I would be cautious with those LS50s. I know you are in a NYC apartment and as a result, don't want too strong of bass but you may find that those LS50s will be lacking on the low end. Just my opinion and worth what you paid for it, but something you should consider.

The Revel Performa3 M105s or M106s which you can listen to at the Harman store in midtown. A really nice sounding speaker that has been subject to direct comparison with the Kef LS50s ad the conclusion was they are extremely close in quality and it may depend on your room which one is better. I personally chose the Revels over the Kefs.

You could also check out the Monitor Audio Gold 50 or 100s and potentially the B&W CM5s. Very nice sounding speakers that deliver very different sound profiles. I believe they have them on display at Park Audio which is at 28th and Park Ave S.

The Dynaudio Excite x14 is also a great speaker and there is a dealer in the 50s on the east side where you can hear them. I am drawing a blank on the name but you should be able to find them via the dealer locator on Dynaudio's site. These will all be $1500 to $2200.

Each of these will give you deeper bass extension and will provide a more balanced sound but not obnoxious, neighbor annoying bass. This will be especially true when listening to piano or timpani.

For an integrated amp, all of those speakers are going to require more than 50w of power to get the most out of them. I have the Revel Performa3 M105s and found that even at modest volumes in a smallish room the sound gets very thin. This is true for every speaker mentioned above including the Kef LS50s.

I would look at the Rogue Audio Sphinx. I think they may have it on display at the Stereo Exchange which is down in the East Village. Call them in advance and make sure they have it on display. I think those guys also carry Peachtree and Rotel.

Park Audio sells Rotel and Marantz and may have an integrated or two for you to listen to. Harman really offers nothing between Harman receivers like the 3770 which is mediocre and Mark Levinson which is stupidly expensive.

I believe the Dynaudio dealer in Midtown East is also a Rega dealer and they may have the Elex R to listen to. It would be a good option.

Good luck to you.

bierfeldt wrote:

I would be cautious with those LS50s. I know you are in a NYC apartment and as a result, don't want too strong of bass but you may find that those LS50s will be lacking on the low end. Just my opinion and worth what you paid for it, but something you should consider.

The Revel Performa3 M105s or M106s which you can listen to at the Harman store in midtown. A really nice sounding speaker that has been subject to direct comparison with the Kef LS50s ad the conclusion was they are extremely close in quality and it may depend on your room which one is better. I personally chose the Revels over the Kefs.

Good luck to you.

The Music Hall A15.3 Integrated Amplifier is only $549 at Music Direct and is quite good.

The Musical Fidelity M3i is excellent for $1500.

The NHT Classic 3 speakers might be perfect for your situation.

They are excellent speakers that are VERY neutral, and are sealed speakers (no ports) which will perform really well in a wide variety of placement situations. I see them selling for $900 per pair, which is quite reasonable.

One amazing thing about these speakers is that they have been on the market for quite a few years, and continue to sell very well regardless. They might deserve to be truly considered a "classic", indeed.

I'm driving the LS50s with an Outlaw 2150 receiver. The Kefs have plenty of bass -- but that was not your question. The Outlaw is actually below your budget range. It sells direct rather than through stores, so the value is higher than the price. Stick with the Kefs, in any case.

Outlaw
Music Hall
Creek

Hi Mida

Forgive my fellow members, they sometimes get ahead of themselves. May I ask, what source you are using and a little bit on your room?

I use to have an apartment at 110th & CPW (towers on the park). Your going to love NYC. I think the guys will have more to recommend after we get a feel for your plans as a whole. For example when I read your post, my first thought was, are you wanting to buy new or used. Second, what is the construction of your space like.

You could put a great system together for 2 grand or spend much more depending on where you want to go with your sound.

So, what might be cool is to have these guys suggest whole systems based on their personal experiences with your type of space, musical taste (as you have stated) and thoughts on new vs used.

One last thing if I may.

You mention "sitting room". Is this to be different than the typical audiophile listening room? I ask because my sitting rooms use different systems than my listening rooms that are setup with a particular placement of speakers and chair. If your wanting to create the over all mood of the hall while sitting in several places in the room, this might mean a different type of system.

good luck, and if I can be of any help let me know

michael green
MGA/RoomTune
http://tuneland.techno-zone.net/