Speaker suggestions.

[magma]

Curious to know,
Have any respectable female speaker designer in audio world ..?

Not exactly designer per say
But Harbeth is managed quite a bit by a woman , ( and i mean the technicall part too , not just admin )

And
The MANGERS ( speakers )
Has a woman ceo who also designs

 

[vkalia]

Good people of HFV, I've moved my TV into a smaller room, (11' x 11'), and would like to have a 2.1 system for movies as well as music.

My budget is 150k, for mains and a sub, combined. They'll be powered with either a SMSL A300, Sabaj A20a, or A30a.

The Amphion Helium 410 ticked all the boxes. I enquired, but the place selling it doesn't seem to want to make the sale happen.

What speaker, sub combos do you folks suggest? Would prefer a sealed sub, if possible.

Sonus Faber Lumina I/II and a decent compact sub to fill in the bottom 2 octaves. You are going to be a little limited in terms of scale (bookshelves only go so far), but they do a fantastic job with timbral accuracy.

I got them as a temporary fix, with the long-term goal of putting them in a small office-rec room, and they are ideal for that kind of space (similar to yours). In fact, I like them enough for my primary listening that i am not under any urgency to get my ”proper“ system - that’s how good they are.

Do listen to them. If you are ever in Bangalore, you are welcome to drop by and listen to my pair.

 

[aeroash]

Here's an unpopular opinion if you care for one - check out Paradigm, Definitive Technology and PSB, especially the Definitive Technology D11. The abovesaid brands are known to give a well rounded performance across the board rather than catering to any particular niche. And my experience with the PSB Alpha P5 has thoroughly reaffirmed this belief.

If aesthetics is high on your list, check out the Mission SX2 specifically and the ZX series in general. With my experience with the brand, i would wager they're half decent at the very least.

Among the Paradigms, the only bookshelves I see are the Monitor SE. Dimensions are compact enough. They have a nice heft to them. I'm a sucker for good weight. It gives a (false, perhaps) perception of quality. I had heard a Paradigm a long time ago, I think they make excellent products at reasonable (comparatively) prices. I use the Paradigm PW link, and it's a bargain of a device for the price, with ARC et al.

Definitive Technology D7 and D9 are compact enough, but they are terribly overpriced in India. No, go. I look for good value, that is prices that are on par with the US/UK pricing, or lower. I have bought all my gear this way.

I'm not familiar with the PSB sound, but from my reading, they seem to be a good value-for-money brand.

Mission makes some pretty hefty stuff. Their subwoofers weigh at least twice more than their competitors in their class; even the ZX bookshelves are uber-heavy! The Missions which I heard some time ago were "uninspiring", I'm not aware of the model though.

 

[aeroash]

Do listen to them. If you are ever in Bangalore, you are welcome to drop by and listen to my pair.

I can only imagine!

Please excuse my poor jokes, I'm still stuck in my immature high school humour.

I would love to drop in on my next trip, thanks so much for the invite.

 

[aeroash]

BTW, no love in the forum for the Bowers & Wilkins 607 S2?

 

[Bloom@83]

BTW, no love in the forum for the Bowers & Wilkins 607 S2?

Heard them. Not the last word in midrange purity or low end extension by any means.
I favour the older Epos.

 

[DB1989]

Among the Paradigms, the only bookshelves I see are the Monitor SE. Dimensions are compact enough. They have a nice heft to them. I'm a sucker for good weight. It gives a (false, perhaps) perception of quality. I had heard a Paradigm a long time ago, I think they make excellent products at reasonable (comparatively) prices. I use the Paradigm PW link, and it's a bargain of a device for the price, with ARC et al.

Definitive Technology D7 and D9 are compact enough, but they are terribly overpriced in India. No, go. I look for good value, that is prices that are on par with the US/UK pricing, or lower. I have bought all my gear this way.

Fair enough. A product is only as good as the price it's offered at vis-a-vis it's competition.

BTW, no love in the forum for the Bowers & Wilkins 607 S2?

Rather, it doesn't fit the criterion

On a side note, the unicorn that I'm chasing with this hobby is the sound i heard off a pair of B&W's some 15 years ago. Love their sound!

I'm not familiar with the PSB sound, but from my reading, they seem to be a good value-for-money brand.

Got the P5 at less than US pricing and Holy Guacamole!

Mission makes some pretty hefty stuff. Their subwoofers weigh at least twice more than their competitors in their class; even the ZX bookshelves are uber-heavy! The Missions which I heard some time ago were "uninspiring", I'm not aware of the model though.

I hope it wasn't the QX-2 and those beauts did indeed weigh twice as much as the competition!

 

[Vivek Batra]

Are there any Amphion users in the forum? Years ago, when I first thought of a hifi system, it happened by chance entering an Amphion demo room (at Raghuvanshi mill compound Mumbai… don’t know if it still exists there). And I was blown away by their tower speakers (don’t recollect the model, but it was priced at 3.25 lacs some 10 years ago!). Listening to it made me curious about hifi. I’ve often wondered why this brand isn’t discussed much here! Probably they don’t sell much in India?

Sorry for not adding any reply to your query, @aeroash. But your post made me recollect that unplanned audition long ago!

Welcome back

 

[aeroash]

Rather, it doesn't fit the criterion

On a side note, the unicorn that I'm chasing with this hobby is the sound i heard off a pair of B&W's some 15 years ago. Love their sound!

There’s sound that blows you away the first time you hear it. They’ve the “wow” factor. But the challenge is if one is able to listen to them for an extended session without inducing fatigue.

“Lively” treble with good bass can give you this sense of clarity, detail and depth but will perhaps induce fatigue over a longer listening session, no?

Got the P5 at less than US pricing and Holy Guacamole!

This time we listen to them for sure

I hope it wasn't the QX-2 and those beauts did indeed weigh twice as much as the competition!

You nailed it

 

[aeroash]

Heard them. Not the last word in midrange purity or low end extension by any means.
I favour the older Epos.

One cannot expect bookshelves to have meaningful low extension, no?
One way to have this effect would be to move them closer to the front wall, whilst sacrificing soundstage.

 

[DB1989]

There’s sound that blows you away the first time you hear it. They’ve the “wow” factor. But the challenge is if one is able to listen to them for an extended session without inducing fatigue.

“Lively” treble with good bass can give you this sense of clarity, detail and depth but will perhaps induce fatigue over a longer listening session, no?

I believe you're asking the wrong person

 

[Bloom@83]

One cannot expect bookshelves to have meaningful low extension, no?
One way to have this effect would be to move them closer to the front wall, whilst sacrificing soundstage.

Umm well for stereo , on my own setup with bookshelves,I’ve never felt the lack of a sub. I don’t use them for movies at all though. But then again , it’s a very specific set of circumstances coming together in favour , specifically wrt to a smallish perfectly rectangular room with false ceiling , bookshelves and record shelves symmetrically placed contributing to an acoustically well balanced room (my reference points being audition rooms of ProFx , Sollfege, Wattfeffects etc and some highly respected FMs setups, as I am not into measurements ).

 

[sachinchavan 15865]

Welcome back

Thank you.

 

[k-pad]

Good people of HFV, I've moved my TV into a smaller room, (11' x 11'), and would like to have a 2.1 system for movies as well as music.

My budget is 150k, for mains and a sub, combined. They'll be powered with either a SMSL A300, Sabaj A20a, or A30a.

The Amphion Helium 410 ticked all the boxes. I enquired, but the place selling it doesn't seem to want to make the sale happen.

What speaker, sub combos do you folks suggest? Would prefer a sealed sub, if possible.

Hey Aero, in that case, it would be best to pursue an Amphi from a different seller or another mode.

I'm looking for something compact, in the size of a Quad S2, perhaps. But, the ribbon tweeter is not for me. I'm concerned with just the highs and the mids, as the lows would be taken care of with a sub.

With no disrespect, how would you describe your love for the highs while not liking ribbons? In my limited experience, ribbons resolve highs like nothing else...

Either way, Go for the Amphis, stick to them and find a different seller, IMHO. Nothing else makes sense...
Regards and Best

 

[k-pad]

I'm not familiar with the PSB sound, but from my reading, they seem to be a good value-for-money brand.

The PSB alpha bookshelves are a knock out, do give them a listen.

 

[sachinchavan 15865]

One cannot expect bookshelves to have meaningful low extension, no?

“Lively” treble with good bass can give you this sense of clarity, detail and depth but will perhaps induce fatigue over a longer listening session, no?

Since you are considering 2.1 configuration, your sub should (ideally) take care of these factors. Hence you seem to be headed in the right direction focusing on the highs and mids for the BS. I think you should assess the sound of BS-Sub combinations than BS in isolation. The synergy is very important. Someone did mention above that bookshelves (in general) are better at timbral accuracy. You’d not want to lose on that in selecting the combo. Or else you are better off with a floorstander.

Explore/seek combos (from same or different manufacturers) that suit your taste and budget and then audition them as a unit, if possible.

 

[aeroash]

With no disrespect, how would you describe your love for the highs while not liking ribbons?

At a different degree than most, perhaps, on the softer, sweeter side.

In my limited experience, ribbons resolve highs like nothing else...

Ribbons, or Aluminium/Titanium/Berrylium dome tweeters are fast and crisp, and one can definitely hear more detail. But, this higher level of detail is exactly what causes fatigue for some, and unfortunately, I'm one of them.

Metal dome tweeters, ribbons or a compression driver are certainly better at detail retrieval and accuracy. I prefer enjoyment over accuracy. Hence never liked anything that sounded flat on the FR chart.

 

[aeroash]

I think you should assess the sound of BS-Sub combinations than BS in isolation. The synergy is very important. Someone did mention above that bookshelves (in general) are better at timbral accuracy. You’d not want to lose on that in selecting the combo. Or else you are better off with a floorstander.

Explore/seek combos (from same or different manufacturers) that suit your taste and budget and then audition them as a unit, if possible.

Yes, the BS will take care of the highs and the mids, where timbre matters most. The timbre of anything below 80hz will be less important. Any sub with a tight and fast decay should suffice, provided roll-offs are matched properly. It all comes down to the integration of the mains and the sub in the given room.

In a bad room, a floorstander will be more challenging to tame. A subwoofer will give you more placement options.

 

[aeroash]

Either way, Go for the Amphis, stick to them and find a different seller, IMHO. Nothing else makes sense...
Regards and Best

I'm in two minds really. The Amphions look great on paper and have all the characteristics I'm looking for. But I have never heard an Amphion. It's going to be a gamble if I get one. Let's see.

 

[sachinchavan 15865]

Yes, the BS will take care of the highs and the mids, where timbre matters most. The timbre of anything below 80hz will be less important.

Fundamentally disagree with this. The timbre is never that of a particular frequency, but of a voice/instrument. And for any voice/instrument, it is an integration (overlay) of everything - the highs, mids and the lows - i.e. a frequency spectrum. Yes, a typical male voice would have more low than a typical female voice… but each of them have some low, just like the instruments. In fact this overlay of frequencies (and their changes over time) is what produces the characteristic timbre of each person’s voice/instrument.

I quote from Wikipedia below:

“The physical characteristics of sound that determine the perception of timbre include frequency spectrum and envelope.”

And,

“In sound and music, an envelope describes how a sound changes over time. It may relate to elements such as amplitude (volume), frequencies (with the use of filters) or pitch.”