Speaker recommendation?

[Renaissance2]

I'm curious if anyone would like to voice in on a recommendation for speakers. They would be in a small, cluttered room (around 11 x 12 feet, 8 foot ceiling), carpeted, lined with too many bookshelves on 3 sides. I listen overwhelmingly to pre-Mozart, mostly small ensembles, some Baroque opera, and especially harpsichord. My amp is a NAD C-316BEE (40 watts per channel). The model that currently most interests me is the Dynaudio Emit 20 ($1000) - very exciting and a real sense of presence. I'm curious, though, about the Elac Uni-Fi UB5, which, though half the price, has consistently rave reviews and won various awards, but no dealer has any pair on their floor to hear. Or would it be better to stretch a bit more on the budget for KEF LS50 (currently on sale for $1300)? Would anyone care to voice an opinion?

 

[killdozzer]

While in love with my LS50, I'm not sure if it's the right model for mainly classical. They are very precise and articulate and some might experience this as "harshness" or "brightness". This is just a heads up, though, if you like this type of sound, just go for it.

 

[everettT]

Flat down to 32hz (f2) , but larger than most bookshelves
http://www.philharmonicaudio.com/BMR Philharmonitor.html

Smaller and flat to 45hz (f3)
http://www.philharmonicaudio.com/New Philharmonitor.html

 

[KenM10759]

The Dynaudio Emit 20 is a very nice speaker, indeed. I like the soft dome tweeter, and Dynaudio does make great woofers, cabinets and crossovers that appeal to a lot of people. I wish I had a dealer near me for them that wasn't jerks. The one I have closest is an hour away and are so snobbish that they won't even stock anything below the Contour line.

 

[speakerman39]

The Dynaudio Emit 20 is a very nice speaker, indeed. I like the soft dome tweeter, and Dynaudio does make great woofers, cabinets and crossovers that appeal to a lot of people. I wish I had a dealer near me for them that wasn't jerks. The one I have closest is an hour away and are so snobbish that they won't even stock anything below the Contour line.

I have read a lot of good things about the Dynaudio Emit 10's. Sounds like the Emit 20's are nice as well. Hope to hear both one day. Especially, the Emit 10's.


Cheers,

Phil

 

[KEW]

Flat down to 32hz (f2) , but larger than most bookshelves
http://www.philharmonicaudio.com/BMR Philharmonitor.html

Smaller and flat to 45hz (f3)
http://www.philharmonicaudio.com/New Philharmonitor.html

IME, when properly executed, the RAAL ribbon is the tweeter to beat for classical music. It is very, very good at anything, but for stringed instruments, it has no peer!
With either of the above speakers, you get that in an extremely high value package (Dennis is retired and not trying to make a living off of his speaker business - just something he is very good at and enjoys sharing his passion - anything he offers is a great value).
Honestly, now that Dennis fitted the BMR to a PE cabinet to get the price down from $1650 to $1350, I would not even consider the $1150 New Philharmonitor! In an 11 X 12 X 8 foot room, I would consider f2 of 32Hz (before room gain) acceptable as full range for normal music (not the deepest pipe organ or movie LFE content), so that extra bass avoids the need for a subwoofer.
However, the truly amazing aspect of the BMR is it's excellent dispersion!

The red line is on axis, the blue is 30 degrees off axis, and the green is a whopping 80 degrees off-axis (most don't measure beyond 60 degrees)!
So 30 degrees tracks within 1-2dB of on-axis and 80 degrees within 5dB! I know of no other speaker that is this consistent off axis
This is particularly relevant because instruments like harpsichord, cello, and violin radiate sound in all directions and a viola reproduced in your room over the BMR's will sound very much like an actual viola in your room.

As you have no doubt gathered, I am a fan of Dennis Murphy and Philharmonic Audio. I often recommend them, but don't normally give them this much of a "hard sell". However, IMHO, you are the perfect application for the BMR.

Where do you live? If in the Atlanta area, you can come by and listen to my BMR's and compare them against Martin Logan electrostats and Focal Twin6 Be studio monitors. IMHO, listening to a speaker without something to compare it too is not very helpful. Most of the speakers you are considering will simply sound great. It is not until you A-B them with other great speakers that you realize their specific strengths and weaknesses!

BTW, It sounds like you probably have a great room, acoustically. Unless your bookcases have glass doors, they should make excellent diffraction/diffusion panels!

 

[TheWarrior]

IME, when properly executed, the RAAL ribbon is the tweeter to beat for classical music. It is very, very good at anything, but for stringed instruments, it has no peer!
With either of the above speakers, you get that in an extremely high value package (Dennis is retired and not trying to make a living off of his speaker business - just something he is very good at and enjoys sharing his passion - anything he offers is a great value).
Honestly, now that Dennis fitted the BMR to a PE cabinet to get the price down from $1650 to $1350, I would not even consider the $1150 New Philharmonitor! In an 11 X 12 X 8 foot room, I would consider f2 of 32Hz (before room gain) acceptable as full range for normal music (not the deepest pipe organ or movie LFE content), so that extra bass avoids the need for a subwoofer.
However, the truly amazing aspect of the BMR is it's excellent dispersion!

The red line is on axis, the blue is 30 degrees off axis, and the green is a whopping 80 degrees off-axis (most tests don't test beyond 60 degrees)!
So 30 degrees tracks within 1-2dB of on-axis and 80 degrees within 5dB! I know of no other speaker that is this consistent off axis
This is particularly relevant because instruments like harpsichord, cello, and violin radiate sound in all directions and a viola reproduced in your room over the BMR's will sound very much like an actual viola in your room.

As you have no doubt gathered, I am a fan of Dennis Murphy and Philharmonic Audio. I often recommend them, but don't normally give them this much of a "hard sell". However, IMHO, you are the perfect application for the BMR.

Where do you live? If in the Atlanta area, you can come by and listen to my BMR's and compare them against Martin Logan electrostats and Focal Twin6 Be studio monitors. IMHO, listening to a speaker without something to compare it too is not very helpful. Most of the speakers you are considering will simply sound great. It is not until you A-B them with other great speakers that you realize their specific strengths and weaknesses!

BTW, It sounds like you probably have a great room, acoustically. Unless your bookcases have glass doors, they should make excellent diffraction/diffusion panels!

Cheers to that!

 

[everettT]

IME, when properly executed, the RAAL ribbon is the tweeter to beat for classical music. It is very, very good at anything, but for stringed instruments, it has no peer!
With either of the above speakers, you get that in an extremely high value package (Dennis is retired and not trying to make a living off of his speaker business - just something he is very good at and enjoys sharing his passion - anything he offers is a great value).
Honestly, now that Dennis fitted the BMR to a PE cabinet to get the price down from $1650 to $1350, I would not even consider the $1150 New Philharmonitor! In an 11 X 12 X 8 foot room, I would consider f2 of 32Hz (before room gain) acceptable as full range for normal music (not the deepest pipe organ or movie LFE content), so that extra bass avoids the need for a subwoofer.
However, the truly amazing aspect of the BMR is it's excellent dispersion!

The red line is on axis, the blue is 30 degrees off axis, and the green is a whopping 80 degrees off-axis (most don't measure beyond 60 degrees)!
So 30 degrees tracks within 1-2dB of on-axis and 80 degrees within 5dB! I know of no other speaker that is this consistent off axis
This is particularly relevant because instruments like harpsichord, cello, and violin radiate sound in all directions and a viola reproduced in your room over the BMR's will sound very much like an actual viola in your room.

As you have no doubt gathered, I am a fan of Dennis Murphy and Philharmonic Audio. I often recommend them, but don't normally give them this much of a "hard sell". However, IMHO, you are the perfect application for the BMR.

Where do you live? If in the Atlanta area, you can come by and listen to my BMR's and compare them against Martin Logan electrostats and Focal Twin6 Be studio monitors. IMHO, listening to a speaker without something to compare it too is not very helpful. Most of the speakers you are considering will simply sound great. It is not until you A-B them with other great speakers that you realize their specific strengths and weaknesses!

BTW, It sounds like you probably have a great room, acoustically. Unless your bookcases have glass doors, they should make excellent diffraction/diffusion panels!

I've used BG Radia planars in both true bipole and open back, really enjoyed the realistic depth and width.

Every offering I've heard from RAAL has sounded superb on good recordings.

 

[KEW]

I have never heard BG Radia planars!
Are you saying you think they may beat the RAAL for stringed instruments?
How much do they cost?

Yeah, I should add that if you have a ton of favorite old recordings a revealing speaker can be its own disappointment.
I listen to a lot of big band music and find recordings from the 50's or earlier are usually problematic (with a few exceptions). Late 50's and early 60's are a mixed bag. Fortunately, between the US military big bands and Europeans (including the BBC Big Band) embracing jazz and covering old classics, I can just avoid bad recordings.
I hope the same is true for pre-Mozart classical, but am not so familiar with recordings from that specific genre aside from saying the Trevor Pinnock with the English Concert recording of Bach's Brandenberg Concertos is outstanding.

 

[everettT]

I have never heard BG Radia planars!
Are you saying you think they may beat the RAAL for stringed instruments?
How much do they cost?

Yeah, I should add that if you have a ton of favorite old recordings a revealing speaker can be its own disappointment.
I listen to a lot of big band music and find recordings from the 50's or earlier are usually problematic (with a few exceptions). Late 50's and early 60's are a mixed bag. Fortunately, between the US military big bands and Europeans (including the BBC Big Band) embracing jazz and covering old classics, I can just avoid bad recordings.
I hope the same is true for pre-Mozart classical, but am not so familiar with recordings from that specific genre aside from saying the Trevor Pinnock with the English Concert recording of Bach's Brandenberg Concertos is outstanding.

No not saying they best it.(RAAL tweeters are completely different ) the phil 3s use the BG midrange planars fyi. BG is no longer in business unfortunately. Very popular in DIY and BGs commercial offerings. Martin Logan used them on some of their hybrid offerings in the early 2ks.

 

[Renaissance2]

Thanks for the offer, KEW, but I'm in the NYC area. I'm leery of buying anything without actually hearing it, though all the numbers and personal recommendation are tempting. As for your comments about my listening area, I'm now going to quote them any time someone rolls their eyes at the clutter!

 

[everettT]

Thanks for the offer, KEW, but I'm in the NYC area. I'm leery of buying anything without actually hearing it, though all the numbers and personal recommendation are tempting. As for your comments about my listening area, I'm now going to quote them any time someone rolls their eyes at the clutter!

If you can take the train down to DC metro area, Dennis would be happy to accommodate you. He plays in a major philharmonic orchestra fwiw, and has an ear for your genres more so than “rock”. Not that his speakers don’t do well with other types of music, they are just flat and accurate on and off axis, and reveal flaws in recordings

 

[KEW]

Thanks for the offer, KEW, but I'm in the NYC area. I'm leery of buying anything without actually hearing it, though all the numbers and personal recommendation are tempting. As for your comments about my listening area, I'm now going to quote them any time someone rolls their eyes at the clutter!

I don't blame you at all for that, I agree you should hear any speaker before you buy (unless it has a free return policy). That is why I offered!
However, at this point I would have no problem buying any speaker from Philharmonic Audio or Salk Audio (Dennis contributes to the overall design and does the crossover design for Salk speakers). But that is because I have owned 5 of his designs and recognize the consistency of his work.
Do a little research, read some of the info on other forums on Dennis Murphy and Philharmonic Audio. If you do, I think you will realize it is worth the trip to visit Dennis and have a listen to the BMR!