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Best new/demo/used value for $7.5K range

Hello all!

I will be buying new speakers at the end of September.

My budget is roughly $7.5K (can flex some if a steal is found).

I am currently looking at:
-B&W 802N (5000K used and 7K demo)
-JM lab Mezzo Utopia (7k used)
-Revel Studio (7.5K used)
-Dynaudio Confidence 5 (5k used)
-Wilson Sophia Used (8.5K? used)
-Wilson Watt/Puppy6 (8.5K? used)

I like all of these speakers for different reasons. I would be happy with any of them, but wish I could afford the wilsons - my favorite.

Any thoughts? At this price I want to know I considered everything.

My gear: EAD 8000pro preamp, Levinson No.27, Classe CAV150, SACD XA-777es, Pioneer Elite DV-47 DVDm, Transparent Audio and Audioquest interconnects...
jtee
chuck
203 posts
 
Jtee,

1. B&W Nautilus 802's. I may get flamed here, but I have never cared for the B&W sound. Tweeter sounds a little too metallic sounding for my tastes. May not match up too well with Levinson amp either.

2.JM Labs Mezzo Utopia. I love Focal drivers, but have always felt that tubes were the way to go with focal drivers. Others have used SS equipment and have gotten
great results.

3. Revel Studio's Cant comment on them. I have never heard them. I was blown away by the Ultima Salon.

4. Dynaudio Confidence 5. Great speaker and hard to beat at the price point. Matches well with SS gear but may sound a bit too analytical with Levinson???

5. Wilson Sophia. Great speakers that should work well with your setup. A bit expensive for what you get though.

6. Wilson WATT/Puppy 6 Same as above.

Wildcards. I would listen to Thiel CS 7.2's, CS 6 or the new 2.4. I would also listen to the Von Sweikert line as well.

Hope this helps. Remember your taste is the only thing that matters!!!
cylinderking_1
130 posts
 
I purchased a demo pair of mezzo`s about 4 months ago from a jm lab dealer for $6500. w/ full warrenty.Im using a Mcintosh mc-352 with I would say great results. Ive been seeing used mezzo`s for 6500./5700. It does confuse me with the warrenty you will hear some say warrenty is trasnferable but the dealer said it is not. The US dealer is Audioplus out of NY and their site says it is not transferable. The B&W will suck the life out of your amp. Chuck did mention Dynaudio confidence 5 amd I agree for around 5 K its very hard to beat. David
ejliu
109 posts
 
Used Avalon speakers. There are few available right now on Audiogon.

For this price range, I would recommand to have a local purchase if possible. All of the speakers you mentioned will be a large purchase in term of size, weight and money. Demo them locally and pick them instead of shipping would be most important.

Don't forget to budget for well matched speaker cables as well. Some of the speakers might require bi-wire or tri-wire.

I have demoed Dynaudio Confidence 5 speakers extensively. They are great speakers but somewhat lacking in bass extension. Maybe 35Hz in a small room. Might want to check out the new Dynaudio Contour speakers as well.

There are also a few Sonus Faber speaker in your price range that will match great with Levinson 27.

Eric
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