Totally overwhelmed (speakers under $5k)

@ddonicht

talk more about what you value most in how music is reproduced

do you like to hear the slam/speed/impact in rock type music most? you like feel the music pulse as much as hearing it?

you really love the realistic sound of human voice? of natural instruments like piano, sax etc?

you like a wide big real life sized sound with piece parts placed correctly in relation to each other?

do you want your listening experiences to excite and thrill, like a live performance, or soothe and relax... glass of port in hand end of day, and so on  😁 ?

i know we all want it all, but if forced to choose, which attributes are valued most or some moreso over others?

also can we assume you will be able to place speakers well away from room boundaries in your office? or will there be limitations to this?

I'll just throw this out there although I have not heard them myself; FOCAL ARIA 926. Lots of dealers and places to audition.  

toro3 and steve59 have it right IMO.  oldhvymec, you're killing me with that photo. If my wife was out of town I'd think about those as well; what a steal.

Finding the type of 'sound' and type of speaker is very important, planar, box, etc. Expose yourself to as many as possible, whether serious or not, just to hear the differences between basic design theories. and then, within that style, box for example, there are sonic signatures very different from brand to brand.

If you are willing, you'll get a far, far, better speaker buying used. Most good/great speakers are treated with kid gloves by their audio-loving owners. oldhvymec sure has posted one heck of a bargain...

There are so many options out there that it can be overwhelming.  As suggested, I would try and find out what kind of speaker sound you prefer.  They can go from highly resolving to something more laid back.  Sometimes it's difficult to find one that will do justice to all types of music, so it's a compromise.  Your electronics will play a large part in the sound.  Even small speakers can be difficult to drive whereas horn speakers can be more efficient. 

Are there any audio clubs in your area?  A really good source of information and advise.  You may need to travel a bit to visit as many dealers as you can.

The Raven CeLest are a wonderful speaker. My son has them and they sound fantastic with hiss M33. 
 

oldhvymec,

Thanks for the picture. Now I have to clean the drool off of my keyboard...

That veneer is gorgeous.

@oldhvymec 

those speakers look awesome. Hope they are within driving distance! 

You mentioned you were open to used speakers under the right circumstance. I would think on that some more. 5k used can get you a world class speaker. I don’t know about others but in 25 years I have never had a speaker go bad so the warranty issue is not a big deal to me. Got my Focal 836w for $700 and they were a $4500 speaker so a 15k speaker for 5k is definitely in the realm of possibility. Just need to be patient. 

I just saw a super good looking set of VMPS RM40s and a matching VSS (very sturdy sub) for around 4K total. External XOs, TRT teflon caps, silver wiring and AC G3 tweeters. You won’t find anything like it. Period.. One of the top 5 speakers EVER made no mater the cost. They do everything and can be adjusted to any room with putty pinchin’.. PERFECT integration in any room mechanically. The mains and the sub are both set up that way.. They use a simple Dayton 1000 watt plate. Parts available..

You just think you’ve heard good speakers, these are the real deal..

BTW that is close to 700lb setting there. 260 x 2 and the sub is a 140lbs = 660lbs

Regards

PS I’m thinking of buying them.. I need a warehouse.

Im the used market ’ll pay half price up to 10 years old and 25% for 15 year old speakers so regarding getting $15 k speakers for $5k you’re looking for speakers at least a generation old and tbh since you have subs you don’t need huge speakers.

$5k is enough to get great sound in the used market. If you like punchy bass listen to dynaudio’s, Kef and Revel have a reputation for neutral balanced sound, but depending on the model you might need to upgrade your source. Focal is detailed sound and easy on the eyes but the detailed sound will make old recordings sound rough. Paradigm speakers and Dali's new line offer excellent bang for the buck. Designer cables, like your dealer said will make the smallest difference(excluding the coax shipped with your television.

To help mitigate the feelings of being overwhelmed, I think the first priority would be to find out which kind of speaker you enjoy the most - horn, concentric, ribbon, dipole, single full range driver. I wish someone would have communicated this when I had first started out. 

Find a speaker amp cable combination that has a midrange you really like. From there you can experiment some. If you get mids right (and I believe it’s a personal preference to some extent) you will be on the path to audio purification.

that’s a nice size office, a bit bigger than my main room.

I agree, cables/interconnects, very fine differences last. no cable on earth will make enough difference for any ’wrong for your space’ speakers.

so, as it’s office, a primary decision is how much bass are you going for? If lots of low bass is not needed, that can be a big advantage.

Functionally, I would want 3 way, no ports, big woofer, no subs. heavy, wheels, adjustable placement, adjustable toe-in for single or multiple listeners.

Next, buy an inexpensive sound meter and test record, to ascertain what you actually get at listening position(s).

Then speakers: return option, new or used.

Try something, great done, or learn something, return, next try.

I have the ability to adjust the output of my mid horns to woofer and tweet horns to mid horns (L-Pads, get thee a sound meter!!!). I cannot imagie not having adjustment ability of primary speakers in the listening space.

have these or something like them on-hand before the speakers arrive:

cd with individual specific 1/3 octave frequency bands

sound pressure meter. Just accurate enough to show ’relative’ differences (IOW, no need to be refined accuracy)

I feel like an IDIOT, I had that CD since it was new, these tricky L-Pads since 1973, and just bought the meter this past year. I’ve been balancing by ear over the years, what a difference in ease of use and confidence the simple ’tools of truth’ make.

anybody with a home theater knows how much the sound benefits from the adjustments made in the AVR as it ’hears’ the sound in the ’actual’ space. with it’s microphone and level adjustments

Look at Salk speakers.  Lots of fans on this site.

…Of course he is a fan of his own brand's amps…

Like a Highlander episode, there can be only one.

It reads like you have already made your mind up