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Speaker Recommendation: 20K range

I’m looking for new speakers in the <20K range. 

I am not looking for used, unless it’s a demo model straight from an AD.

I am hoping to find a line that clearly beats speakers in the ~10K range like Magico A3, Revel 228BE, Legacy Focus SE etc.

I will be pairing the speakers with a Lumin D2 streamer, Mcintosh C2600 pre and MC452 amp. Changing those components is not going to happen anytime soon and so system synergy with those pieces is important. 

I also would like the speakers to be rated at 500W given the amp I will be using and the fact that the listening space is quite large. 

While I mostly listen to jazz, rock, pop, classical and vocals, I am really looking for speakers that sound amazing with any genre. I also need them to sound great at moderate levels of volume. 

I currently have Focal Kanta No 2s, and while they are quite nice, I want something much better in all respects. 

I am not really up to speed on all the audiophile terms that describe the various traits of sound – I just want my jaw to drop when listening to the speakers with any genre at all volume levels, if that’s possible :) 

I am close to NYC and would like to narrow down the list to ~5 candidates before I start auditioning.

Hopefully you guys can help me compile a list!

Thanks in advance for your time and suggestions.

chandybe
audiotroy's avatar
audiotroy
3,800 posts
 
Op

Our shop Audio Doctor in NJ has four  reference speakers lines in that price range for you to audition. 

We have the Legacy line on display and the Legacys are an unbelievable buy for the amount of loudspeaker  you can get for the money they excell at deep bass, have a warm midrange, good detail and create a very large soundstage.

We have both the Aeris and the Focus lines on display.

The Paradigm Personas which offer stnning clarity and a very holographic image, they rate very high on the waf factor and would sound fantastic with the Mcintosh gear which tends to sound a bit on the warm side in tems of clarity and imaging they will beat many much more expensive loudseakers. 

We also have the entire Kef Reference line we just setup a set of Ref 5 in California and they did so many things right and again they would pair very well with warmer electronics. The Kef's are very attractive, throw  a huge soundstage, have very good bass and an excellent midrange. 

We also have the Dali line which are also extremely musical and we have a demo pair of the $20k Epicon 8 for $12k which is a fantastic dealer for a $20k reference loudspeaker.

Our shop is located just 15 mins from NYC and our selection of components is largger then any of the NY or NJ dealers. We have over 60 lines of equipment on display. 

We would welcome you in for a visit. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NPIn3pEmI4

This is a 3 year old video before we added: Mytek, T+A audio, Legacy, ATC, Naim reference, Light Harmonic, Micromega, Anthem STR Quad, Rethem howerver, you can get a nice feel for the shop. 

Sincerely,


Dave Lalin, Owner, Audio Doctor 
audiotroy's avatar
audiotroy
3,800 posts
 
The other missing information is how big is the room, how far away you are sitting and how loud you want to play is it occasionally loud or loud much of the time

Most high end loudspeakers are not designed to handle massive amounts of power without blowing up.

The Legacy Aeris and Focus models can handle that kind of power and can easily fill a large room. 

The Paradigm Persona 7F can handle that kind of power as we already had a client pass that kind of power. The Kef Blades can handle that kind of power although we did have a set of Ref 5 that got the uni-q damaged with 1,000 watts into a 4 ohm load.

So with all of these issues you have a few questions to ask yourself:

1: Is the size and look of the loudspeakers important?
2: Are you willing to look at fringe brands you can not easily demo?
3: Are  you the type of person who would prefer getting the sevice and support of a larger manufacturer vs dealing with some of the issues with smaller companies?

Dave and  Troy
Audio Doctor NJ


tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,913 posts
 
Well even with moderately efficient speakers your amp is more than capable of damaging what’s left of your hearing
no need to change your amp
just your power handling expectations....
many of the pro sound setup I hauled around the country ( when I was young and invincible but stupid ) would melt under that amp...
i am going to stay away from recommend of a secofic brand or three.. at this price level expert setup and a relationship with dealer is essential.
my short list would include Audio Connection in Verona and make a trip down DC way...
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,913 posts
 
But BTW
the MAC gear you have is capable of fantastic sound....
i heard your amp driving big Magnaplaners the other day - Jacintha at 15 ips on my old backup 15 ips Revox B77 half track... freaking eye watering good

ya might not even need to spend your budget....


audiokinesis
2,738 posts
 

Dave and Troy raise some interesting questions:

1: Is the size and look of the loudspeakers important?

Few small speakers can fill a big room at high SPLs without significant thermal and/or mechanical compression.  Briefly, having a fair amount of speaker headroom above the loudest anticipated peaks helps to keep those peaks uncompressed.  Uncompressed peaks = better dynamic contrast = more emotion from the music, because musicians use dynamic contrast to convey emotion.  I like to shoot for 10 dB of speaker headroom above the loudest anticipated peaks. 


2: Are you willing to look at fringe brands you can not easily demo?

It's probably not worthwhile buying a plane ticket to audition a $1000 speaker.  However it might be worthwhile buying a ticket to audition a  $10,000+ speaker IF it seems to meet your criteria exceptionally well and the only real question left is how it sounds.  I used to sell fairly expensive speakers (Sound Labs) and most of my customers bought a plane ticket to audition them.   


3: Are you the type of person who would prefer getting the sevice and support of a larger manufacturer vs dealing with some of the issues with smaller companies?

I disagree with the implication here that small manufacturers do not offer customer service every bit as attentive as the big boys (and maybe ever moreso sometimes), though I will admit that our delivery times are usually longer.  But there is one thing a big company with a dealer network CAN offer you that us little guys usually cannot - the DEALER!   If you find a dealer who takes good care of you and who sells a speaker that meets your criteria and makes the magic happen for you, then by all means offer him your business!  And if not, well, you still have options.

Duke

dealer/manufacturer/on both sides of the fence

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