Sorry, I should have been clearer…the Totem Hawks
Contour 30 or perhaps even Contour 20 (standmount) or even the evoke line ,evoke 30. As Chris said, softening the room with things that absorb will probably help, especially as it is square. Home audition is ideal. Unfortunately not only are there less and less “good” dealers but the industry has become so fragmented that it is up to you to find a dealer that even carries what you are looking for. Each dealer seems to carry a few lines and not even much competition/comparison in the shop itself. Anyway hope you find something good. oops just realised the evoke may not come in white, I think it does come in blonde-wood which is a light color though
No problem whatsoever at either high or low volumes, bass control is fine, indeed that is what sold me on them.
To be honest, I think this whole issue around ATC speakers being difficult to drive is over played. If they ever ‘wrote off a 250’ as seems to be the suggested view of a dealer above then something seriously wrong was going on.
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“Burning out a 250” seems an odd comment. Perhaps turning up the wick too far on the 250 may have damaged it but that’s the fault of the user not the speakers. The ATC is actually marginally more sensitive than the Neat Iotas I drive with an Atom in my office. And I believe it never drops below 6ohms. There are forum members who happily drive SCM40s with a 250 and my dealer was very happy demoing that combo, though in the end I opted for the active version.
Their transparency and neutrality does not appeal to all ears but they’re well worth an audition IMO.
Roger
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Spendor D7.2 an Proac D30rs?
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I paired a NAC 282 with my SN 2 today and my ProAc D30RS speakers are sounding mighty sweet. …there are a lot of NAIM/ProAc combination members on the forum so you may want to demo a pair and see if they work for you.
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My room is 7m x 7m x 3.8m. I have the 282/250DR and run Dali Epicon 8. The sound is extraordinary.
The room has two sets of double doors at the back which are normally open. I noticed when I closed them once that the sound was less coherent which bears out the comment about the square room above, I think.
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I agree. Seems like “burning out a 250” is in great need of some qualifications.
Since a few days I run the ATC SCM40 with a Supernait 2. In a smaller room (4m x 4,5m) and with relevant volume this is no problem at all. I have a hard time imagine the speakers stress the poweramp in such a way that it will “burnout”, whatever this means. To achieve that you probably have to stay outside the apartment anyway:)
I had also read all this about the power hungry ATC:s. My dealer was not worried at all when I described the setup and the room. Sure a 250DR could better the Supernait 2, but this doesn’t mean that something is faulty or bad with the current setup. In fact it is totally superior compared to the speakers I had before (91 db). And I take it, that there is ample room for source/system improvement showing up very well with the ATC SCM40 coming years.
regards
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Agree! I used kudos 20s w that setup (282/sc/250dr). Was a fantastic system.
Br Lars
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Thanks All, I’ve been inundated with suggestions! Based on what available at dealers near me, I shortlisting the following:
Proac D30RS
ATC SCM40s (At the dealer that tried to steer me away from them)
Dali Epicon 6 (@Roddy.Elder the 8s are a bit beyond my budget, but I love my Mentor Menuets)
Dynaudio Contour 30
Kudos 20s
I have ruled our the Focal Kanta No2s, the sound was too bright for me. I feel some B&Ws should be on my list too. I have a very local dealer that stocks B&W so I will check out what they have. Due to Covid its a 3 week lead time to get an appointment for extended listening and before I buy I would like to try in situ, so I will post updates on here as things progress
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…and it has been my sweet spot for the past couple of years and it is a wonderful system.
Reading through forum threads I was drawn by the siren’s sweet sounds close to the rocks. Having added the 282, the more I listen the more the music improves. …aided by unsolicited comments from my wife for the second time in two days that the “music is sounding so nice.”
Hopefully if I keep the 282 their will be no foundering on the rocks…
Enjoying the demo!
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Marvelous. Can’t top this. That’s all we need to ear: a non biased person doing such comments.
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Dynaudio’s need power to come alive. You mention the Contour’s I assume you’re speaking of the new 30i ? I recently had the Dynaudio Special 40 with a SN2 and HiCapDR. I felt they needed more power than the 80wpc the SN2 could deliver. I sold off the SN2, Hicap, and the Dynaudio’s … Replaced by an Aestheix Audio Mimas, ProAc D20R’s and a REL S-510. Very happy! There is no substitute for Cubic Inches, except for volumetric efficiency 
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It can be a double edged sword, when SWMBO likes the sound, she thinks it is a great idea to add her own vocal contribution to the silky smooth sounds coming out of my system…I’m currently trialling different solutions to counter this - A gym membership, masking tape, baseball bat…
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Oh and my wife has less than zero interest in sound quality, I don’t think she’s ever commented one way or another, except to ask to turn it down.
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…different strokes for different folks.
My wife and I both enjoy music and often play artists that we have seen perform over the years. I love her input on the system performance and sure makes purchases and updates easier when we are in synch regarding the sound.
I can only hope you were joking when you commented, “I’m currently trialling different solutions to counter this - A gym membership, masking tape, baseball bat…”
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I think the Totem Forest Signatures would be worth a listen at your budget point. I have mine on a 252/SN2 setup at the moment.
Yes of course, my fairer half is actually very musical, she sings in a choir and has a great voice, in fact her weekly choir rehearsals are the nights when I enjoy an evening of solitude listening to tunes, while she goes and practises tunes of her own
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Hahahahahah.
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