$40.000 speaker advise. Check out my list


Hello all,

I'm currently owning a system which consists of Mark Levinson 33H amps, Mark Levinson Nr 32 Pre-amp, a Wadia 860x Cd player and a pair Revel Ultima Studio speakers. Cables are Nordost Valhalla/Valkyrja.

I believe my speakers are the weakest link in my system and am considering upgrading. I listen to all sorts of music, from jazz, classic to pop/dance.

I have a few speakers on my wish list but they are not easy to find to listen to them so I want ask you opinion first before I start searching for a dealer the have one or more of these brands.

Could you please go through the list and rank them from 1 to 6, best to "worse" speaker and explain why you think the list should be in that order.

The speakers I am thinking about are (in random order):

1. Sonus Faber Stradivari
2. Verity Sarastro
3. Lumen White white light
4. Rockport Antares
5. Revel Ultima Salon
6. Avalon Eidolon Diamond

Thanks a lot for your help.

Regards,

Max
maxx1973
Are $40,000 speakers really any better than a good pair of $15000 speakers?

The $28,000 Watt Puppy 8 speakers are certainly better sounding than the Wilson Sophia 2s ($16,000) and [b]a lot[/b] better sounding than the B&W 802Ds ($12,000), at least to my ears.... Likewise the Sophia 2s are better than the 802Ds to my ears also, but it could also be that I much prefer the transparency and detail that the Wilson midrange offers compared to a lot of other speakers.
I am not sure how suggesting other speakers helps Maxx1973 narrow things down. I would like to know more about what Maxx is looking for in a speaker...so far we have heard "more bass"....anything else? I assume you like the Revels because you own them - what other speakers do you like?

Unless you can offer more clarity on what you like then for 40K you should really hop on a plane and go to a big city for a long weekend and hear a bunch of 40 K speakers with your own CD's....that is what I would do.
Chadnliz,

Not IMO, I heard them at HE2007, set up by Vandersteen. They sounded grainy, dimensionless and uninvolving, much like a pair of cheap studio monitors I own for recording. I was surprised how hyped they are on this forum considering how they sounded, but to each their own I guess....
Shadorne's suggestion to hop on a plane and do some serious dedicated, week long demoing, is the best idea so far.