with BC electronics? With so many monitors available and few available for local demo I would appreciate your critiques of the speakers you like.

I use Audience Au24 speaker cables. My music preference is for mostly classical (not a lot of orchestral), jazz, space music, bluegrass, finger picking acoustic guitar, and some rock music (but don't expect to rock out). I don't like bright speakers. The speakers may not be able to be too far out from the wall; consider this near-filed listening. Since the majority of monitors are not terribly expenisve I'm open to most suggestions price-wise. Thanks.
budrew
xiekitchen
819 posts
 
Ensemble.. Chario.. Spica
scotty_910
119 posts
 
Any time phase aligned monitor with solid build quality and first order crossovers will be a good monitor and superior to most other designs. These include the green mountain audio europa (I own and love them), Vandersteen, Theil, and Dunlavy.
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
Stax Lambda.
mauiaudioman
171 posts
 
Hehehehe.......Warren and the Caravelles.....myself and many others with the GMA Europa's. One has to wonder if anyone has listened to them side by side? I'd personally love to and will this summer if I visit Colorado. Anyone heard the two neck and neck? Huge price difference...
warrenh's avatar
warrenh
2,286 posts
 
Hey Songwriter, after you AB these two babies which do you think?

Well I've got to say, Warrenh was dead on, about the Caravelles. To think, I, as well as many of the Europa owners verbally beat that poor guy up. Everything is just as he said in his review and more. Top to bottom, one amazing monitor speaker. My Europas were humbled, but then again, the Caravelles do cost 4 times as much, so price wise the Europas are still a good deal. If I had the bucks, I'd go for the Caravelles in a jiff.

or this?

well I finally heard those "babies" that Warrenh, the shill, has been rambling on about, adnauseam, for months. Hey, they're great speakers, but they cost $4k, and that's without the stands. They better sound better for that kind of money.

or this?
I don't know what Warrenh has got in his ears, but the Europas blew them away. To think that they're trying to get $4k for a speaker that cannot hold a candle to my under $1k Europa. True, the Caravelles phase coherencey is drop dead amazing, and the bass goes where no monitor I've ever heardl; goes, and the upper end?-- Wow. But the Euopas, still, go beyond the beauty of the Caravelles. I know that's hard to believe that an $800 speaker can do that, but hey, they're better than the MG 20s, and the Jmlab Altos. What can I tell ya? The Europas for my money are the deal.

or this?
don't worry...I'm over...couldn't sleep, so I figured I'd ramble on a bit 'til I got tired. good night my fellow audiophools.

peace,
warren
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