Ok firstly I'll start by saying that I'm fully aware that there is no substitute for listening. Unfortunately I'm not looking to buy new so dealer/home demos are out.
Right then...
I'm looking to replace my speakers. The current models are Acoustic Energy Aesprit 309. I'm currently considering one of three options as replacements
Dynaudio contour 1.8
Proac studio 140
Monitor Audio GS20
and possibly
Dynaudio focus 220 (though I believe they're too tall)
I expect any one of them would be better than my current speakers in terms of "quality" but I'm really looking for advice predominantly about balance as given that I'll be buying effectively blind (demo of s/h speakers in other peoples homes aren't going to be that useful as my room will inevitably make them sound completely different), I don't want to waste my time (and others) investigating speakers which may be completely wrong from what I'm looking for.
So as a pointer I'll tell you what I think is wrong with my current speakers.
Overall the basic balance is about right but... I find:
Bass is lacking the extension/weight I really want, (particularly when turned up). They do go quite low, but I'd like more extention and grip/control.
The upper bass/lower mids are a little "honky".. basically I can hear some cabinet resonance which gives the overall sound a slight "coldness".
Treble is a touch "dry" sounding.. sounds like an excess of 10khz ish I'd say.. I'd like something smoother and "sweeter" sounding.
When turned up they get a bit over agressive to my ears.
So I suppose I'm looking for a less cold sound with more bass weight and extention.. so warmer sounding mids I guess. But I'm not looking for an old school mellow laid back speaker.
So given the above info... which of my short list is likely to have a sound closest to what I'm looking for. I expect it's a senseless question unless you've heard my current speakers and know how they sound in comparison with any of the above. Generally over the internet they have been described as open sounding speakers with quite good bass weight. I'd agree but the bass is just not controlled enough and is a bit heavy on "upper bass" IMO and the treble predominantly needs to be higher quality rather than signficantly different in terms of balance.
Size wise they are 96x21x30 (hxwxd) on stands and I'm looking for something that isn't massively different size wise, hence my list above (though the proacs are really a bit tall if I'm being honest).
The only speakers I've seen any measurements for are the GS20s which seem to be very neutral with the exception of a slight 3db (or so) lift around 10-15khz. They also get described as having a similar kind of open sound as my current speakers so for both reasons they're on the list. But I've obviously read good things about the proacs and dynaudios.
So any ideas? Which are likely to be closest to what I'm looking for? or would any of them be that much better that I'm likely to be happy with them.
As far as amps are concerned all I'll say is that they have enough grunt to drive anything, are solid state and so have low enough output impedance that interactions with individual speakers will be insigificant relative to the level of change I want. I'm not going to state make/model as I don't believe the amps themselves will determine the sound and they are more than a match quality wise for any of the speakers I'm considering. So they are most definitey not up for discussion to be changed. Same for the CDP, which I recenly bought new so wont be being changed.
Right then...
I'm looking to replace my speakers. The current models are Acoustic Energy Aesprit 309. I'm currently considering one of three options as replacements
Dynaudio contour 1.8
Proac studio 140
Monitor Audio GS20
and possibly
Dynaudio focus 220 (though I believe they're too tall)
I expect any one of them would be better than my current speakers in terms of "quality" but I'm really looking for advice predominantly about balance as given that I'll be buying effectively blind (demo of s/h speakers in other peoples homes aren't going to be that useful as my room will inevitably make them sound completely different), I don't want to waste my time (and others) investigating speakers which may be completely wrong from what I'm looking for.
So as a pointer I'll tell you what I think is wrong with my current speakers.
Overall the basic balance is about right but... I find:
Bass is lacking the extension/weight I really want, (particularly when turned up). They do go quite low, but I'd like more extention and grip/control.
The upper bass/lower mids are a little "honky".. basically I can hear some cabinet resonance which gives the overall sound a slight "coldness".
Treble is a touch "dry" sounding.. sounds like an excess of 10khz ish I'd say.. I'd like something smoother and "sweeter" sounding.
When turned up they get a bit over agressive to my ears.
So I suppose I'm looking for a less cold sound with more bass weight and extention.. so warmer sounding mids I guess. But I'm not looking for an old school mellow laid back speaker.
So given the above info... which of my short list is likely to have a sound closest to what I'm looking for. I expect it's a senseless question unless you've heard my current speakers and know how they sound in comparison with any of the above. Generally over the internet they have been described as open sounding speakers with quite good bass weight. I'd agree but the bass is just not controlled enough and is a bit heavy on "upper bass" IMO and the treble predominantly needs to be higher quality rather than signficantly different in terms of balance.
Size wise they are 96x21x30 (hxwxd) on stands and I'm looking for something that isn't massively different size wise, hence my list above (though the proacs are really a bit tall if I'm being honest).
The only speakers I've seen any measurements for are the GS20s which seem to be very neutral with the exception of a slight 3db (or so) lift around 10-15khz. They also get described as having a similar kind of open sound as my current speakers so for both reasons they're on the list. But I've obviously read good things about the proacs and dynaudios.
So any ideas? Which are likely to be closest to what I'm looking for? or would any of them be that much better that I'm likely to be happy with them.
As far as amps are concerned all I'll say is that they have enough grunt to drive anything, are solid state and so have low enough output impedance that interactions with individual speakers will be insigificant relative to the level of change I want. I'm not going to state make/model as I don't believe the amps themselves will determine the sound and they are more than a match quality wise for any of the speakers I'm considering. So they are most definitey not up for discussion to be changed. Same for the CDP, which I recenly bought new so wont be being changed.
