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Speakers for a D120
#1
Dear all,

As a "lurker" for quite a time, I have to thank everyone here for the huge amount of information you share. It has helped me a lot.

It's time to pick your brain. After saving for some time I was able to get a D120. I cannot be happier. The thing is, I think I'm probably not helping it with my choice of speakers. Due to preferences and space, I have to concentrate on standmounters, not floorstanders. WAF is also an issue there. Right now the Dev is having a lot of fun with a pair of Q Acoustics Concept 20s. They sound very good, of course, but when I was buying the Dev I happened to listen to it coupled to ATC SCM 11s, and that was something else. I feel like there is space for improvement on the speaker department, and maybe even without that much of a budget (especially after the Dev payment!).

I originally thought about the Athom GT1s, and then I remembered a couple more: KEF LS50 and B&W 685 S2 or the CM5, that are closer to the available budget. So, has anyone tried any of these? Any thoughts or recommendations?

Thanks a lot!
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#2
I presume you have looked at the "new speakers stand mounted thread"? There is some commonality there with your quest.
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#3
Oops! Sorry for that, I hadn't realised. Thanks!
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#4
Have you considered B&W PM1's?
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#5
(12-Sep-2014, 22:06)LBameule Wrote: I originally thought about the Athom GT1s, and then I remembered a couple more: KEF LS50 and B&W 685 S2 or the CM5, that are closer to the available budget. So, has anyone tried any of these? Any thoughts or recommendations?

Thanks a lot!

I own the Devialet-modified Atohm GT1s (modified version removes the rear tweeter adjustment, as with SAM you don't need it; as well, the front grills magnets are removed as the drivers operate in the nude) and am quite pleased, especially since they are available with SAM. Quite a rave report in at least one magazine and I understand TONE Audio will have an upcoming report on the speaker with the 120. It has plenty of bass for me, which is one common issue with stand mounts.

I have not heard the LS50 speaker but it is widely acclaimed and also SAM-ready.

Good luck!
Devialet Expert 220 Pro Kinki EX-M7 power amp tethered to a fiber-fed Lumin X1 streamer via Grimm XLRs, Vivid B1 Decade speakers in Rosso Barchetta red (only 200 produced in a limited edition), Roon Nucleus with a Samsung 860 EVO 2TB SSD, etherREGEN switch fed by a Sonore opticalModule (and Sonore-supplied transceivers and 1M optical cable) with a SOtM dCBL-Cat7 cable to my Nucleus and a DH Labs Reunion Cat8 to my Lumin T2 streamer, Keces P8 linear power supply feeding a (to come) NUC and EtherREGEN switch with an external AfterDark OCXO clock., and opticalModule (5V/1A), AudioQuest Niagara 1000 power conditioner, ASI LiveLine loom (purchased directly from Franck Tchang when I lived in France), Less Loss Firewall for Speakers and Roon lifetime license with Tidal streaming.
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#6
Thanks, Flashman and Martyn. Yes, the Atohm are definitely in the radar, but the KEFs half the price and everybody is raving about them. I need to hear both of them and compare to understand or grasp what makes the Atohm twice as expensive.

Martyn, no, I hadn't considered the PM1s. They are even more expensive than the Atohms! Have you heard them? Could you offer some word of advise comparing them?

Thanks to all! Best!
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#7
(17-Sep-2014, 13:22)LBameule Wrote: Thanks, Flashman and Martyn. Yes, the Atohm are definitely in the radar, but the KEFs half the price and everybody is raving about them. I need to hear both of them and compare to understand or grasp what makes the Atohm twice as expensive.

Thanks to all! Best!

I live in France, and as I purchased a Devialet, I was able to get the Atohm GT1s plus speaker cables for 2000 euros vs. list of 2500 euros. As you purchased a Devialet, you should be able to get the same deal. But maybe it's only in France/Europe. Not sure where you live. But it's true, the LS50s are much less expensive. Good hunting!

LBameule, Below is an excerpt from a Six Moons review, which compares the Atohm GT1 and the B&W PM-1. You can read the full review at http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/atohm/1.html Whether it's the KEF LS50, the B&W or the Atohm, I think you have three really good possibilities!

"The Atohm monitors delivered a much larger soundstage than their very compact size would have let on. It is thus truly possible to use the GT1 in a listening room up to 50 square meters without benefiting from any relevant room gain. The cherry on the cake resides in the ability to recreate the sound of many floorstanders at realistic scale without impacting accuracy. In the same way I was recently amazed by the open sound provided by the small B&W PM-1. The sensation of opulence was quite comparable between these two excellent compact monitors.

"They are two designs (my note, not the author: Triangle Duetto's and Atohm GT1)—three if I consider the B&W—which I could easily live with. The GT1 sound is truly prodigious for a speaker with such a small footprint. It produces no particular waffling on bass notes and no apparent pseudo harmonics of cabinet talk. Here timbres are very decent and clear. Naturally this isn’t the most transparent speaker extant but if you attempted to identify true rivals on size and price, I’d expect you’d meet some very real difficulties. I would highlight the consistency of this Atohm model which represents an interesting compromise between dynamic involvement and listening comfort, between punchy élan and laid-back personality."
Devialet Expert 220 Pro Kinki EX-M7 power amp tethered to a fiber-fed Lumin X1 streamer via Grimm XLRs, Vivid B1 Decade speakers in Rosso Barchetta red (only 200 produced in a limited edition), Roon Nucleus with a Samsung 860 EVO 2TB SSD, etherREGEN switch fed by a Sonore opticalModule (and Sonore-supplied transceivers and 1M optical cable) with a SOtM dCBL-Cat7 cable to my Nucleus and a DH Labs Reunion Cat8 to my Lumin T2 streamer, Keces P8 linear power supply feeding a (to come) NUC and EtherREGEN switch with an external AfterDark OCXO clock., and opticalModule (5V/1A), AudioQuest Niagara 1000 power conditioner, ASI LiveLine loom (purchased directly from Franck Tchang when I lived in France), Less Loss Firewall for Speakers and Roon lifetime license with Tidal streaming.
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#8
Well, I live in Argentina, but I have to travel a couple of times a year to Paris or London, so those are my buying opportunities. Stupid, political restrictions here mean that testing, hearing and comparing speakers almost always involve travelling, at least to Santiago in Chile, where I got the Devialet.

The same Devialet guy in Santiago is offering me the ATCs, which would be somewhere along the lines of the Atohm and the PM1 Martyn was mentioning, although they have not been SAMed yet.

Have to go to Paris in December. I'll try the different options. At the same time the WAF is no small factor here... ;-)

Thanks a lot!
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#9
(17-Sep-2014, 14:13)LBameule Wrote: Have to go to Paris in December. I'll try the different options. At the same time the WAF is no small factor here... ;-)

Thanks a lot!

You could go to the Devialet showcase in Paris and hear the GT1s there. You might even be able to buy them at the showcase. But I guess I would feel more comfortable in buying in my home country, as if there was ever an issue, it could be resolved more easily.

As to the WAF, I actually asked my wife whether she liked the Atohm GT1s in white (which she did, and which is the only color in the modified Devialet version). First time I have ever consulted my wife on an audio purchase. Glad I did!
Devialet Expert 220 Pro Kinki EX-M7 power amp tethered to a fiber-fed Lumin X1 streamer via Grimm XLRs, Vivid B1 Decade speakers in Rosso Barchetta red (only 200 produced in a limited edition), Roon Nucleus with a Samsung 860 EVO 2TB SSD, etherREGEN switch fed by a Sonore opticalModule (and Sonore-supplied transceivers and 1M optical cable) with a SOtM dCBL-Cat7 cable to my Nucleus and a DH Labs Reunion Cat8 to my Lumin T2 streamer, Keces P8 linear power supply feeding a (to come) NUC and EtherREGEN switch with an external AfterDark OCXO clock., and opticalModule (5V/1A), AudioQuest Niagara 1000 power conditioner, ASI LiveLine loom (purchased directly from Franck Tchang when I lived in France), Less Loss Firewall for Speakers and Roon lifetime license with Tidal streaming.
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#10
Yeah, as to the wife issue, the system is in the living room, therefore...

That's exactly the idea re: the Atohm. Thanks!
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