Thank you in advance for your help, I need it. I live in an area where I am not able to demo speakers. So, I am going to purchase a used pair of fronts, center speaker, sub, pre-amp, something to handle 5.1 processing, and amp without auditioning any of the gear. I have rears I plan to use already. Here is what I am dealing with
-Total budget 5,000 - will be purchasing in Dec off audiogon or similar site
-30% listening will be HT, 70% will be 2 channel – smooth jazz, classic rock, house music
-Room size is 14 x 18 with 9 ft ceilings, on either side of the 14ft walls is a fireplace and 18 ft away is the TV. The softa sits against the 18 ft wall. So I turn my head on way to see the fireplace and the other for the 52” TV. Room layout is very difficult, they didn’t have TV when this house was built. Also in the room are two small swivel chairs, 9ft wide console, and a 9x10 rug over the wood floors. Speakers will not be on the rug.
-Speakers will sit 9 feet apart (there will be a console between them with a 52inch TV); I will sit approx 10 ft from speakers.
-Have an old (80’s) set of Klipsch KG-3 floorstanding speakers today powered by a Carver amp.
-Speakers will need ability to handle music at high levels. During parties, the music does get fairly loud – generally playing disco music or Top 40 when this happens.
-Speaker size – HEIGHT - prefer not to go over 44 inches high, DEEP - only have 24 inches deep to deal with (if the speaker is 10 deep then I will only be able to pull it out 14 inches from the wall) WIDE – under 12 inches wide
-I have listened to the old Revel F30’s and liked them. I have listened to Martin Logan’s and Magnapan 1.6 and did not like what I heard. Prefer floorstanding. Enjoyed listened to Vandersteen 3A Sigs, but they are too wide.
-Would like to put largest % of money into the fronts (2k), I have been checking out online the Revel (F32), Tyler Acoustics (Linbrook System II or Signature System), Sonus Faber (Grand Piano), Monitor Audio, B&W (7NT, 804) , Paradigm (Studio 60/100), Dynaudio, Thiel, and Zu Audio (Druids).
Please recommend what may fit these needs the best for speakers, preamp, 5.1 processor, amp (power fronts and center). Again, thank you.