Alternative Speaker Suggestions Wanted

I too heard the Burmester's B80's at the last CES. Like you, I thought it was one of the best sounds at the show. If I were a rich man, I would have bought them without a second thought. I have also heard the B100, and was similarly impressed.

In answer to your question, one speaker you might consider is the Focal 1037be. To my ear, there is a family resemblance between the two sounds. The 1037's are available right now from Music Direct for $7,995, which is $4,000 off retail. A steal, IMO.

Something else to consider: The Burmester B25's are almost in your price range. I auditioned that speaker at length, with the hope that it would capture at least some of the magic I heard in the B80's and the B100's. Unfortunately, that was not what I heard. But they are worth a listen. Between the 1037's and the B25's, I preferred the 1037's, and not by a little.

Thanks for your for your response. I to looked at the B25s in hopes they might touch on the magic of the B80s, they failed to please. I think there are much better sounding speakers in that price range, I dare not listen to the B100s.

I love the looks of Focal's speaker range but am not fond of the Beryllium tweeters inside them. I find them a bit to harsh and clinical for my taste.

I liked Monitor Audios PL300s but they seem to have trouble with faster paced bass.

I found Vienna Acoustics "The Music" speakers quite nice not as detailed as the B80s but they don't cost as much either. With that being said they are still a small fortune.

It's interesting that you mention Vienna Acoustics "The Music," because they were another one of my other favorite sounds at that CES. We seem to have similar tastes.

Which brings me back the the Focals. Regarding the beryllium tweeter, I too have heard it sound harsh, when mated with the wrong upstream components. My impression of the beryllium tweeter is that it is finicky about the source, in particular. When I first got my Focals, there was a disappointing amount of high frequency shrillness. Naturally, I thought it was the speakers. But when I improved the quality of my source (specifically, by reducing jitter in the transport), the high frequency shrillness vanished. I have a friend with the same speakers. He had a similar experience when changing preamps. I concluded from these experiences that the beryllium tweeter is a microscope of upstream component issues. Like my last girlfriend, it is not easy to please. But also like her, when she is pleased, she makes you very, very happy.

Good luck!

Thanks again for your input. I now have to ask what source components are you using?

Thanks