I don’t know if one speaker will be able to produce all the right timbre of any instruments. iME my Andra using tube amps , piano sounds piano, I believe they were voice with piano .My Technics c700 Sb Speaker Acoustic and string they sound real , using Plinius sa 100 amp , My Diapason Speakers using viva amp every instruments and voice all sounds real.My ps 12 Tekton is very close timbre on diapason.I did have to really listen a lot and use the right matching to get the right timbre for every systems I have , I takes a lot of listening experience to achieve the right timbre . Maybe why I end up having four system, If I would like to listen to piano, I go with Andra.The focal Kanta I heard at Music direct I like the timbre of that speakers they are using esoteric gear Audioquest pc and wireworld Speaker wire the expensive one Iam not sure if they are platinum.Its also very important to use good recording.I have reference cd by Gary Karr title Double bass , this cd make all my systems sounds so real.l
What speaker – under $10k – has the best timbre and tonal qualities?
Several years ago, a prominent reviewer had this to say as he was praising the natural and life-like tonal qualities of a particular speaker:
It’s [speakers] like these that make me question the priorities of audiophiles who relegate accuracy of timbre to secondary status. How are the richness and color of instruments, voices, ensembles, and textures to be reproduced in all their infinite variety and beauty if a loudspeaker has less than accurate reproduction of timbre? What do dynamics, imaging, detail, transparency, and the like matter if voices and instruments don’t sound like themselves?
I’ve come the same realization, late in the game. I recently made a lateral move from one of the most popular of recent speaker models to a different speaker, because it sounded so much more natural and realistic in timbre. I sacrificed a touch of image precision in doing so, but it has been well worth it. The sound is so much more engaging. It’s like going from a high-resolution black and white photograph – which is very detailed and impressive – to a color version of the same photo, but with slightly less resolution. The color version offers so much more in terms of realism.
So I’m now contemplating the purchase of what I hope will be my last speakers, with the objective of realistic, natural, and rich (but not artificially warm) tone being the primary attribute.
What speakers, under $10k, would you recommend? (I’m driving them with a PrimaLuna Prologue Premium)
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I hear you Wester. When I did my intensive speaker search many years ago I found lots of brands that did the audiophile checklist well but just did not sound “right” in the way you (and I) consider important. After listening to literally dozens of speakers two dynamic speakers emerged—Harbeth and Daedalus. Other types like Quad ESL and Sound Lab also hit the mark but brought with them other requirements that I wasn’t able to meet so ended up with Daedalus and am now on my third pair. |
@audioguy85, 'I prefer the tannoy sound. Natural, warm, non-fatiguing, addictive to listen to.' Me too, though there are some very good reports regarding the Joseph Audio Pulsars. And this from a while back. No ultimate consensus but possibly some good information. https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/best-loudspeakers-for-rich-timbre?highlight=Rich%2Btimbre |
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