Speaker Recommendation: 20K range

Check out EgglestonWorks. They have a nice line of speakers and informative website. Don’t think anyone here mentioned them. You usually do not hear alot about them but they are worldwide, based in Memphis, TN. I bought the Fontaine Signatures and they are perfect for my room and all-tube based system. Excellent customer service as they made  me a new set of grilles at their factory for speakers I bought used. 

Hey Guys – thanks for all the advice and recommendations so far – getting some really good opinions here.

 A few things I left out of the original post in terms of criteria etc:

-       I forgot to mention that looks are a factor for me. Not so much the WAF as much as the fact that I like sexy speakers that do not look like hideous behemoths. I’d also prefer that they not weigh a ton since I’d like to be able to unpack and move them with the help of just one other able-bodied individual. Now the last point is somewhat discretionary – for amazing sound I’d do sexy looking monstrosities since the logistical PIA events are really just a 1time or few time phenomenon, but again I hope to avoid buying elephantine speakers

- Listening area is approx 750sq ft - and the listening position will be around 15ft from the speakers

-       I understand the point of diminishing returns in this game – I know I won’t get twice the improvement by upgrading from the Kanta’s – but what I do want is easily discernible improvement across the board if possible. I also understand that my current electronics may be somewhat limiting but I am hoping that’s not the case. I do intend to upgrade the amp/pre/streamer etc. down the road and so getting a pair of speakers that may somewhat outclass the other parts for now may actually be prudent

-       Just wanted to clarify the 500W criterion a bit – I think I get the relationship between speaker sensitivity and power/sound levels - the only reason I mentioned 500W is that I want to take zero chances that I may damage the speakers with unanticipated/occasional peaks and/or when I amp up the wattage on the very infrequent occasions when I pump up the volume somewhat - like when I’m enjoying a fine bottle or 2 of wine and 90db’s sounds more like 80db’s :) I do most of my listening at around 80-85db; at that level my C2600’s volume output is set to between 50-55% - at some points during listening/peaks, I can see the 452’s watt meters spike to near the 450w mark – I want to take on zero risk that my speakers will be damaged during those episodes. I’m thinking that 400-500W rated speakers should suffice given that the ratings are often conservative.

-       In terms of what I like/dislike about the Kanta’s – they sound amazing to me only with jazz and some vocals – they do not sound that great with rock/pop and other genres – I can’t give you an audiophile level or technical explanation as to why – they just aren’t that impressive sounding. Also, the bass can at times sound like popping sounds with some songs – that happens very infrequently but when it does, it annoys the hell out of me. That being said, there are some songs/albums that blow me away – for example, Brothers in Arms by Club for Five, Leonard Cohen’s album You Want It Darker, and most jazz especially saxophone centric jazz. I want to be blown away by the vast majority of what I may listen to, irrespective of genre. I want all the usual things most folks look for – very good sound at moderate SPLs, very high levels of detail/resolution, high clarity of mid-range, great bass (I’d prefer not to have to employ sub-woofers just yet), great timbre, a wide and deep sound stage, great imaging etc.

-       At this point in my audio journey, I’m looking for mainstream brands via an AD – not to take anything away from the niche/boutique brands – I am sure there is amazing sound to be had but I am just not ready for that step yet – perhaps in the future if/when I tire of the stalwart brands and need to find out what’s on the other side

-       I am going to check out both Audio Connection in Verona NJ as well as the AudioDoctor in Jersey City (I used to live there but am now in Morris county close to the Audio Connection). I also work in NYC and may check out some stores I bought B&W 600 series speakers from back in the early 2000's – Lyric HiFi, Innovative AV, Stereo Exchange etc. (if they’re still around). Hopefully some of those auditions will be possible with the pre and amp that I have.

-       Some prelim candidates I’d like to check out based on the recommendations I’ve heard – Focal Sopra 3s / Scala Utopia v2, Paradigm Persona 7F, Dali Epicon 8, Legacy Aeris, Harbeth 40.2, B&W 803 D3

 Thanks again for all the advice and keep it coming please – A’gon rocks beyond measure or description.

Here’s a pic of my system.

https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/7383

Yes I know I have a lot of (crappy old non audiophile) speakers - have kept them for mostly sentimental reasons until this point - plus I’m too damn lazy to ply the trade route. Now that I’m getting serious with the audiophile journey, I will be cleaning this up when the new speakers arrive.

And go easy on me with the room acoustics comments :)

PS: And this is why the WAF is moot  - this is my mancave, the only fiefdom in the kingdom where I reign supreme

I see Focal released the Kanta 3 with larger drivers than the Kanta 2. They might be a more encouraging pop/rock speaker.

If you ever get a chance to hear the Acoustic Zen Crescendo 2’s... I think you may be mightily impressed...they do many things right with almost no shortcomings [nothing’s perfect in speakerdom]. I own them and still shake my head in disbelief as to what they bring to the altar of impressive transducers today... 8)

Well, I will say, that is the size room the Aeris is meant for, i.e., big. Also, with the Aeris’ powered woofer sections, you wouldn’t be needing massive power for the mids/highs either, and your current amp situation should be fine. The Aeris setup at RMAF last weekend sounded fantastic.

That said, the Aeris works best for a two-channel music system, and is not as easily incorporated into a multi-channel setup because of the Wavelet room correction technology. Are you running two-channel, or multi-channel?