If the Focals are not too difficult to drive you could try some EL-34 power tubes. They helped tame the bass of my Fortes. For current edition tubes I like the Tung-Sol EL34b. It sweetened up the midrange a touch and added some 3D affect which was a nice bonus.
I see your Focals dip down to 2.8 ohms! Does the bass sound fast or slow and flabby? Sometimes too much bass can come from boom from the amp not having enough current. 2.8 ohms dips and tubes is not a good match on paper. Sorry to bomb your thread, just trying to help.
Thanks for the recommendation. I'm definitely game to roll some tubes. I currently have Psvane KT-88s in there. Was thinking about getting some Gold Lion KT-77 as well.
I guess I’ll ask again…. Based on the gear I already have and the room size, what speakers would you recommend to for someone looking for a great soundstage and beautiful midrange? Happy to look at either floor standing, stand mounts, new or used under $5k US.
While I did recommend the EL34 family, that was before I looked at your speakers. 92dB sensitivity suggests they aren't a heavy load. 2.8 ohm dips would suggest they are and want a high current amplifier to sound their best. I'd also suggest just taking a deep breath and slow down. You just got these speakers and they are highly regarded. Play with placement a bunch. Just start there before you start acting like me and buying every speaker in sight. Did you notice an improvement when you plugged the ports? That should make quite a noticeable change in the bass.
Is the PL not an appropriate amp for these speakers? I know I’ve read from many that this exact pairing is an excellent one. What amp would you suggest?
I agree with the comments to allow some break in. That said, a good solid state amp will control and firm up your bass response. There are many excellent ones. I’m not dissing the Prima Luna. But lower power tube amps can struggle with bass control. Many people end up with tube preamps and powerful SS power amps as a best of both worlds solution.
I was just going by specs. If the sound is vibrant and the bass is tight, the amp is powerful enough. You are the one with the equipment in your room. Let your ears decide.
Those speakers produce way too much bass for a room that size. Plugging of ports is a band aid. In a room that size small floorstanders like the Spendor A7s will work best. And they’ll image better than the Focals too.
My basement is larger, but L shaped so creates some acoustic challenges. I added bass traps in the corners, which helped. I recently purchased a Loki Max to smooth things out and it works wonderfully. I agree it feels a little like cheating. It is super transparent with no noticeable noise added to the system and has a remote with the ability to save three settings.
Since your room is “dedicated,” is it safe to assume it’s an enclosed space? If so, you can probably alleviate some bass boom by simply opening the door to adjacent rooms. Of course, if the goal of a dedicated room is solace, then I get that’s not a practical option. If it’s more of an open floor plan situation, then to some extent, recommendations need account for the total volume. In such a case, speakers like the Spendor A7s may not be sufficient. One speaker that could be an option on the pre-owned market is the Spendor D7 or D7.2. It’s smaller than the Aria 936 but has higher quality drivers and more linear bass response. It is a small/medium floorstander so not particularly picky about room size. If you prefer to purchase brand new speakers, the Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G should be on your radar. They measure incredibly well for their price with super low distortion and high power handling: SoundStageNetwork.com | SoundStage.com - NRC Measurements: Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G Loudspeakers
The room is dedicated and has three walls but the back wall is non-existent. It's totally open in the back. I'm definitely going to try to demo the Spendors if I can't get the Arias dialed in. Thanks for your suggestions!
Magnepan 1.7 or .7. Strength is midrange, weakness is bass. One of best bang for buck loudspeakers out there! The dialogue premium will be fantastic with them. Will the wife complain? Not sure, mine did not.
Monitor Audio gold 200 or 300 might be worth looking at. I have the gold 200s and they definitely emphasize the highs and mid-range. Also, a small footprint floor standing speaker.
Your PrimaLuna is NOT the problem- it is an EXCELLENT amp. I drive Magnepans with the PrimaLuna dialogue HP. A friend drives Magnepans with the same amp as you - a PrimaLuna dialogue. The dialogue HP is 70 watts I believe, the dialogue 44 watts. Before he bought his smaller version, our dealer loaned it to us so I could verify it would drive my Magnepans at high volume for 3+ hours. It did not struggle at all. Those extra 26 watts give maybe a decibel our 2 more volume, nothing one would notice.
Though I do consider them more enjoyable and tonally realistic, those Magnepan models don’t have the high end extension and resolution of his Arias.
Just a thought. If OP can find them to demo, I recommend he do so. Once I heard them, there was no turning back for me. No Box => such a nice, open non-box sound and due to no box, definitely not bass heavy. Bass Freaks / Loudness freaks => Magnepan is NOT your speaker. WARNING: they do require 3 feet behind them in order to sound best.
I run B&Ws, Monitor Audio, and PSB speakers on various systems - tough to project my speaker preferences on others as each represents different expenditures, electronics and installations. That being said, B&Ws with a Rel is my primary music listening system. I have experienced that break in of a speaker (and subwoofer) can result in quite a different animal. Someone else also suggested taking your time with this to which I agree. But have fun and embrace the journey.
I know you've all been fretting and losing significant sleep over this dilemma. You'll be happy to know the situation has been solved. A buddy of mine did a little research and made the suggestion to me. He suggested that the PL Dialogue Premium integrated amp I was running (Predecessor to the EVO 300) was not quite strong enough to run the Aria 936 even though it did fine with the Chora 826. So I plugged in my Vincent Audio SV-737 hybrid and everything cam into focus. Clear and robust!
@PaulieTunes -- I'm a fan of the Vandersteen placement method, positioning the speakers at odd fractions (1/3, 1/5, 1/7, etc.) of the room dimensions. Try the front baffles 41" off the front wall (1/5 of the way into the room) and 28" (to the middle of the front baffle, 1/5 of the way from the side wall). Then play with toe in -- just enough to get good center fill. Then play around with making small changes in positioning as you feel is needed. Give it a shot and see how it works for you. EDIT: Glad to hear the amp may have been the problem. Given the 92 db efficiency of the speakers, the PL amp may work if you use the 4 ohm taps (the impedance does drop to 2.8 ohms so the 4 ohm tap may still not hack it). I'd also still try playing around with the speaker location -- things may sound even better.
