Request for Suggestions based on specific requirements

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312elements

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Joined 2021
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#1
I’ve been lurking around here for the last few months and I’ve learned a lot. I think I’m ready to pull the trigger but your personal experiences are encouraged.

About 2 years I started my audio journey. For me, headphones were the gateway drug and still a hobby that I very much enjoy. I have a small room that serves many purposes from recording/editing videos to playing video games to listening to music. The room is roughly 12x15. It’s cluttered with shelves and assorted acoustic panels. I have a listening position setup in the room where I sit about 7 feet from the speakers, the speakers are about 6’ apart from one another and they’re separated by a television.

Current setup is computer> Denafrips Ares > Woo Audio WA22 (tube pre/headphone amp) > Schiit Aegier monoblock amps > KEF R500.

What problem am I trying to solve? Variety is the spice of life. Ideally I would get something very different from the KEF house sound. I would say I fall pretty hard in the 4-5 piece band category ranging from 50’s/60’s jazz quartets to the likes of Puss N Boots and singer song writer focused acoustic music. I’m not a bass junkie. I’d say I’m mostly into imaging, sound stage, and performances. I think the KEF’s do this stuff pretty well, but I’m intrigued by the idea of full range point source speakers. The goal at the moment would be to complement the KEF’s rather than replace them.

To start out, I’ll like be using the Aegir to power the speakers. For those unfamiliar it’s a class A/B amp rated at 20 WPC, the first 8ish watts of which are class A. Not the best amp for the intended purposes, but likely not an awful option either.

So I’ve told you about the gear, about the room, and about my taste. I don’t think the frugal horn is a good fit for my room because of distance from wall, but other than that I don’t have many other rules. I could feasibly do a speaker that sits on a shelf, a speaker that sits on a stand, or a floor stander like my current R500. If you have any speaker + cabinet suggestions that you would recommend I’m all ears. I should also mention I’m in the States, I’m fairly handy with a saw, and I’m also open to pre-made or second hand options.

Thanks in advance.
 
#2
A pencil with a Mark Audio driver could be what you want. Those are very detailed and high sound quality. They are a kind of MLTL type of speakers that can stand next to a wall, small footprint but still a good bass.

The Alpair 7 or 10 series are the best drivers for those. I Prefer the Alpair 10.3M driver, wich has a dedicated Pencil cabinet:

http://frugal-phile.com/boxlib/pensils/Pensil103-plan-300114.pdf

Info about the driver:
Alpair 10.3 | Markaudio

And where to buy the driver in the USA:
Markaudio Alpair-10 Gold 6" Full Range Gen 2

The version with the 7MS, 11MS or 10P are also great, but i prefer the 10.3 driver. The plans are found on the Mark Audio site. The Pencil designs are done by Scott Lindgren (Scottmoose on this site) and are extensivly discussed down here in the past (use the search).
 
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#3
Thanks @waxx , that seems super straight forward. I was leaning towards the Alpair, but there's a lot to take in. Do you use this enclosure? Any specific comments about what makes the 10.3 better than the other options? It doesn't look like the 10P is available and I haven't found a lot of information on the 11ms, so 10.3 seemed like the best option by default.
 
#5
Alpairs are nice, but there are plenty of other good drivers out there.

One of the design I like to share for first time builders is the TABAQ. It is a very simple build, so it’s easy for a first experience, plus the sound from that design always surprises everyone. A very satisfying experience.

It can be on the floor directly on a wall, it can be hung on a wall for space saving, or brought into the room for a bit better imaging.

Plenty of drivers fit for that design, from TB, Peerless, Faital, etc....
Check it out.
 
#6
@nandappe those videos are cool, but I’m not sure how to interpret them. I watched a few of them, but I’m not sure how to choose based on listening to them. Does one of them to imaging better than the other? Voices sound better on one or the other? Dynamics etc?

I think the speakers I have are pretty great all around, Maybe a jack of all trades master of none? With these new speakers I’m looking for something that’s a bit more compromised (probably in the deep bass area) but makes up for it in imaging or timbre dynamics. The realism aspect of the full range speaker point source is what has captured my attention.
 
#8
The Faitals have more mids to highs impact, some people like it, some people like to tone it down a bit.
The Peerless are probably the most well rounded.
TBs are great, but will usually need a small notch, they often have a little spike that can be annoying.
MA will usually have a wide slope bump, which some people like (they often say “clarity or ddr”) and annoys the heck out of others.

3” drivers will beam a hair less, so have a little better highs.
4” drivers will have more meat down to 55Hz, but will beam more up high, the sweet spot will be narrower.
 
#9
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