GMA Europa vs. Soliloquy 5.3?


Hi. I posted awhile back on suitable monitors at the $1000 price point, and several people mentioned the GMA Europa. How would this speaker compare with the Soliloquy 5.3? I know the Soliloquy is a floorstander, but with 2 relatively small 5" drivers, I don't expect it to be especially overpowering. I have heard nothing but great things.

My only real concern about the Europas is that, being a monitor rated only down to 48hz, they may not have much low end. Some of the electronic music I listen to sounds really flat on the other monitors I have tried in the $1200 price-point. Therefore, I decided to look at smaller floorstanders as well. Of course, I can't have TOO much low end in a smaller room-that is the reason my Von Schweikert's are being replaced (these speakers are great, BTW).

My room is a living-room area that is approximately 14x11, but there is an attached kitchen that sound waves may diffuse into as well. I will eventually move into a house-this is a temporary apartment while my fiancee and I look for a house/good job in the area.

My listening tastes range from classic jazz to electronic (ambient, some trance), as well as classical, and vocals. Associated equipment is C-J PV10A preamp, C-J MF-2200 amp, Arcam CD73T. The tube/SS combo is pretty effective, and I expect it to improve as I replace the tubes on the preamp. Currently running Von Schweikert VR-2000's (4-way w/10" driver, sound great in the store but too big for this situation).
chiho
Hi. I have them positioned 3 feet forward of the walls, 6 feet apart, and about 7 feet from listening position, toed-in about 5 degrees. They sound great in my current room (14x16) but that isn't really the issue-I am very worried they will overpower the place I am moving to. Not to mention that the room is small enough that pulling the speakers out 3 feet from the wall may not be an option-I may have to keep them at 1.5 feet for space considerations.
I'd wait until you move and find out if they work. If they do work then no need for speaker shopping. It's not a golden rule that large speakers do not work in small rooms, unless they're so large that the door will not open :-)
You'd do well to heed Seandtaylor99's advice to wait. In my last move my listening room went from 14x16 to its current 10x10. I was convinced my beloved New Advents were ready for the scrap heap - they were absolutely overpowering the room. Some of the people here convinced me they were worth saving if I did a little work. Different placement, stands, and toe-in made all the difference in the world. I may still try some monitors with a 30 day return, but I'm pretty happy for now. Don't take a step down from your VR-2000s if you don't have to.
Thanks for the advice to wait-it makes sense. My local dealer told me "your speakers will totally overpower that room-definitely downsize". I usually trust his judgement, so I went with it.

Anyways, another question-how does the VR-2000 compare to a modern $2k speaker? I know mine are 7 years old now. Is it worth upgrading for sound quality reasons (size non-withstanding)? They sound great, but it is the only decent speaker I have ever owned, so I have no way of determining if it would be worth the $ to eventually get another speaker. Both the Soliloquy and GMA Europa would be in that $1000 price range-an upgrade from the VSA's, or simply a lateral move?
Don't know if this helps or not, but when I listened to the Sonus Faber monitors ($1500/pr) the one thing that bothered me as a Europa owner was that I could not follow the bass riffs on any cd I listened to. The Europa's were far more detailed in the bass. Mine go below 45hz in my room (24x16)
Most recordings sound fine....a few rare ones seem a little light in the low end, but this could just be the recording. I think they do well in the low end for their size. Really well. They do the open "E" string on a contra bass with ease. Whats that? Has to be below 40 cycles.