Looking for Advice on Some New Larger Speakers to Pair with a Vintage Luxman

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nickfantana

New Member
Hi all. I mostly lurk but really appreciate the forum and the wealth of information. Y'all have helped me avoid wasting money so many times...

I bought a Luxman R-1070 a few years ago and have been using it with some old Celestion speakers I got from my dad. I'd like to upgrade to something bigger and more room filling. I have considered getting old speakers to match the age of the receiver, but leaning towards new.

The current setup is in a 15x12 room with a rug and two chairs but the room is open to the house and centrally located so music here would fill the house.

I mostly listen to vinyl, older stuff, blues, jazz, soul. I really like the warmer sounds, but will occasionally pivot to classical or larger jazz arrangements where more clarity is nice.

Looking for any recommendations on $2000 or less speakers that would compliment my current set up.

I am aware I probably don't need much to fill the current room, so I would also be open to bookshelf speaker recs. This all started when I borrowed a friend's big old Pioneers for a while and it was fun to blow my hair back a bit so I'm tempted to get some big floorstanding monsters.

Thanks in advance!
 
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Maybe some series one Cornwalls made in the earl 70's. and should you have some corners. They don't need to be tight in the corners but on a line bisecting a corner. Then you slide them in out on that line to get the balance you want for your listening position .Then you decide if you want the speakers pointed directly at you or not. Cornwalls allow you to sit further away than point source speakers like you Celestions and give you 13 to 16 db more dynamic range. You want the series 1 or II Cornwalls that have the advanced crossovers and can handle 100 watts to keep the prices down. I doubt you will ever use more than 10 watts. the series II tweeter will handle more power in some cases.
 
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twiiii said:
Maybe some series one Cornwalls made in the earl 70's. and should you have some corners. They don't need to be tight in the corners but on a line bisecting a corner. Then you slide them in out on that line to get the balance you want for your listening position .Then you decide if you want the speakers pointed directly at you or not. Cornwalls allow you to sit further away than point source speakers like you Celestions and give you 13 to 16 db more dynamic range. You want the series 1 or II Cornwalls that have the advanced crossovers and can handle 100 watts to keep the prices down. I doubt you will ever use more than 10 watts. the series II tweeter will handle more power in some cases.
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Thank you! This is very helpful! I will look around for those!
 
Nice $ budget for you. You say you want a speaker that just fills the room more, what “more”? Could you elaborate on what the Celestions don’t do for you that you would like?? One thought I have is, you might be surprised how much a subwoofer could add to what you’re hearing. Based on your room size, I kind of like the idea of some nice satellites augmented with a subwoofer.
 
Lux Man said:
Nice $ budget for you. You say you want a speaker that just fills the room more, what “more”? Could you elaborate on what the Celestions don’t do for you that you would like?? One thought I have is, you might be surprised how much a subwoofer could add to what you’re hearing. Based on your room size, I kind of like the idea of some nice satellites augmented with a subwoofer.
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Yeah, the "or less" might be getting downplayed. If I can get a 8/10 speaker for $1000 I'd rather do that than a 10/10 for $2000. Just personal preference.

The Celestions just don't have the weight that I sometimes want on a Saturday morning when I want to really feel the music. There's not nearly the same oomph as the Pioneers I was borrowing.

Maybe a sub would add something. I have one for a different system, maybe I'll try adding that and see what I think.
 
IME most every speaker other than the ultra-high end ones which often have their own subwoofers will benefit from the addition of a subwoofer (two is better). This is especially evident with smaller speakers and every stand mount I've ever heard.

The root cause of most complaints about subwoofers is because they are not correctly dialed in. The crossover point is too high or the level is too high. Most of the time it's both. If you can tell a subwoofer is being used, it's not correctly dialed in.
 
Thats the issue seems to be common with European speakers. Where's the beef, no bass. I am not a fan of boosted bass, though I did boost the bass below 70 HZ for the discos I installed by about 7 db as a shelf. MY stereo system has a 3 db boost more like you would see on the ideal response curve recommended by Roger Russell of Mcintosh or Ortofon and many others. but I don't start the escalation till about 70 hz. I also keep the highs flat till about 10 to 12 kHZ where by 18 KHZ I might be 4 to 6 db down for classical recordings. Big band, swing, symphonic band, brass band I go back to flat most of the time. Thats what I love about graphic tone controls. You have so much more flexibility.
 
If you want new speakers instead of adding subs. If you could listen to some brands of speakers, to get idea of what you like and don't. Otherwise it would be hit or miss.
For instance, horn speakers (Klipsch) and soft dome speakers (ADS) aren't going to sound similar. Yet each have thier fans and detracters.

Some record shops sell used audio equipment. Maybe have opportunity to hear different speakers.
 
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DCM Time Windows would do well. I used a pair with the L-580 and enjoyed that system for years. Way less than 2k more like 200 if you can find a nice used pair. Where are you located? Some folks will glance at cl, fbmp, ou and other outlets and ping you if something interesting shows up.
 
Blue Shadow said:
DCM Time Windows would do well. I used a pair with the L-580 and enjoyed that system for years. Way less than 2k more like 200 if you can find a nice used pair. Where are you located? Some folks will glance at cl, fbmp, ou and other outlets and ping you if something interesting shows up.
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I'm in western North Carolina...would definitely travel a little bit for a good deal. Who doesn't love a road trip?
 
I'll second the recommendation for Cornwall 1 or if you can find them for cheap, a pair of La Scala (and a subwoofer or two).
 
Btw-what model were the big old Pioneers that you borrowed? It might help us better understand your listening preferences.
 
I have JBL 4430s and 4435s. My son has the JBL 580’s. If someone took mine away, I would be seriously looking at the 580s augmented with a nice subwoofer. I think I could be very happy. There’s a pair on eBay in Apex North Carolina if you’re interested in a road trip.
 
If you can find a pair, Tannoy Berkley or Arden. There is no better speaker than those paired with Luxman receivers or integrated amps in the power range of an R1070.
 
JoeESP9 said:
IME most every speaker other than the ultra-high end ones which often have their own subwoofers will benefit from the addition of a subwoofer (two is better). This is especially evident with smaller speakers and every stand mount I've ever heard.

The root cause of most complaints about subwoofers is because they are not correctly dialed in. The crossover point is too high or the level is too high. Most of the time it's both. If you can tell a subwoofer is being used, it's not correctly dialed in.
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I'm surely not as scientific about my speaker placement/configuration as some, partly because I don't have that luxury in the place that I live which isn't tiny but is limited by the arrangement of furniture and all of the cabinets or records that I've squeezed into it. That being said though, I feel like I have a very good blend from my speakers to my subwoofer and I have the sub rolled off pretty low, like at 50hz (which is ten hz above what my speakers do), I have the output set fairly low, so the effect is mostly pretty subtle and I upgraded to a better sub, a non-ported SVS thing, which seems to integrate better than my old ported JBL. I feel like, with all other things being equal, that the sealed type of sub has smoother, less exaggerated bass (but may not go down quite as low) which in turn makes for smoother integration with speakers...
 
This is a ton of very helpful feedback, thank you all!

I have inquired about my buddy's speakers because I surely don't remember. I will update.

Thanks again everyone!
 
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