New Speakers needed for a jazz fan

Hi..

I am a jazz fan.. 99 perfent of the time I'm listening to jazz LPs. The other type is classic rock LPs.. from my era of late 60s and 70s (the preteen and teen years). Steely Dan, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Frampton, Heart, Ronstadt, Zeppelin, etc.

Current Gear...
Emotiva XPA2 amp/XSP1 Preamp.

Rega TT (Planar 2) and an older late 70s era Technics for mono (Grado mono cartridge).

Klispch Rf-62ii towers.

I'm leaning towards Tekton Lore or Lore Reference. My budget is about a grand.

One reason I want to get the Lore is the sensitivity rating. I plan to add a low powered tube integrated amp soon, so Id like a speaker that would work well with tubes or high powered amps.

Do you guys think Lores would pair well and be a good speaker for Jazz? My other alternate is a Zu Dirty Weekend Omen.. or another Klipsch RP 6000 /8000

 

I would take the sensitivity rating with a grain of salt. It seems every Tekton speaker measured by Stereophile has a sensitivity rating of at least 5db (sometimes more) less than that advertised value. Just something to be aware of, and not saying they won't work with a low powered single ended tube amp.

jeff

 

For jazz I think you need a neutral speaker.

I have been very impressed with speakers by an American company called Bache Audio that I have heard quite a bit at Audio Shows over the last several years. I think their models would also work well with tube amps (which is what they are being driven by at shows...Alexus Audio tube amps). I am not sure of the price points though.

Products | BACHE Audio | New York Based Custom Loudspeaker Company

I have also been impressed with speakers by Odyssey Audio, particularly the Kismet model which uses really nice sounding Scanspeak drivers.

Odyssey Audio Kismet:

 

I have Mini-Lores and they are very good for jazz. Tektons have that live, in the room feel to them. I used to run a low powered SET, and they sounded pretty damn good on jazz vocals. But I ultimately decided that I like solid state better for improved dynamics and faster bass response. That said, I am running the Lores with a Musical Fidelity M2si, which is very transparent in the midrange, which the Tektons are also. Sometimes horns can be pretty in your face, so I have to turn the volume down a bit. I never heard Emotiva gear, so I can't say whether the combination would work. As far as their sensitivity rating goes, maybe they are overspeced, and I can attest that they really do sound better with higher wattage amplification.

 

99% Jazz? You really should listen to some Maggie’s before you choose. I’ve been contemplating some .7s just for Jazz myself.

 

Some are a little above your budget but worth looking at.
Salk Sound
Super 7 Monitor MK2
Vandersteen - 1Ci Tower Speakers (Pair, With Base)
If you don't mind used your money goes further.
Dynaudio Excite X18 Bookshelf Speakers; Black Satin Pair; X-18 (26654) | Monitors | Erie, Colorado 80516 | Audiogon
Soliloquy 5.0 With Stands. | Monitors | Florence, Alabama 35630 | Audiogon
Hales Design Group System 2 Signature | Monitors | Roswell, Georgia 30075 | Audiogon
Vienna Acoustics Haydn Grand SE | Monitors | Aurora, Illinois 60504 | Audiogon
Totem Acoustic Sky | Monitors | , 10075 | Audiogon

 

Used: Kef 104.2
New: Wharfedale Denton 80th Anniversary

Good luck.

 

Used Cornwalls.

 

Problem with Maggies is Im in a master bedroom sized room.. Not a lot of room to move them away from the wall

 

I own Zu Omen DW II's and power them with a 8 Watt 300B amp. Jazz is basically all that gets played through them. Sound is fantastic. But I don't like how rock sounds through them.

Never heard the Tektons, but would like to.

Here is another pair of speakers I'm intrigued by, and it's within your budget:

Whitewater Tower Speakers

 

I can second the Cornwalls. Used is about $1000. Cornwall and tube amp like one another. A SE 300B tube amp at 8 watts out will drive the Cornwall. If the Cornwall are too large, I recommend the Revel M22. They have the same mid/bass driver used in new Revel speakers starting at $4K. For over 15 years Revel has not been able to improve that ceramic/paper mid-bass speaker. It also does not need a subwoofer as it plays below 40Hz. Revel M22 are $800 used. The 87dB rating works well on my 12 watt tube amp. Must be tube friendly. Most 87dB speakers are not tube friendly under 30 watts tube power.

 

I'd consider used Cornwalls, Forte, or the Heresy. Something about used speakers makes me too apprehensive. I keep thinking they're likely to be worn out or something

 

Bookshelves are not an option. I'd need stands, I definitely want plenty of bass (without need to go to a sub).. and if I gotta get stands, I'd might as well buy towers.

 

I put $1K into Forte upgrades including the expensive titanium driver. Way too much distortion for jazz, never could get this speaker to play cleanly. The Revel M22 will blow the Forte away. Sorry, not recommended in the least.

 

Dave, be assured the Revel M22 are exactly what you want in a bookshelf on stands and plays deep bass with musicality, not the muddy bass of most subwoofers. You will thank me later. Or the Cornwalls, but does not have strong bass. It is good enough though for jazz.

 

I’ll be the 4th person to suggest used Cornwalls or Forte ii. For around a grand you can find a pair of either in very good shape and you won’t do better for what you are looking for. If you have to do new go with Zu. I’m not a big fan but they make good speakers and have a respectable business model and design philosophy.

 

Why not try a low powered tube integrated amp with your Klipsch RF-62's?

 

Given the speakers you already own, I'd probably buy the amp first then save longer and buy a pre-owned pair of $4K speakers for $2K.

 

Lots of great speakers suggested already, but without more information on room size I might be concerned that some would overload the room or be too hard to place. Master bedrooms come in many sizes! What are the approximate measurements? I have comparable speakers to some you are considering, and my listening habits include a lot of jazz. My room is about 24' wide and extends into a 16' wide dining area, the entire room being about 40' long. My speakers fill that area quite well and are a couple of feet out from the wall. I cannot speak to the true sensitivity of the speakers you are considering, but I run similar speakers with 100 watts of Class D and have never thought, "Gee, my speakers aren't efficient enough. I need a bigger amp." Your amp is regarded as having plenty of power.

 

Cornwalls! Best speaker I have ever heard Jazz through.

 

I have! A borrowed monoprice all tube integrated.. (10w per channel) and it sounded great through the Rf62 Klipsch. Those rf62 towers are rated at 97db sensitivity btw.

I bought that set used for 150 used (locally). Figured theyd hold me over til I could buy a really nice set later on. All of my equipment was bought used.

 

Well, I'm going to have to investigate Cornwalls. I saw a used set for 2200.. but they are probably too new to take advantage of huge savings.

 

Yes... My amp is rated at 490 wpc @ 4 ohms.. 300 @ 8 ohm.

Plenty of power.


The master bedroom is about 20ft x18 ft and 12 ft ceilings. It's a temporary room actually amd will move back to a slightly smaller bedroom (what I have used as my music room) when the long term house guest moves out

So I don't need a very big speaker... My experience with bookshelves are they need stands (extra cost for sturdy ones) and seemed to be lacking in bass. But my experience with bookshelves is linited to cheap budget stuff and definitely not the higher priced audiophile grade variety

 

And.... I'm not particularly in a hurry.. i do have "good speakers".. so I can spend time investigating the used market for Corwalls etc.

 

A 20x18x12 room ought to be able to handle the various recommendations, including Cornwalls. If the ultimate room is much smaller, I would be wary of larger speakers like Cornwalls. If you go the direction of ported speakers, front porting would not be needed in the current room but might be a big plus in a smaller room. Another couple of towers that seem to draw good reviews are the Revel f206 and f208. I found the 206s a little anemic but loved the f208s. They are both often well discounted. Unlike the Tektons, you can usually audition them. I ultimately chose, however, to go the "leap of faith" route and was very pleased with the outcome.