Thank you for your thoughts. I read every post and consider carefully. I understand that folks will disagree amongst themselves, but that is to be expected, and ultimately I know it is up to me to decide. My aim in starting this thread was to expand the horizon of the choices that might be available to me, and as a way of challenging my own thinking in considering the perspectives of others, ideas I would not have had on my own. It doesn't mean I take everything on faith, I still try to integrate what I read into some kind of coherent context of my own circumstances and requirements.
In answering your question. I hinted about this in my first post, but to expand: 70% of what I listen to, is classical and ambient. Classical in turn is mostly piano and chamber music, much less symphonies. Ambient, all kinds, from Eno and much more minimalist to more toward the EDM end of things, Aphex Twin etc.. Next, about 20% is jazz and electronica and experimental. The remaining is stuff like world music (especially Indian), Latin etc. Some pop/rock, though very narrowly, mostly stuff from the 70's to 90's (on rotation: Bowie, Roxy Music, Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, Robert Wyatt, Iggy Pop, The Stooges, The Smiths, handful of others) - but NO heavy metal, metal of any kind. Finally, a lil bit of hip hop (more the experimental end, not commercial).
In my SMALL office - which is what I'm trying to set up - I will NOT be listening at high volume, the vast majority is not bass heavy, with big emphasis on clarity especially high-mid range, good vocals, transparency of sound, no heavy coloration. Obviously, I'm used to my music and I've listened to it on big electrostatic Martin Logans - that's what Im used to. I understand that no way can I approach this on budget speakers, I'm saying this to give context to what I'm looking for in sound projection - I like clarity, hate muddy. Not loud, but very, very transparent. Neutral, more toward studio monitor "flat", and not party "colored" speakers. Somebody asked about headphones, yes, I have a couple high end Sennheisers, but because I tend to listen for hours and hours, I find it very fatiguing with headphones, no matter how good. I need speakers.
To be honest, I have listened to my friend's Yamaha hs8 pair, also recommended in this thread, and I rather like their sound - except, it's almost too much speaker for my small space, not only are they larger than what I want to put in this small office, but are pretty overwhelming in that larger speakers shine at higher volume, and I can't play higher volume in the office - so they'd be kinda wasted on this space.
Anyhow, I don't know if this makes things more clear. Perhaps I will mention manner of listening too - I tend toward the obsessive - I'll put on an album, or even a song, on repeat for hours and listen endlessly; which is why I really, really like clarity and transparency, where I can hear nuances on repetition, say #12, and muddy, pushy speakers with artifacts are completely unlistenable for me - I need neutral, clean, "flat", since there might be days when I just listen to one album on repeat the entire day
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