@richardmathes that's good to hear. I did read that the Heritage was amazing. I was never too impressed with the Special Fourty. Dynaudio speakers are so musical, my next speakers would be the Contours.
Candidates for best speakers in the $2000-5000 market
I’m asking for listeners’ experience in this bracket, buttressed by reviews and/or data; I am not a fan of "whatever sounds good to you." Ultimately, yes, that will be the case. But in getting to that point, I’m looking to benefit from the advantage of a thousand pairs of ears rather than mine alone. Those ears can include the inanimate. Thank you.
My experience has included my own Elac 403, Elac 407, and Dynaudio Special 40. Auditions have included various Sonus Faber, and Magico. All of this is in preparation for justifying the leap for an Electa Amator lll or its equivalent. But that’s for another day, another forum.
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I have a pair of GoldenEar Triton 1’s that sound wonderful to me. They disappear in 2-channel, w a soundstage that can extend past their physical station depending on the recording. And they are perfectly at home as the LR in my modest home theater. One of the important factors to me was their sensitivity. They still sound fantastic driven by an AVR, because not much is driven- as you know they have their own low end power source built-in. good luck!
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Interesting. I'd have said get those SF Electra Amators based on sound quality, and change amps if necessary. I saw the comment on 'interior designer' and cannot argue with most SF, and those for sure. (I'd also 2nd JA Pulsars, etc.) I'd base amplification on the speaker sound you ultimately desire. Nice to know you have two good sub options to fill out a good pair of stand mounted speakers. Have fun and let us know on the new ones. I've totally enjoyed some Harbeths at shows. The Super HL5 should be fun. |
Several posts here mention Sonus Faber. I’ve had the opportunity to audition the Maxima Amator, alongside their other lines, and a Magico. Sonus Faber appears to approach their products as musical instruments, resulting in a "musical" quality to their sound. At least that’s my take. My dream speaker is the Electa Amator, however (due to cost, room dimensions, WAF.) As soon as someone with money dies,... In the meantime, my Harbeth Super HL5+'s arrives today, along with a pair of Revel Performa3 M106's. Yippee! |
I'm squarely in the single driver speaker camp after auditioning a bunch of speakers including Atohm and Davis Acoustics in a shop in Paris. I just think that single driver speakers sound more natural/transparent. It's a night and day difference. 2 way or 3 way speakers sound like they put all of their efforts in the bass and treble with micro-details. But the voices and midrange sound a bit veiled. Your brain and ears naturally adjusts so it's not an issue. Anyways I was floored by the Audax AM21 LB25 kit designed by Yves Dodeman. You can buy an assembled pair from that Paris shop for approx 2,500€. Everything is made in France so it's kind of a bargain compared to famous brands like Focal which command a higher price for the same quality. The seller kinda hinted that I needed a larger room for these speakers so I went with another model. So I purchased the Closer Acoustics OGY last year and I'm still grinning to this day. They have the fastest, cleanest bass with some extension (but not subwoofer levels) thanks to the plywood transmission line cabinet. The midrange is scary clear. And the highs are bright but non-fatiguing (unless you push the volume too high unconsiously, which is easy to do because they sound so clear and natural). So the OGY are perfect in a smallish room at moderate volumes. I will say that they're not the most dynamic for orchestral music, you might want larger cabinets for that. On the flipside, the OGY is so easy to drive. Even the cheapest, nastiest Tripath chip amp will drive them fine. But you'll gain smoother highs and deeper bass with a decent A/B amp or tube amp. Compared to Atohm, Davis Acoustics and Dynaudio bookshelf speakers the OGY just sound less veiled. But the Dynaudio and similar brands have more bass (but way slower bass), sound louder and more dynamic. So it's a design tradeoff and it's tempting to have 2 pairs of speakers for different genres. I would love to audition the Pearl Acoustics Sibelius one day. It's funny how they use much cheaper drivers than the OGY but cost twice the money. I guess the cabinet and size have a bigger impact on price.
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I've owned Yamaha NS 1000's, Focal 786's, B&W 703's, Sonus faber Venere 2.5's and now Sonus faber Sonetto V's. I cannot rave enough about my enjoyment, and appreciation of the Sonus faber line, but in the $5,000.00 range, reviewers find it hard to find a better sounding, or better value than the Sionetto V's. Listen for yourself if you haven't already, but the Sonetto V's are fabulous. Very Amp friendly and a "complete" sound from Tweeter to Mid Range to Woofers. Buy, relax and enjoy. |
Thank you for all for the great suggestions and practical feedback. Time came to make a decision for the near to medium term at least., and I’m probably trying some posters patience! "Next man up" is a pair of the Harbeth Super HL5 Plus XD, recently posted on Audiogon. Warm reviews, curiosity about the BBC sound, and the availability of the speakers on Audiogon drove the decision making. Thank you again, I may be back! 😁 |
All new $5.7K AudioVector QR7 speakers has the sound quality of their much higher priced R Series speakers ! 😎 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtKjhPHFuRM One Audio Reviewer replaced his Quad ESL 2912's with these new AudioVector QR7's matched with the new $9K Luxman L-507z !🤔😃 |
I few years ago I was in the same price range. But I was committed to staying <$4k. i also committed to buying new from my LD because I wanted to in home demo. I settled on Focal 926 and SF Sonetto III. Both in my room at the same time. SF handled voice and strings better but I ultimately chose the 926 for their ability to bloom music throughout the room and had a nice sweet spot at lower listening levels and abilities with a wider range of music. Plus , as I have stated before here, I just could not get over the SF cheezy plastic base and the way it mounted. A year or so later I picked up a pristine pair of QUAD S-5 off Craigslist for super cheap. I was blown away with that products ability to image. I ultimately kept the 926 and sold the S-5. But months later I realized I really missed the S-5 imaging and the beautiful classic styling. I found my listening taste had changed by the speaker itself. I now dont really place a priority on how hard rock music sounds. I emailed the buyer back and told him I would buy them back and he basically said "HAHA Sorry!". I keep and eye on the used market all the time for those Quads. Pair over on USAudio mart now but they are near new. Proly wait until I can get a better deal. I also have the Dynaudio evoke 10 on my HT setup, I like them. I heard some of their higher end product paired up with Octave amps at RMAF years ago, very impressive. One of their full range products would be a possibility someday. Lover their build quality too. QUAD S-5 review:
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The Falcon Acoustics Studio 30’s might just be the biggest bargain on the market right now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ryqr06Eyml0&t=190s The all new Falcon Acoustics M50's will be coming out Soon too ! High-End will never be the same again ! 🤩 |
So many good speakers, so little money, room, or time to own them all. I’ll vote for what I own: Vandersteen 2CE Signature IIIs, a true classic and great buy. Your spousal unit may not like the looks with the black sock, and if I replace mine I will likely get the Vandersteen Treo CT, which are gorgeous and pass the WAF (wife acceptance factor). The Treo CT is also listed by AbSound as a bargain and classic. (Of course, if I had a bottomless wallet I would ownw other brands too, in my imaginary 2nd/3rd systems!) AbSound / 50 Greatest Bargains in High-End Audio
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Thanks you for so much feedback. I was close to dealing for a pair of Harbeth M30.2, but had second thoughts after finding ASR’s reservations. They would likely have been a short term experience pending release of the LSA 100 Statement in January, with the intention of ordering a pair of Sonus Faber Electa Amator lll later that month. This week I added a used REL T/9i to my system, adding the SVS SB-3000 Pro to the 7.1 system in the family room. The "new" sub seems like a breath of fresh air for the Dynaudio Special Forty’s.
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I was on the same quest as you a few years back - my budget was < $5k a the time which lines up nicely with yours now. I was hoping to - for the 1st time ever - build an affordable high-end system from used high-end but still sounding good gear. What I found is that when you're talking about "affordable high-end" you really do have 2 different products: the affordable side of high-end (Sonus faber, Vandersteen, Von Schweikert, Revel...) or the high-end side of affordable (B&W, Paradigm, PSB, Canton ...). Typically the affordable makers are better at containing costs and the high-enders are better at well, that. I explored both with an open mind but expected the former to win out. I listen to a little bit of everything from classical to uplifting trance. I demand a loud and dark midrange that dominates an immersive sound stage. I want nothing but punchy, powerful, tight accurate bass with no bloat and no reflections as well as rapid decay. Give me balanced highs with proper weight that are not loud nor overdone. I drew in my mind the speaker that would fit my sound: a tall thin rounded-back cabinet, no rear ports, large midrange with low crossover points, dome tweeters, small powerful woofers - 2 - not 3 - and not large - light and punchy. I used that image in my head to search for my speakers but kept an open mind. I fell in love with the sound of Dave Wilson's speakers but I cannot afford those although used Watt Puppy's sell for the top of your range. I was never able to find and listen to the Von Schweikert VR-4 JR nor the Dynaudio. I did listen to many and I found these speakers to stand out: the Revel Performa line, the Sonus faber Venere and the PSB Imagine (they were only $4k back then). The B&W CM series bass was too heavy for my listening room. I settled on the Sonus faber Venere 3.0 + the center for $3k brand new. I paired them with Krell Evolution series gear (S-1200U / Showcase 5 amp - balanced - $2600 for both used - sent to Krell and topped off). The sound is unimaginably good for what I paid: warm but lively - I feel the drums as much as I hear them but not in a harsh way. I feel like i'm sitting in the bar / concert listening to the band in front of me. I did have to use the parametric EQ in the S1200-U to get the speakers to sound how I wanted them: I boosted the midrange and cut the highs (those tweeters are really loud). Start with Sonus faber, Revel and probably Canton and go from there. But try to imagine what speaker you're looking for up front. Good luck! |
Four of my friends own Legacy Signature III speakers. Available at $2000 or under. Sure they are used. They beat out every speaker mentioned in terms of dynamics, deep bass, ease to drive (except Harbeths), besides not losing anything of great significance to any of the others. However, they are moderately large size and weight 135 lbs. I have them in my second system (paid $1600). What a bargain!!! I'm looking for another pair for my TV audio room. |
If I were in your position—needing a speaker that is both aesthetically right and that sounds great—I would start by selecting some possibilities among those that will look good in your room, and then choose from there. There are many choices. Twice, I was in the position of wanting to choose something that both sounded good and looked good (or at least appropriate) in my living spaces. In both cases I researched and tried a number of options. These choices likely won’t apply to your situation. In a medium-size room I chose the KEF LS60s, which are proving to be a perfect visual and sonic choice for our living situation. The second choice might be controversial, but for our large room we eventually chose the Magnepan 1.7i with the light-colored, natural grill cloth. While the panels are large, the light shade and ability to move them easily if necessary makes the size almost a non-issue. I haven’t had to move them out of the way yet, and they’ve been in use for 8 years. Enjoy making your choice! |
Lots of great choices mentioned. You may need to consider a large monitor or mid size tower to fill that size room, but if you’re limited to a smaller monitor: Often overlooked but worth investigation are the Aerial Acoustics 5t, Stereophile Class A rated and also super sexy in Ebony finish, ~$3K used if you can find them. |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G. Stereophile didn’t put them in ’Class A’ for nothing. Amazingly clean, effortless sounding great soundstage. Dual-8s with dual ports mean more than adequate and room-tunable bass. For smaller rooms or placement nearer walls, the Silver 300 7G is the same midrange and tweeter with dual-6s and offers the same amazing midrange/treble clarity with bass to the low-mid 40s. My personal daily listen. FWIW, I also have a pair of LS-50s and Maggie LRS, with a subwoofer available, both speakers I admire greatly, but neither worked well in my living room (too big for the near-field LS-50s, couldn’t place the Maggies properly). There’s no shortage of excellent speakers in this price range, but I now have no desire to change. Since the MAs might leave you with a bit of a budget cushion, I would strongly urge you to consider some room treatment panels. I've found Acoustimac https://www.acoustimac.com/ great to deal with - flexible in their offerings, affordable and quick delivery. You'll be amazed at the results, and their fabric and design options make achieving a high SAF entirely possible. |
If you have a smaller sized room, check out the KEF LS50 Meta + KEF KC62 sub. I bought the LS50 Meta as a backup speaker after my old LS50 got damaged. The plan was to buy the $10K USD Yamaha NS3000 monitor from Canada. It is very much like the NS5000 that is sold in the USA, but for smaller rooms. However, after hearing the KEF pairing, I realized the money for the NS3000 was better kept in my pocket. |
For the above party. Do you own them, or have you owned them? I believe I have a rather nice system in a very good acoustic area. I listen to R&R loudly, mid- 90's spl. Have an ATI 6002 amp, Benchmark LA-4 Line amp, Meitner DAC MA-1, Project RS2T Transport, LTA linear power supply for same, SVS SB4000 sub and a pair of upgraded Tekton Double impacts. Stream qobuz also. My area is about 20x30 maybe a little more. It is like going to a rock concert, clear, dynamic, accurate music, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rush, Fleet-wood Mac, YES, Super Tramp, etc. Sounds great to me, couldn't be happier. As to gimmers post, I think he would agree. Rock on! |
@robshaw and @nyc_ben +1 for Tekton. I have Encores and they thump for Rock and Roll and are easy to drive as well. |
This may be the most asked question in the aspiring audiophile’s mind: best speaker for $2500 ($5000 new in the used market) followed by "but what amp now???" I know it’s a cliche but Dynaudio Contour 20 (the Evoke 30 is on sale for ridiculous prices btw) or the Special 40 with a sub, if you can tweak it correctly
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Happy owner for 12 years of Ohm Walsh 2000s. Provided your room volume is compatible, I would highly recommend an in home audition. Ohm gives you 120 days to let them break in and sound their best. My review is posted in the review section here. Since that review, I have made many upgrades to my electronics, but have never felt I need to upgrade my speakers. The 2000s have made each upgrade easy to hear, for better or worse. Plus, I can barely listen to most box speakers now, since the drivers stand proud of the cabinets on my Ohms. Plus, John Strohbeen, something of a legend in the industry who owns Ohm, is extremely accessible and helpful. All his speakers are built in Brooklyn, NY, too. |
I was auditioning Focal 936s and 948s roughly at the high end of your range at a dealer who also carries Tannoy and ended up with a pair of Tannoy Cheviots for a bit outside your range, but IMO better. Ons selling point that may apply to you is that my audio advisor pointed out they are a little more forgiving as to speaker placement and listening room issues, and you mentioned a wife who is an interior designer, so you may have limitations based on her requirements. |
there are a lot of speakers in the price range.
hope your not busy for a year, so many to listen to.
personally, i would save some scratch, and i would get the Acoustic energy 520. don't pay for a company name. buy what your ears like and make the hair stand on arms and neck, THEN you will have a keeper, regardless of price. |
@bigtwin +1 for goldenear 1.r and they're only $5k now to boot! |
With your amp I would check out Audiokinesis speakers. A very interesting speaker concept, that can sound optimal with tube amps in a moderate / fairly large room. The point here is not just the speakers and their components, but how well they manage to play "with" the room on the one hand, and matching the amp on the other hand. |
Your room size is similar to mine with hardwood and openings to other rooms. I have not heard a wide range of speakers, but my research led me to Fritz Speakers. I chose the Fritz Carbon 7 SE Mk II. At $2500, they are on the lower end of your budget, but I also paired them with a Rythmik Audio F12SE Subwoofer to fully round out the frequency range. I have been very pleased. Good luck! |
+1 for the Philharmonic BMR Towers I had Martin Logan Monoliths 2 for over 20 years. They were a little lacking in bass. A series of events mandated a change. I considered another ML hybrid but decided against them primarily for cost and the WAF wanted smaller speakers. I auditioned ML 60XTI and sent them back. A significant amount of research led me to the BMR Towers. Unfortunately, Philharmonic sells them direct... no dealers. That makes it tough to audition them. Unless you come over to my house. They don't need a subwoofer. I strongly recommend them. |