Where to go speaker wise from here?

[AJSki2fly]

Just had a read through a recent thread on AOS about buying floor standers and it struck a chord with me, certainly at present anyway.

I currently have a lovely pair of Impulse H2's, a lovely design of horn loaded speaker from the early 90's. Not perfect but they give a lovely musical rendition. However they are a reasonable size! 1200mm * 300mm *500m, quite a big footprint, certainly in a modern average house lounge, and even I have to admit they can be a bit dominating. So here's the rub, recently I have heard those magic words, "How long are you going to keep those speakers for?", and "There must be smaller ones that sound as good" so we get where this is going. So far I have resisted these utterances, but I suspect the mutterings will gradually increase to the point of frustration.

So where do I go to from here? I used to own a pair of Dali Ikon 6, very nice but not as accurate or as musical IMO, but acceptable in size terms. Mid reasonable sized range floor standers will be accepted. The ARC's I own are lovely, very accurate and produce some wonderful low-mid to top, and even the bass is not bad, but the low end bass is as you would expect from a stand mount gets as low as it can around 50-55hz and then its gone.

So I am open to suggestions? I have some thoughts but I am certainly not up to date with speakers produced over the last 15 years, and there is so many to choose from it is bewildering.

[walpurgis]

Have you looked at the Frugel Horns? They tend to be more compact in size and quite a few members use them I believe.

[Scooby]

I’d say Impulse H6 might fit the bill. Not as good as H2 but still very nice

[The Alchemist]

Have you considered IPL tranmission lines? Unfortunatley Ivan Leslie lives on the other side of the Devon coast but have a look at his website, www.iplacoustics.co.uk and go and have a listen if anything takes your fancy. I will readily admit that I am biased because I make his speakers as a hobby but I am certain that one of his floorstanders would fit the bill for you. Don't take my word for it. If you do a bit of research you will find a lot of good things about them. (Quite a lot on this forum!). I am confident that if you hear them you will be amazed at how good they sound. Send me a PM if you want a chat.
Richard.

[AJSki2fly]

I’d say Impulse H6 might fit the bill. Not as good as H2 but still very nice

I think H6's might be a disappointment to me, having read a few reviews on them. Thanks.

[AJSki2fly]

Have you considered IPL tranmission lines? Unfortunatley Ivan Leslie lives on the other side of the Devon coast but have a look at his website, www.iplacoustics.co.uk and go and have a listen if anything takes your fancy. I will readily admit that I am biased because I make his speakers as a hobby but I am certain that one of his floorstanders would fit the bill for you. Don't take my word for it. If you do a bit of research you will find a lot of good things about them. (Quite a lot on this forum!). I am confident that if you hear them you will be amazed at how good they sound. Send me a PM if you want a chat.
Richard.

I had not considered them I think someone on AOS built a pair on recently, was it you? I had not considered them because woodworking is not my best forté. Do you have or know where I can see specs/measurements for them? Its not too far for me to go and have a listen, I'd probably take my amps and CD player along so I can get a real a feel as possible, room is always difficult unless its at home. Thanks

[Svend N]

Adrian, a few questions... What kind of sound character are you seeking? Similar to your Impulse, or something altogether different? What is your budget?

Have you considered integrating a subwoofer in with your ARCs? Seems like you are keen on their sound, excepting the lack of bass extension. From some recent threads here on subs, with a well-chosen unit and careful tuning and setup, it appears that it is possible to get natural sound out of a sub without ruining the sound of the main speakers.

As a general comment, I have been auditioning quite a number of speakers recently, and am appalled at the poor sound quality of the great majority of them, even very expensive ones. Faults that are most obvious and common are a very forward, in-your-face aggressive sound; a metallic sheen that is annoying and fatigueing; poor imaging and sound stage; and recessed or over-accentuated parts of the frequency band, usually audible as a hump or dip somewhere in the midrange. It will be a challenge to find something to replace your H2s.

That said, there are the odd good ones out there. E.g. I heard a pair of Proac floor standers a couple of months ago that really impressed me...nice warmth, natural sounding, quick and agile. The Neat Iota Explorer sounded very good also, but seem to be sensitive to setup and the quality of the source components....that tweeter can sound like breaking glass if things aren't just right. They have a small listening sweet spot too....wonderful if you're in it, but kind of ho-hum sound if you're just two feet out.

Have fun in the search!

Best,
Svend

[The Alchemist]

All the specs are on Ivans's website. He is a super guy and will be happy to demo his speakers with your kit I'm sure. I will be very surprised if you are not impressed. If you like them but don't have the building skills I would be happy to build for you for a very modest fee! Since I am now retired it is what I do as a hobby. You will find a link to my (very modest) website by visiting IPL acoustics.

[Scooby]

I think H6's might be a disappointment to me, having read a few reviews on them. Thanks.

I’ve only ever seen good reviews of H6. H7 on the other hand, are more Marmite.

[AJSki2fly]

Adrian, a few questions... What kind of sound character are you seeking? Similar to your Impulse, or something altogether different? What is your budget?

Have you considered integrating a subwoofer in with your ARCs? Seems like you are keen on their sound, excepting the lack of bass extension. From some recent threads here on subs, with a well-chosen unit and careful tuning and setup, it appears that it is possible to get natural sound out of a sub without ruining the sound of the main speakers.

As a general comment, I have been auditioning quite a number of speakers recently, and am appalled at the poor sound quality of the great majority of them, even very expensive ones. Faults that are most obvious and common are a very forward, in-your-face aggressive sound; a metallic sheen that is annoying and fatigueing; poor imaging and sound stage; and recessed or over-accentuated parts of the frequency band, usually audible as a hump or dip somewhere in the midrange. It will be a challenge to find something to replace your H2s.

That said, there are the odd good ones out there. E.g. I heard a pair of Proac floor standers a couple of months ago that really impressed me...nice warmth, natural sounding, quick and agile. The Neat Iota Explorer sounded very good also, but seem to be sensitive to setup and the quality of the source components....that tweeter can sound like breaking glass if things aren't just right. They have a small listening sweet spot too....wonderful if you're in it, but kind of ho-hum sound if you're just two feet out.

Have fun in the search!

Best,
Svend

Svend that is a very good point, why did I not think of using a tuned sub with the ARC's, but then again I know absolutely dilly about them accept what they do. I actually do have a Mission sub from an old Mission sound system so I could try it and see how it basically sounds. What has always confused me about using subs in a stereo set up is if one is ok or if in fact you really need two two, or perhaps it doesn't really matter below say 120hz.

Apart from the issue with the project manager and the size of the H2's, I actually think the ARC;s are better and more accurate high mid upwards, this is apparent in the clarity of say a trumpet, violin, or a female soprano. This does not mean that the H2's are bad, far from it they are extremely difficult to better without spending vast amounts of cash, and this is reflected by reviews by press and owners. Both the ARC's and H2's have very similar soundstage, everything is well placed, nothing is forward or as you say over emphasised, at least IMO. Some people might consider the presentation a little laid back with certain music but I think that maybe because they are so used to listening to speakers that are what I would call pushy or aggressive.

I possibly have the opportunity to try/buy from a friend a pair of VIENNA ACOUSTICS BEETHOVEN BABY GRAND SE, these would meet the size constraints of the boss, and they may very well meet my acoustic expectations. All the reviews I have read of them are positive. The Proac's you mention I have read that they can be good, the Neat Iota Explorers I think will be stretching my budget unless I buy secondhand or sell the ARC's as well, which I am loath to do.

I will have a play with the Mission sub and the ARC's to see what I think of that possibility.