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Floorstanders to replace LS3/5a

Mike Reed said:
With those room dim's, forget ESLs and rear-ported (or even front ported) speakers. ProAc springs to mind as they go well with valves and are an easy load, and the models which have ports firing down might do the trick. Otherwise I.B. (sealed units like your LS3s which can back up to the wall. Naim's SBLs, e.g., but wrong tonal presentation, I'd guess, for those.

Until 3 years ago, have always had moggies, as still does a friend with ProAc Response 3As and Briks beforehand. We have both always covered our speakers with sheets when not being used and none of our respective felines has been a threat (6 to 8 cats over 25 years.
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Proac definitely on the shortlist. I will have a loan of some Audio Physics at the weekend, so that will be a good opportunity to at least try some floorstanders.
 
gez said:
I would never consider bookshelf speakers. IMO their "openness" is inaccurate and just the result of not having any true bass capablity, same for the claims that they have "fast" bass etc. I expect my speakers to be able to produce sub 30hz bass minimum, which very few bookshelf speakers can manage (at least not modern ones). Plus on a purely practical point, I've never seen the point of them. They take up just as much floor space as a floor stander and stands are just awkward ugly dust traps IMO, so why? Contrary to most people I suspect, I actually find floor standers more aesthetically acceptable than bookshelf speakers on stands, irrespective of how fancy the stands.
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I love me a good small speaker because I have no choice. I have a small living room & can have either my big Heybrooks or a sideboard, & since the sideboard is much more practical it wins. But small speakers work well on the ends. I have a mid to near field listening position.

It took a few goes to find speakers I liked. I’ve ended up with both JPW Gold Monitors & mid-90s LS3/5as; careful setup optimizes each pairs strengths. Tonally, each are similar. The wee JPWs are, with a little internal treatment, open, dynamic wonderboxes with a more accurate bass, such as it is. I don’t need deep bass to hear it in my room. The LSs excel at phase coherence, midrange accuracy, & insight into the recording. They are superb multimedia speakers.
 
CTank said:
Just to add, he doesn’t sit on the speaker, but uses it as a launching pad to sit on top of the records (it just gets better, doesn’t it?). The whole arrangement rocks from side to side alarmingly.

Any love for floorstanders? They don’t seem to get much love on forums. Lesser performance, or just unfashionable?
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Floor-standers can be great value and have always been my preferred,speaker,scale,bass response.

Smaller Stand mounts/bookshelf speakers are usually not far off the same height anyway and too vulnerable and can
lack the scale and bass response...

Horn loaded loaded speakers are great with valves,impulse,PMC ob1i ,ob1 seem a lot of speaker used.

Also kef 104.2 are silly vfm and from memory can be efficient enough to run off valves also.


Bigger stand mounts will give less vulnerability,there is a set ns1000 for sale on here and they work well with valves.
 
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pinkfishmedia.net

[FS] - Yamaha NS1000M

As my Rega R9s have not sold and the 'main system' is all but background listening these are surplus to requirements. I bought them from Canonman last year, sale thread here: https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/yamaha-ns-1000m-speakers.279007/ They are in full working order as you would...
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I don't know your budget, but these three videos are a series of sound demo comparisons of bookshelf speakers circa 2500 Euros. Now I totally accept that you can't assess absolute quality from a youtube video, but what I firmly believe you can do is hear the differences in tonality and overall presentation of speakers when they're demonstrated as in these videos. That at least may allow you to automatically discount certain models. It does require some skipping between sections of the video and between videos granted (they talk far too much in my view, but it's a recording of livestreams so I suppose it's to be expected).

Anyway, I hope you find them useful:



 
gez said:
I don't know your budget, but these three videos are a series of sound demo comparisons of bookshelf speakers circa 2500 Euros. Now I totally accept that you can't assess absolute quality from a youtube video, but what I firmly believe you can do is hear the differences in tonality and overall presentation of speakers when they're demonstrated as in these videos. That at least may allow you to automatically discount certain models. It does require some skipping between sections of the video and between videos granted (they talk far too much in my view, but it's a recording of livestreams so I suppose it's to be expected).

Anyway, I hope you find them useful:



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Thanks, that does look interesting, and I’ll listen later. I’m considering moving away from standmounts, towards floorstanders though.
 
gez said:
I would never consider bookshelf speakers. IMO their "openness" is inaccurate and just the result of not having any true bass capablity, same for the claims that they have "fast" bass etc. I expect my speakers to be able to produce sub 30hz bass minimum, which very few bookshelf speakers can manage (at least not modern ones). Plus on a purely practical point, I've never seen the point of them. They take up just as much floor space as a floor stander and stands are just awkward ugly dust traps IMO, so why? Contrary to most people I suspect, I actually find floor standers more aesthetically acceptable than bookshelf speakers on stands, irrespective of how fancy the stands.
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I've never understood the desire to have black steel stands under beautifully veneered speakers in someone's home. It looks so odd.
 
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If you can find some Proac Response D20 with a soft dome tweeter, you should give it a try.
The Spendor you mention are certainly good but the Proac will be more lively and transparent IMO.
 
mandryka said:
Any thoughts about ESL 57 for @CTank ? I've never heard them but I'm curious to know if they have a similar timbre to his LS3/5a. And they're certainly floorstanders!
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There's lots of beat up pairs out there, but a pair that's been completely reconditioned is much harder to find.
 
I believe floor standers are far more popular above a certain price point. It’s all a bit murky as some are essentially stand mounts with a built in plinth.

My speakers image very well, certainly a step up from SBLs
 
Another vote for Graham Audio LS6/f. I've got a set and like mine.

Whatever floorstanders you buy if you put them on top of a granite/marble plinth, then buy some IsoAcoustic Gaia feet, you will get a double win - the Gaia's make a noticeable uplift in SQ ime. Additionally, they "suck" onto the plinth, meaning they would need to be seriously pushed to be knocked over. Using this arrangement I am happy and comfortable with my 17kg spaniel going bonkers around my living room that my speakers will never be knocked over.
 
Try one of these in the room
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It calmed down our mental Oriental cat when we had him. No more clawing the furniture or treating the living room like the wall of death as he came flying in from the garden.
 
Tony L said:
Very similar. They are like a bigger, better LS3/5A to my mind. Fabulous things, and I doubt the cat would be interested. They do need a fair bit of space though.
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Yep. A room with ESL 57s in isn't much use for anything else.
 
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