I am curious to know what are some of the top contenders for a sub-10K speakers (new or used) that fits the bill for a condo?
My requirements are, smallish to fit, full range, doesn’t HAVE TO be placed too far away from the wall, not extremely hard to drive (own a Classe CA-2100, 200W into 4-0hm), musical, and flexible enough to play Jazz, Rock, Techno, PLUS movies well! I’ve heard some speakers that play Classical/Jazz greatly and then absolutely ruin any rock music! Also, as I live in a condo, these speakers would also play my L-R channel of HT for our Netflix and movie watching… so if a matching center could be found is ideal!
My current speaker is a B&W 805S (not diamond), and generally I am happy with them. I also have a small B&W PV1 subwoofer that despite its size, it actually does quite well going low and it’s quite musical. But, I wanna move to a full range speaker now, and possibly change the sub. The brands I’ve been looking at are Focal, B&W, and possibly the new Magico A3. I did listen to A3 at a dealer in Anaheim, connected to a Tube amp, and it DISAPPOINTED! I am not so sure if it was the Amp, or the speaker, while it has amazing bass for its size, it absolutely lacked details in the mid and highs! I attribute that mostly the the Tube amp, but not having a solid state setup to do a comparison, it’s hard to say!
Thanks for any insight! Cheers and Happy New Year!
You said full range and smallish. Only one that comes to mind is Dynaudio X38. 3-way speaker, full range. If you want more everything , then X44. If money burns holes in the pockets, head to JBL Synthesis website and end the game there
Thanks, that’s a good option to checkout. I am also gonna audition B&W 804D which is similarly sized, Focal 6’5" driver options. Now, one question, the Dynaduio has a rear port, doesn’t that mean it simply cannot be placed close to the wall vs. front ported speakers?
I have a pair of Tyler’s (discontinued) Linbrook Signature System floorstanders in my surround system and they never fail to amaze. By buying factory direct, you cut out two middlemen – the distributor and the dealer. The value proposition is off the charts with these speakers, and Tyler is a great guy to deal with.
Highland H2s. I always figure they’re not audiophile enough for this crowd but I do love them. I have a big room and they soundstage like crazy in my room.
A condominium is a residence in a multi-family structure, similar to an apartment. The difference is in a condominium there are individual owners of the units. With apartments, there is a single owner, and it is occupied by renters.
Maybe a great sounding option but the aesthetics don’t work with our modern decor, having in mind this will be placed in our main living room and I don’t have a dedicated room for it!
