Audiophile sound quality from a more "mainstream" company?

@wolf_garcia Schiit, Klipsch, and Pass. Wait...that sounds like an instruction...sorry...Heresy IIIs are better than IVs, or so I say.

A triode obsessed "Inspire" preamp/amp buddy went from Hersey II, III, IV, to Omega for a while, and returned to the latest (revised) version of Hersey IV and likes it much better, notably so.  Crossover, tweeter, port, design changes worked well in the new IV, fuller sounding and no fatigue now - he claims, fwiw.  

For Speakers I would look into Sony

For electronis- yamaha and technics

these better products do not come cheap.

Domestic-

Van Alstine for amps, etc

Speakers- i won't use the "T" word. 

Too new anyway.

Klipsch heritage or??

When I bought a set of Heresy IVs to replace the IIIs I was impressed by the IVs better construction and thought the porting for 10hz lower frequency response was a great idea (although I use 2 REL subs in this heap, so...meh...). After listening to them for over a month with a frown (figured they were still breaking in), I narrowed the main issue down to an upper mid "honk" or aberration in piano music mostly as I listen to a lot of jazz piano trios. Man...I wanted them to be great, but put my trusty IIIs back in a realized how much better they sounded. More coherent, smoother...just better. Damn. I think the IIIs mid horn is simply better...titanium instead of plastic driver, more complex horn throat design...or something. Sold the IVs, still very much enjoying the IIIs.

Not this week.

Sony ES; Pioneer Elite; Technics (now, not the stuff they was making in the 1980's -- SL-1200 Series Turntables were the only exception).

--Charles--