So after testing a few integrated amp / speaker combo's, I found a screaming deal on a Mark Levinson 585.5 that was too good to pass up. Having not had a chance to demo anything with the ML, I am trying to narrow down my search and looking for advice on loudspeakers. Understand that demo'ing is the best way to go, but as we all know this is really tough right now. I'm going to try to narrow this down to simplify the task.
About me: I'm not an audiophile and this is not a grail quest. Looking to land in the 90%tile, bang for buck is key. Listen to wide range of music, generally low to mid volumes.
My preference is fairly neutral to warm, I prefer a relaxed sound vs a bright or punchy. I tend to hear muddy (behind the curtains) or harsh (distortion) first, if I can't get past that, I tune out. My preference would be a highly musical presentation with a lots of transparency, that is presented in a relaxed and slightly warm manner. Worked for a transducer manufacturer for several years in past life. Many hours in high-end listening rooms listening to speakers getting tuned, so I am familiar with the concept of a neutral presentation
Budget <$10K (new or used)
Room: 14x20, listening across the narrow end of room. Unfortunately there is a lot of furniture, a hallway and other surfaces that are likely to convolute sound. Thus looking for a speaker that is relatively easy to place, downward firing woofer vs rear ports????
Asthetics: Nothing too outlandish, not a big fan of the 70's B movie designs. The speakers should also be pleasing to the eye.
ML specs: OUTPUT POWER: 200W RMS per channel @ 8?, 20Hz – 20kHz • FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20kHz, ±0.13dB; 2Hz – 250kHz, +0.2dB/–3dB • SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO: >98dB (20Hz – 20kHz, unweighted) TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION: <0.01% @ 1kHz, 200W, 8?; <0.1% @ 20kHz, 200W, 8?
Current consideration: Spendor D9.2, Devore 9's, Wilson Benesch square 5 (used).
About me: I'm not an audiophile and this is not a grail quest. Looking to land in the 90%tile, bang for buck is key. Listen to wide range of music, generally low to mid volumes.
My preference is fairly neutral to warm, I prefer a relaxed sound vs a bright or punchy. I tend to hear muddy (behind the curtains) or harsh (distortion) first, if I can't get past that, I tune out. My preference would be a highly musical presentation with a lots of transparency, that is presented in a relaxed and slightly warm manner. Worked for a transducer manufacturer for several years in past life. Many hours in high-end listening rooms listening to speakers getting tuned, so I am familiar with the concept of a neutral presentation
Budget <$10K (new or used)
Room: 14x20, listening across the narrow end of room. Unfortunately there is a lot of furniture, a hallway and other surfaces that are likely to convolute sound. Thus looking for a speaker that is relatively easy to place, downward firing woofer vs rear ports????
Asthetics: Nothing too outlandish, not a big fan of the 70's B movie designs. The speakers should also be pleasing to the eye.
ML specs: OUTPUT POWER: 200W RMS per channel @ 8?, 20Hz – 20kHz • FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20kHz, ±0.13dB; 2Hz – 250kHz, +0.2dB/–3dB • SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO: >98dB (20Hz – 20kHz, unweighted) TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION: <0.01% @ 1kHz, 200W, 8?; <0.1% @ 20kHz, 200W, 8?
Current consideration: Spendor D9.2, Devore 9's, Wilson Benesch square 5 (used).
