Do my ears deceive me??


     The money is in the bank, thinking of upgrading speakers, but everything I demo is no better or worse than what I have.   Willing to spend up to $6,000.      Upgraditis??   My main system is Mcintosh MX 134 that I bought in 2003, with a pair of Focal 836v's and a Parasound 5250  (250w/channel) amp I bought around 2012.   I either blew the tweeters or crossover on my 836's, so they are in for repair.   Since I've owned them for 10 years, I was considering new speakers.    The blades are way more than I would spend, but I also demoed the Kef R11s, Martin Logan xtf 200's, Mcintosh XR 100s, and B&W 703 S3.   

       None of them sounded better than what I'm hearing right now from my BP 2006s.    Would I really need to demo them in my room to make a fair comparison??  Or are speakers just not much better than they were 20 years ago?   I know I love detail, and tend to lean towards aluminum tweeters.  I pretty much only listen to classic rock and roll.   Of all I demoed, I really like the B&W 706s.   They sounded much brighter/cleaner than the others.   But they had the reciever set up so I couldn't adjust the treble/bass.  I love a V equalizer curve, and bump up the bass and treble a bit on my home/car systems.   Maybe I just have the good luck of prefering cheaper speakers.   

 

  

fenderu2

@fenderu2  for what it's worth I design my systems around my speakers and believe in that philosophy. I use Duntech and Dunlavy which are by no means modern but I believe have no equal. I've got to think there are many fantastic speakers available for your budget. Speakers that are phase and time coherent would be my choice. Vanderstein,  Snell, Theil , Dunlavy and  Duntech have these attributes. There may be others I'm sure, but in my opinion these are key attributes. Ditch the mx multichannel amp and and go for a true 2 channel. Pass labs, PS Audio... the rabbit hole is deep my friend. Peace and work hard to educate yourself and research for the best result.

I owned Def Tech BP2006's and went from there to the Mythos ST-L Super Tower. The STLs blew away the 2006's, but while the ST-L's had very good highs and lows, they lacked good mid-range.

I moved to Harbeth and REL. Leaps and bounds better for what I listen too.

My point is, if what you are listening to isn't any better than the 2006's, you are auditioning the wrong speakers. 

If classic rock is your thing, I'd be looking at something with a big driver like Tannoy.  

 

  That pair of alto utopias listed is intriguing.   But they weigh 170lbs and are probably too big for the room.  I would love to hear them, but not move them.

Sadly, no Harbeth dealers in MN that I know of.    Similarly, the reviews of ATC seem to be really good for dynamics, but no dealers here.   

Volti Razz would be worth a consideration. All the dynamics one needs, refined, efficient and beautiful. If you were closer to NE Ohio I be happy to host. 

Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G's

Polk L600's

Try both sets; choose one set.

Enough said.

Your welcome.