Bookshelf speakers for Topping E50 + Topping PA5 stack

[junvvin]

Hi,
Kindly suggest best bookshelf speakers to pair with Topping E50 + Topping PA5. I find this topping stack somewhat on the brighter/leaner side, a somewhat warm speakers would be nice I believe as I don't like bright and fatiguing sound signatures.

Usage: Music playback through TV (optical out/external DAC) (youtube, youtube music, spotify, apple music, tidal, mp3 and flac files) and Bluetooth streaming from a smartphone.
Listening Distance: About 4ft away from the TV and 5-6 ft away from the speakers)
Room Size/Acoustics: Zero room treatment, with lots of glass windows. Medium sized room, tiled floor with false ceiling.
Music Genre: Alternative Rock, Indie-Pop/Rock, Electro Pop, Dreampop, Post Rock, Progressive Metal, Instrumental, ZERO RAP/HIP HOP (although I also love good bass)

I am not fond of V shaped or U shaped sound, I prefer lush thick intimate vocals with great detail that does not sound bright or fatiguing.

Keeping in view the above scenario, what are my best options:

1. Polk R200 - Good reviews everywhere, I'm afraid they are a bit too lean for my liking as per youtube sound demos. I could be totally wrong though. ($827)
2. Elac DBR62 - Looks good, how are these? ($905)
3. Fyne Audio F500 - Are these any good? ($1048)
4. Wharfedale Diamond 12.2 - And what about these? ($564)

I would have opted for the wharfedale 85th anniversary edition, but these are out of stock and not available anywhere. The Linton Heritage is out of my budget.

Any suggestion is greatly appreciated, please.

 

[ryanosaur]

Just buy Speakers whose Sound you like and EQ them if you need to. Trying to buy a Speaker with A Specific Distortion to "fix" a quality somewhere else in your equipment chain is a poor approach to building a system.

That said, those Topping products are supposed to be very clean, accurate and neutral as I understand, not introducing sound coloration at all.

It's OK if you want your system to sound a certain way.

Frankly, I would suggest accurate speakers and introducing something to EQ with.

 

[j_garcia]

Youtube? You mean review right, not an "audition". You can't audition a speaker on Youtube.

What speakers do you have currently and what have you heard in person that you like? The more common process is to buy the speakers and choose amplification based on the speaker's requirements since the speakers make the biggest difference in the overall sound, not the amp.

I've owned a few Toppings and they were pretty much neutral.

 

[Teetertotter?]

elac dbr62 review - Search (bing.com)
polk r200 review - Search (bing.com)

Try these reviews from some independent reviewers. You decide from what you have selected. Myself, I like ELAC.

Others will chime in.

 

[Eppie]

This is from last year but should still apply for around $800.
https://www.audioholics.com/bookshelf-speaker-reviews/800-bookshelf-speakers
and in the $700 range:
https://www.audioholics.com/how-to-shop/700-bookshelf-speakers-2021

The Hsu CCB-8 is supposed to do nicely at closer distances.

 

[ski2xblack]

@j_garcia is right as far as the pragmatic order of gear choices, but a near-field (ish) setup mitigates it, hopefully enough so that power is not a problem. Within it's clean operating envelope, the Topping amp is top notch, pretty much the ideal "straight wire with gain" performance.

Will this be a strictly two channel rig sans subwoofage? That suggests speakers with ambitious extension, such as Dennis' AA monitor for a low cost/good value example. They are not the most sensitive, but anything with a similar design (choosing the same trade-off with Hoffman's Iron law) will also tend to be lower sensitivity. How size restricted of a "bookshelf" speaker are you limited to? Larger is better for extension and/or sensitivity. Slightly over budget example would be Phil BMRs, which, while girthy, are still in the "bookshelf" stand mount monitor realm, and favor extended bass over sensitivity.

So hopefully the Topping will have the requisite power for an intimate setup with whatever speaker you end up with. I don't know how the DM designed speakers I mentioned stack up against the Polks and Elacs, but if there is a Dennis Murphy design within your budget, and their generally low-ish sensitivity doesn't rule them out, they're worth considering.

 

[lovinthehd]

No experience with those on your list, but relying on youtube demos I think is a waste of time/effort. While listening in a store can be hard to do in some cases and still of limited value; home trials in your own listening environment would be best. The Elac DBR62 I regularly see good comments from users and they measure well. The Philharmonic AA monitor could be a good bet but the website indicates they may/may not continue with production (particularly of the crossover boards). I'd want to use a sub with all of them myself, too. I'd also stop thinking of the electronics having a particular bright/warm character, most don't and it's not a particularly good thing to have your electronics acting as tone control (unless they're deliberate tone controls via peq or other methods).

 

[XTex]

I can't comment on the PA5 but I have an E50 DAC feeding an Emotiva A-100, which powers Revel M16s, and they sound most excellent. Not sure about potential pricing where you're at though.