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Your thoughts on best audiophile speakers in $10,000 neighborhood?

I know the best way to select a speaker is to auditioon them at a dealer or in my own home. However, living in a rather rural area in northern Michigan, there's only one reputable dealer (Sonus Faber) in town so I may end up relying on reviews and your feedback. 

I used to own Vandersteen Model 2Cs in the late 1980s, but finally want to step up my game. I currently have a legacy Nakamichi receiver / amp with 1000wpc, but will probably upgrade that once I select a new pair of speakers. Currently I'm playing mostly LPs on a Technics SL1210G. I now listen mostly with a Mark Levinson 5909 headphone connected to a small Class A pre-amp, so I treasure detail and transparency and don't lean toward "warm" speakers.

Room is good size since it encompasses living room and opens to dining room and kitchen behind it. Cathedral ceiling is about 12 feet high. 

I'm considering the following speakers: Vandersteen Treo CT, Wharfedale Elysian 4 (perhaps too big for my room), Monitor Audio Gold 300 and the Sonus Faber Sonetto VIII. These all fit within my budget. What are your thought about any of these...or do you have others to recommend?

Thanks for whatever guidance you can give me.

 

aphilc
vthokie83
636 posts
 

Be sure to pay special attention to the specs of the speakers, if they are too hard to drive you'll need a new amplifier too.

If I were in your shoes I'd look at a sensitive speakers, over 90 db efficient. Sonus Faber usually fits there, but others have recommended Pure Audio Project or Volti....which would be worth a look as well.

The Vandersteen you are looking at seem like a more difficult load....the Wharfedale and Sonus Faber would be easier to drive.

phusis's avatar
phusis
1,122 posts
 

@aphilc --

Based on your OP and assumed preferences I’d go for a pair of Sound Labs Majestic 545 or 745’s. Yes, they’re above your budget, but as they say: whatever you do, do it for real.

mglik
887 posts
 

I am very biased.

Have been a loyal Quad 57 owner for far longer than any other speaker.

They don’t do big dynamics and are a bit frequency limited but what they do is truly natural and lovely. And their transparency is addicting.

However, after almost 70 years, Quad has made a speaker that not only retains the beautiful features of the original 57, they have made a speaker that addresses all the deficiencies. And the icing on the cake is that their 2812 and 2912 modern models have lowered their price by 50%! I got my new 2812X about a week ago.

It retails for $10K. Their dynamics are scary. Their detail is stunning. And they are lovely to look at and beautifully built. 
I am one of the first to receive the new X. I was afraid that I would miss the addictive sound of the 57s. But I am putting my 57s for sale. The 2812X is everything I have always wanted in a speaker.

They have yet to be reviewed. But after showing at the CAF, more than one reviewer placed the system with the 2812X as one of the best 5. That system was about $40K. And the other 4 were all above $2-3 hundred thousand!

I am powering mine with a great Dartzeel CTH 8550 MK2 integrated. It is pricy. But I formerly had Atma-Sphere’s new Class D amps. Those would also be a great match for the Quads. And are a steal at $5400.

mglik
887 posts
 

BTW-I was never into Rock.

No longer. Not only do I now love it. I get it. 

sergeyshikanov
2 posts
 

i have a pair of Tannoy Ardens, in a similar large space, they are nimble and detailed, works for me...

I am in Ann Arbor so you are welcome to stop by to audition if you get here from up north.

Good Luck.

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