@Nick_Mimi thanks for the suggestions. Those tektons look intense. Floor standings I suppose could be an option. In your case though, do you think you think the imaging or response you get at such a wide speaker position suffers as a result?
@M0N Not sure why. I have room for floor standing towers, but I just like the look of bookshelves. My desk is 72x30inch so space for the speakers isn’t too big of a concern. I’m more concerned with a visual space that a bulky integrated amp or separate would take. Really want the speakers to shine. Haven’t heard much of falcon though. I’ll look into it now. Any experience you can speak to?
The LS3/5a is a bbc monitor design that was manufactured by a couple of different companies over the years. They have great vocal performance and a really good sense of space. Something different. I would see if you could hear them first though since they are not everybody’s cup of tea, and overall I still like the 40 better
TeaJay, 6ft is almost a bare minimum to get excellent soundstage from many speakers. I have an old pair of Klipsch WF 34 tower speakers tucked up tight next to the desk and they sound incredible to me. I never got them to sound this good when i had them in my HT set-up. This realization opened my eyes to endless possibilities and i experiment more judiciously now. You have a really good budget, take your time in picking and choosing. It also sounded to me like the desk was open to the rest of your apartment which is why a thought you might appreciate the idea of the towers. Also, consider your own musical preferences, some speakers are more analytical than others, this should play a role in your decision. Don’t waste good money on trying to find the “best” speakers, try to find ones that will satisfy your listening style!.
Don’t forget there is synergy between your speakers, amp, DAC, source and any other components you put in line. Some equipment mates well better than others. I am really just now starting to understand and hear the difference in how i pair my gear.
I wouldn’t say that. It depends on the speaker and the room imo.
And I would agree with the amp and speaker part, but the dac/source doesn’t matter as much and generally works fine regardless imo (unless it’s a phono pre or turntable)
Definitely agree with this for sure. Take your time and do your research and perhaps go listen if possible
@M0N gotcha. I’ll have to add that to my growing list of things to research x)
Hey thanks @Nick_Mimi. That’s humbling advice for me to hear. I have to admit I’ve been too focused on the dollar amount rather than focusing on the motivations for a set up or what enjoyment I’m seeking.
To clarify the tower question though. I have a mental image of an eqi triangle when listening. Does it sound off listening to towers or even bookshelves when they are so close depth wise but far apart to your sides? For instance, say when I’m say listening at my desk and in front of my computer screen.
TeaJay, I honestly thought the towers next to the desk was stupid and would NOT work. I had been experimenting with different sized bookshelves and powered monitors and was getting mixed results. On a whim i grabbed this particular set of towers, which are what i would consider smaller to medium sized and tried them all over and around the desk. Finally i bought some walmart plastic footstools and 2 pair yoga blocks. This raised the top of the towers to my exact ear height and VIOLA! Sweet sweet perfect soundstage and imaging. Great depth and dare is say the word “holographic” sound. Now mind you, I don’t know shit about high end home audio, only the fancy words and images i have been reading about the past year or so. What i do know is really loud and expensive car audio, i spent the better part of my youth tearing apart vehicles and then putting them back together to reproduce sound pressure levels beyond 130,140 and sometimes even 150db. I’ma ll about the bass and loud clean music.
I’ll take a picture or 2 of what i did in my study so you can see. I sit in the perfect spot to enjoy these towers. NOT that i always play them, i also have bookshelfs tight next to them, but those speakers are much more detail oriented and produce a different sound that i many times wan tto listen to. Your best bet for a nearfield experience will probably be a good set of bookshelf or monitors. Some are bigger than others, i did want to open you to other possibilities tho. Ill post a few pictures shortly.
Wouldn’t be surprised, once you get a speaker placed just right it can be pretty eye opening
Ayyy, I also like car audio and spl competitions, but have never done any insane builds
You really don’t need to, you just need to know what you like and what works for you, some of the jargon can be fairly confusing and unhelpful. Better to just enjoy the music lol
The klipsch speakers take well to sound coloration via tubes. I have a tube amp (not in these pics) and i also use my darkvoice as a pre-amp to color my tunes a bit. The Klipsch sound is energetic, to my ears they are what i listen to when i am particularly happy and want to “bop” my head and really relax. The bookshelfs are monoprice Kbas, their sound, to me, is much more accurate and not as “warm” as the klipsch. Please understand i am having difficulty describing this, i just know i really enjoy the Kbas much more when i’m really “listening” to the music as opposed to “bopping” my head around. There is a distinct difference to the sound both speakers reproduce. Since i managed to get the soundstage and imaging to the point where you can almost “see” the singers ‘floating” somewhere in front of you i decided i had to keep both. Most of the time i just swap around speaker wires and try and see if i can tell which speakers are reproducing the music. Honestly no i can’t, both pairs simply disappear, it’s frigging amazing! I had never experienced this before, it’s so cool.
I’m so happy to have found others who are also going thru this audio “frenzy” and waste good time and money on this nonsense, I can’t share my expenditures or enjoy any of this with my friends, they just roll their eyes and tell me i’m too old to be wasting my time and money on this stuff. Damn soundbar and Bose dwellers.
