Speakers for classical music

[avmedia]

Suggest you consider Kali IN-5 which are in your price range. I think they go lower than genelec 8020 without sub, have XLR, TRS, and RCA input. I listen mostly to western classical and they sound great. At $700/pair you’ll have plenty left for a nice DAC. I also have Genelec with sub which is great but more expensive. I wouldn’t discount importance of bass for western classical. Bass drum and timpani sound is much better with deep bass. End of Shostakovich 4th Symphony without good bass would be very disappointing.

recommendations for larger room/floorstanding speakers?

 

[Chaconne]

Just join XLR pins 1 and 3 and connect to the coax ground, and signal to pin 2. There are any number of suitable adapters available if you don't fancy making up your own cables.

S.

Are you saying that the relatively inexpensive adapters you'd typically buy in a store are wired correctly?

 

[DanielT]

Whatever you choose. Think about the dynamics of classical music.

One of the world's best singers of all time. I think. Feel free to listen to the whole song, but above all what she says 18:25 in. You need a competent Hifi solution of you should listen to classical music with a big dynamic range. As good as live music there will be no Hifi solution which is so good (which reproduces it exactly as live) as she points out but with a dynamic recording then nevertheless you have a to have competent Hifi solution.