Thoughts on these floor standing speakers with SET amp

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freesole

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Hi All,

I have been doing some research over the past while and am currently in the midst of a search for my next floorstanding speaker that costs around ~$10k.

Power: I will be powering the speakers with a SET amp (48W per channel).
Sources: Most of my sources are digital (Roon/Tidal). I mostly listen to jazz, classical and female vocals. I would appreciate a speaker that provides that good, snappy bass where I don't need a subwoofer.
Room: Large room (will be in the living room that opens up to the kitchen and then the dining room). Aesthetics do matter here.

I have received a ton of help through the forums already during my search and have now narrowed down my speaker choices to (in no particular order):


  • Magico A3 - No issues driving these speakers with my amp. Tested and they sounded wonderful. Very analytical and super clear details. Tight bass as well but maybe more weighted in the clarity/details than warmth, even with my tube amp.
  • Joseph Audio Perspective - No dealers in WA or OR so no way to test these but have heard wonderful things about these speakers. Sounds like imaging/sound stage is a strong suit along with clarity. I wonder how bass performance is though as these have smaller woofers compared to my other choices.
  • Spendor D9 - Have not heard these speakers yet but am trying to find a local dealer that has them in stock.

Thanks in advance!
 
Not to make things more difficult, have you looked at Sonist Audio in your search? Considered high efficient with ribbon tweeter. I thought they sounded very good with low watt amps. Although yours are pretty powerful for SET.

The only speaker I heard in your list was the A3. I'm a Magico fan personally.

I take that back, I did hear a set of Spendor driven by an Aleph Class A amp. The system was all new to me so not sure what to attribute to the speakers. It was a Denon TT into a DIY tube pre. I will say the sound was very good. A bit surprising considering the table.
 
Mr Peabody said:
Not to make things more difficult, have you looked at Sonist Audio in your search? Considered high efficient with ribbon tweeter. I thought they sounded very good with low watt amps. Although yours are pretty powerful for SET.

The only speaker I heard in your list was the A3. I'm a Magico fan personally.

I take that back, I did hear a set of Spendor driven by an Aleph Class A amp. The system was all new to me so not sure what to attribute to the speakers. It was a Denon TT into a DIY tube pre. I will say the sound was very good. A bit surprising considering the table.
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I have not heard of Sonist actually. There are just so many options at this price point. I have considered several other candidates but distilled the options down to these three... I think. The A3 really impressed me but a part of me still wonders about the Spendors and the Joseph Audio's based on the feedback that I have been getting. From what I am hearing, the Spendors would be great with lower powered SET amps and so would the Perspective's.
 
freesole said:
Hi All,

I have been doing some research over the past while and am currently in the midst of a search for my next floorstanding speaker that costs around ~$10k.

Power: I will be powering the speakers with a SET amp (48W per channel).
Sources: Most of my sources are digital (Roon/Tidal). I mostly listen to jazz, classical and female vocals. I would appreciate a speaker that provides that good, snappy bass where I don't need a subwoofer.
Room: Large room (will be in the living room that opens up to the kitchen and then the dining room). Aesthetics do matter here.

I have received a ton of help through the forums already during my search and have now narrowed down my speaker choices to (in no particular order):


  • Magico A3 - No issues driving these speakers with my amp. Tested and they sounded wonderful. Very analytical and super clear details. Tight bass as well but maybe more weighted in the clarity/details than warmth, even with my tube amp.
  • Joseph Audio Perspective - No dealers in WA or OR so no way to test these but have heard wonderful things about these speakers. Sounds like imaging/sound stage is a strong suit along with clarity. I wonder how bass performance is though as these have smaller woofers compared to my other choices.
  • Spendor D9 - Have not heard these speakers yet but am trying to find a local dealer that has them in stock.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

Those are some good choices. If you have even the most modest of DIY skills, you may want to give these a try. I have a set of the Quintet 15s and they are really exceptional for the price.

http://www.pureaudioproject.com/trio15tb-open-baffle-speakers/
 
CGabriel said:
Those are some good choices. If you have even the most modest of DIY skills, you may want to give these a try. I have a set of the Quintet 15s and they are really exceptional for the price.
Click to expand...

Those are some interesting speakers. Looks to be very efficient and should have no problem with the lower powered tube amps. Unfortunately, they won't pass the WAF test as they are always in plain sight in the living room.
 
I would go with the DeVore O/96 , Tannoy Kensington or Living Voice speakers. I just don’t think 48 watts SET amp can drive the A3 driver to full potential.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Paul said:
I would go with the DeVore O/96 , Tannoy Kensington or Living Voice speakers. I just don’t really think 48 watts is SET amp can drive the A3 driver to full potential.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Sounded fantastic to me at the volumes that I would listen to at home to be honest. I was surprised too though and wouldn't have believed that it could drive those speakers had I not brought the amp to the shop to listen.

Thanks for those suggestions but I am personally not a fan of any of those looks (sounds vain, I know but these are going in the living room and they do not match the rest of the decor).
 
Paul said:
I would go with the DeVore O/96 , Tannoy Kensington or Living Voice speakers. I just don’t really think 48 watts is SET amp can drive the A3 driver to full potential.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I was also going to recommend the Devore speakers given your preferences. Your amp would be an ideal match for the 0/96, 0/93 or the gibbon super nine. I have a 0/96 that sounds full and rich with a powerful bass that you can feel. I use either a Bering 40 watt amp or the Ayon Crossfire (30watts). More than enough to drive them to very high volumes.

Most important -take your time and get some demos.
 
According to the reviews with test results on both the JA and the Spendor they both have plenty of bass to the mid-20's so the equal of the Magico in that regard or maybe better. However if you need to hear before you buy then a trip outside of your local area is probably in order. Another possibility in that price range is the Nola KO though I suspect the closest dealer to you is Upscale Audio.
 
Mr Peabody said:
How bad do the Golden Ear look? With built-in amplification for bass it would take burden off the SET amp.
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I wouldn't say they look bad. Just not our style. I have heard good things. I remember listening to a pair of Golden Ears (not the reference) but I wasn't a fan of them at the time.
 
Jack said:
According to the reviews with test results on both the JA and the Spendor they both have plenty of bass to the mid-20's so the equal of the Magico in that regard or maybe better. However if you need to hear before you buy then a trip outside of your local area is probably in order. Another possibility in that price range is the Nola KO though I suspect the closest dealer to you is Upscale Audio.
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I plan to listen to the D7's tomorrow to get an idea. The D9's will dig a bit deeper but I'm hoping I'll get an idea of the sonic signature by listening to them. The only one I wouldn't get an idea for is the Joseph Audio's without buying them.
 
My 2 cents.

Used/demo Acoustic Zen Cresendo’s or Focal Soprano 2

I’ve owned the Joesph Perspectives they lasted about a week. For me no bottom end.
 
Etunes said:
My 2 cents.

Used/demo Acoustic Zen Cresendo’s or Focal Soprano 2

I’ve owned the Joesph Perspectives they lasted about a week. For me no bottom end.
Click to expand...

Interesting - I was a little worried about the bottom end on the Joseph Audio's. Were they really that lacking though?

Have you listened to the Crescendo's? There is a used pair of the Mk II's that is in my price range that has interested me previously.
 
freesole said:
Interesting - I was a little worried about the bottom end on the Joseph Audio's. Were they really that lacking though? They were at their best with 300W SS amp.

Have you listened to the Crescendo's? There is a used pair of the Mk II's that is in my price range that has interested me previously.
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I had a pair of MK1 for a year and they are truly full range. Very organic , open and seamless top to bottom. He often demo's them at shows with the Triode 845 mono amps which have 50WPC. Is your amp a Line Magnetic?
 
Paul said:
...Tannoy Kensington
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+1

definitely worth throwing in the mix. great sounding speakers w/ tube amps. 48 wpc should be more than enough -- i have heard them with a parallel, 5 wpc 2A3 amp which was a dynamite pairing.

just out of curiosity, what is amp you will be using? i am always interested in SET amps -- esp. those with higher outputs.
 
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