Shortlisting Floorstanders for Consideration

[El Tel]

The ever evolving environment at Wongaburra is close to achieving the goals I set for myself at the beginning of last year. In a couple of weeks time, the acoustic treatments are being installed meaning that I am ready to start giving thought to the final jigsaw piece - that of replacing my Tannoy DC10T speakers. With great presence and soundstage, they are going to be a hard act to follow, but I feel with the addition of a pair of REL SS/510 subs plus changes in sources, dsp/pre, amplification and the acoustic treatments, the room will be ready for squeezing a little more sound quality out and taking advantage of the power on tap with my dual McIntosh MC830 amps.

 

Room is 6m wide and 15m long (the audio kit is against the back 6m wall/window and facing down the entire length of the room). The kitchen and dining area are at the opposite end of the room with plenty of spill-out area for dissipation/dispersal. The acoustic treatments are to be installed on the side walls and ceiling from the audio racks for the first 6.5m of the entire length of the room. Listening position is central to the longitudinal axis of the room and sits about 4m from the main L&R channels.

 

Listening habits are 75% Qobuz through Roon, 5% vinyl playback and 20% duty as fronts for TV/movies. Musical tastes are broad 60s-90s pop/rock/folk with occasional forays into rap and hip hop or traditional jazz.

 

I have been giving this a little thought, on and off, for months now. I expect to make a move once the choices are suitably narrowed and demos done, but no rush so I may not move on it until early next year. There is no fixed budget, but right now the list of considerations includes used speakers from the mid-teens up to new speakers nudging $30k rrp. So with 300w @ 8Ω (480w @ 4Ω) on tap, what should (or should not) be on my list?

 

So far I have taken a passing fancy to the following eclectic list (some of these may be second hand options only at my approx price point):

• Fyne F704
• Monitor Audio PL300
• Focal Sopra N°2
• B&W 802/803 D3 onwards

 

My question is what else should be on my consideration list? If any of the options I already have should not be on there for any reason (experience of poor synergy already experienced, say, or maybe not suited to my habits/musical tastes etc), then I would appreciate learned opinion on that too.

 

Thank you in advance for any input, please do tag me for any further detail or clarification.

 

Tel

 

 

[mattd2308]

Fyne would get my vote

[El Tel]

4 minutes ago, mattd2308 said:

Fyne would get my vote

 

On what basis, Matt? Just a personal preference thing, or based on experience of one or more of my list and/or synergy knowledge you have?

 

They do seem like a logical step for me from the Tannoys. All the knowledge that walked out of the door at Tannoy wound-up at Fyne. The design cues go way behind imitation...

 

I have also actually heard a pair of the 704s too when @BugPowderDust had them for review. They have a wonderful presence.

[075Congo]

I'd go to Nirvana Sound and audition the Borresen Acoustics Z2 or the demo pair of Z3 @ $26K. The designer used to be behind the RAIDHO loudspeakers. Highly recommended. Whilst there check out the Wilson Benesch 3.0's.

[davewantsmoore]

1 hour ago, El Tel said:

Tel

SPL?

Subwoofers?

[Steff]

@El Tel Any reason you're not listing/considering MBL (e.g. in classifieds) (or Osborn)?

[El Tel]

13 minutes ago, davewantsmoore said:

SPL?

Subwoofers?

I usually listen at about 86-88dB background, but go to 92-93dB-ish when I'm feeling like a little critical listening or when we have a house party (when it goes a bit higher still).

 

I have 2 x REL s510 subs.

[El Tel]

15 minutes ago, Steff said:

@El Tel Any reason you're not listing/considering MBL (e.g. in classifieds) (or Osborn)?

Not on my list for the very reason I wrote the post... I don't know what I don't know. It's such a huge market with hundreds of offerings.

I'm looking to build a consolidated list of 5-7 makes/models rather than an exhaustive list that I would never get through auditioning or investigating before model lines rolled-over to the next issue! This is why I'd like to understand why people think some brands/models should (or should not) be on my radar though, rather than just an ownership affinity/partisan opinion - looking for compelling reasoning either way - hope that makes sense.

 

[awayward]

These are very impressive speakers, both from a design and SQ aspect, Magenta Audio should be able to arrange a demo if you want.

https://www.psaudio.com/products/aspen-fr20-loudspeaker

[HeyNow Hi-Fi]

Hi @El Tel

I want to suggest you consider the Kudos Titan 606.

These rather diminutive speakers have an amazing sound stage in terms of width, height, and depth. Their appearance doesn't dominate the room. 

I have recently taken a pair of these into my range lineup and have been impressed, 

I did an event with @PassionForSound in the store couple of weeks ago. 

Many of the attendees sought me out to discuss them, 

We all loved the sound. 

They were run predominantly with an SPL S1200 power amplifier. 

 

Kudos Titan 606

 

 

 

Kind regards 

Geoff 

0415668307

 

 

 

[Hydrology]

Wharfedale Elysian 4

 

Why? I own a pair.

 

[Pops110]

Audio Physic Midex or Codex. There was a pair of Avantera+ going for around your top price awhile ago.

 

Have heard the Codex with Ayre and Lavardin amps and was very impressed. The AP’s are very good imaging speakers with lots of depth to the soundstage when set up right.

 

I used to own Tannoy Revolution Signature DC6 in the past and love what they did but I’ve been won over by the Audio Physic sound. 
 

I listen to a lot of electronic music at the moment but just been getting back into 90’s rock, metal, death metal and my Classic 20’s really go well.

 

[Pops110]

1 hour ago, HeyNow Hi-Fi said:

Hi @El Tel

I want to suggest you consider the Kudos Titan 606.

These rather diminutive speakers have an amazing sound stage in terms of width, height, and depth. Their appearance doesn't dominate the room. 

I have recently taken a pair of these into my range lineup and have been impressed, 

I did an event with @PassionForSound in the store couple of weeks ago. 

Many of the attendees sought me out to discuss them, 

We all loved the sound. 

They were run predominantly with an SPL S1200 power amplifier. 

 

Kudos Titan 606

 

 

 

Kind regards 

Geoff 

0415668307

 

 

 

Love the look of these.

[HeyNow Hi-Fi]

8 minutes ago, Pops110 said:

Love the look of these.

Thanks @Pops110

I do too, they're a lot smaller than I initially expected and very weighty.

[Satanica]

I assume you only want passives but the JBL 4367 came to mind and a brand that is getting a lot of praise is Perlisten and the 57T is the top model.

 

https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/jbl_4367/

 

https://www.audioholics.com/tower-speaker-reviews/perlisten-s7t

https://www.stereophile.com/content/perlisten-s7t-loudspeaker

 

 

That's a tweeter in a wave-guide with small mid-range drivers above and below it for "beamforming" technology. The first speaker with THX Dominus rating. 

Edited August 18, 2023 by Satanica

[andyr]

5 hours ago, El Tel said:

The ever evolving environment at Wongaburra is close to achieving the goals I set for myself at the beginning of last year. In a couple of weeks time, the acoustic treatments are being installed meaning that I am ready to start giving thought to the final jigsaw piece - that of replacing my Tannoy DC10T speakers. 

 

So far I have taken a passing fancy to the following eclectic list (some of these may be second hand options only at my approx price point):

• Fyne F704
• Monitor Audio PL300
• Focal Sopra N°2
• B&W 802/803 D3 onwards

 

My question is what else should be on my consideration list?

 

Whatever floorstanders @tripitakahas, sounded mighty fine to me, when I heard them a few weeks ago.  

 

And given how Con's MBL101s sound ... I would suggest the MBLs that were in the classifieds recently (MBL 120s?) deserve serious consideration.

 

[Silver Audiophile]

I'm not a fan of any speaker on your shortlist (particularly the Focal sopra 2).

Of all the speakers I've heard, I've only really been truly impressed with about about half a dozen or so.

The most affordable of these is the Duntech Senators which I own. The rest are all in the six figure price range.

If you're in Sydney, why not audition a pair at the Duntech showroom in Lugarno.

Best advise, listen to as many speakers as possible before finally settling!

 

Duntech Senator:

 

 

 

 

 

[Grizaudio]

12 minutes ago, Satanica said:

I assume you only want passives but the JBL 4367 came to mind and a brand that is getting a lot of praise is Perlisten and the 57T is the top model.

 

https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/jbl_4367/

 

https://www.audioholics.com/tower-speaker-reviews/perlisten-s7t

https://www.stereophile.com/content/perlisten-s7t-loudspeaker

 

 

That's a tweeter in a wave-guide with small mid-range drivers above and below it for "beamforming" technology.

So many choices….
 

+1 for large JBL or large Compression waveguide/woofer combo’s. 
The 4367’s are great IMHO. Consider…. 4367s, Array 1400, PSE-144, used JBL K2 

They would match the OPs Macs well. 
 

Compression / Large drivers are worth consideration and listen. 
 

I liked the 4367s, but settled on the M2 which is a true full bandwidth solution. 
The 4367s would do really well with decently sized subs, or some EQ down low. 

[El Tel]

Fantastic inputs. Thank you. Keep them coming!

[lucmor444]

Revel F226Be is highly regarded (not heard them myself though)

[El Tel]

41 minutes ago, Silver Audiophile said:

I'm not a fan of any speaker on your shortlist (particularly the Focal sopra 2).

Of all the speakers I've heard, I've only really been truly impressed with about about half a dozen or so.

The most affordable of these is the Duntech Senators which I own. The rest are all in the six figure price range.

If you're in Sydney, why not audition a pair at the Duntech showroom in Lugarno.

Best advise, listen to as many speakers as possible before finally settling!

 

Duntech Senator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you explain why none of my initial list don't work and in particular the Focal? I'm really trying to get to technical rejection versus personal preference/aesthetics...

 

Thanks

[rantan]

I love the MA PL 300, but I do admit some bias, although when speakers are this good,bias becomes irrelevant.

 

I heard them at the home of a friend of my brother,in a room about 6X5, when I visited Sydney a while back.

 They were paired with a McIntosh MA 7200 and the results were  spine tingling and utterly captivating.

I was literally glued to my seat and did not move until and 45 minute album had finished playing. The other thing that struck me was the clear and obvious synergy withe 7200 amplifier.

 

These would be my end game speakers but..........................

 

Get them in Tiger Ebony and they will delight you even when you are not playing music.

Edited August 18, 2023 by rantan
corrected several typos

[andyr]

6 hours ago, El Tel said:

Wanting floorstanders.

 

Why the desire for floorstanders ... rather than bigger standmounts like, say, Harbeth?

 

After all, you are planning to use a pair of subs - and as all floorstanders do (compared to standmounts) is ... deliver more bass from their larger cabinet size (often not particularly well-controlled bass, given that designers often try to make the bass delivery specs look better, by porting the cabinet) - I would suggest sealed standmounts plus subs could be a better-sounding alternative.  

 

[Satanica]

@andyr The Perlisten I linked to have been designed to work either ported or sealed. 

[andyr]

11 minutes ago, Satanica said:

@andyr The Perlisten I linked to have been designed to work either ported or sealed. 

 

Interesting Stereophile review, S - and they seem to use the same SB Acoustics 'Satori' mid/bass units that I use in my own 'zero baffle' spkrs!  

 

But I expect they are pricey - and some of that price goes into them being able to deliver "16Hz in room" ... which is unnecessary, if they are being mated to a pair of subs.