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Shopping for speakers at $1500-$2000 is a chore.

I have been amazed at how many $1500-$2000 monitor speakers are out there. Just to name a few: the Wharfdale Jade 3's; KEF LS-50; KEF R-300; B&W CM-5S2 and CM-6S2; Focal Aria 906. and though NOT a monitor, Golden Ear Technology Model 7 small floorstander at $1500 a pair (which received raptured and orgasmic praise at CES 2013)

I have heard both KEF's , especially LS-50, but despite excellent sound staging and accuracy sound lean and at times lifeless The B&W were better, but the CM5S2 sounded lean and often edgy,However(the CM6S2 is very good to excellent, but also more expensive than the others)

The Wharfdale Jade 3 was the bane of one our members in a recent thread claiming they just did not sound right or what he expected.

However, the Choral Aria 906 monitor has often popped up in discussions, and as I mentioned to another member, they have received very good and solid reviews from generally reliable sources, However, the Focal 906, and the Golden Ear Technology model 7 are harder to find to audition.

So I would like to get some input from owners of either or possibly both speakers about which they preferred, and also the better sounding or most satisfying to listen to. I will greatly appreciate this feedback, as I seek out a dealer of either or both, but hopefully not in a city or state that requires air or train travel to reach.
sunnyjim
rebbi
1,326 posts
 
Sunnyjim,
Thought I'd weigh in here with some things that might be helpful. Yes, component shopping and swapping can make a person cranky; no argument there.
That said, I owned a pair of the Reference 3A De Capo's; they were not 100% current: they had the older, veneered cabinet, but they did have the current main driver with the Surreal Acoustic Lens. And when the BE tweeter became available, did the upgrade.
The De Capo is a classic for a reason; it's a great speaker. And if you don't have a Reference 3A dealer in your locale, Tash Goka will sell to you direct at a small discount, and give you a 30 day return trial; you're only out shipping if not happy. You can find my very detailed De Capo BE review here.
All that said, and even given my fondness for the Reference 3A sound and company, if the De Capo is now selling for nearly $3600, I believe you can do better for the money.
To go back to an earlier post in this thread, I got to live with the Fritz Carbon 7 SE for a couple of weeks and posted this review on my blog. At $2500, it's a great, great value. Heck, at $3000 it would also be a great value. If I could afford to own several pairs of speakers, I'd easily have bought the review pair. In terms of imaging and low end extension, they smoke the De Capo's, at least in my room with my equipment. And the icing on the cake is that Fritz Heiler is a prince of a guy to deal with. Just my 2 cents. If you're in LA anyway, you might as well take advantage of that fact and let Fritz show you what he has available.
taters
1,149 posts
 
I will say Fritz is one of the nicest guys in the business. I wish the retailers in Southern California were half as nice.
avanti1960
1,504 posts
 
The KEF LS50 is the best of the bunch IMHO by far.  BUT they must be fully broken in and placed the right distance from the wall and they will not sound thin.  
The other thing is that they literally shine with tube amplification.  I too heard them at AXPONA in way too large of a room with coarse sounding solid state amplification.  The KEF team seemed to be attempting to push them to their limits to compare side by side with the blades.  In the process they did a total disservice to the sound quality capabilities of the LS50s.  
When heard on a nice 25 watt tube amp they are spectacular and believe it or not sound reminiscent of the Joseph Audio Pulsars.  
wester17
70 posts
 
I spent the past 6 months diligently searching for a the best speaker I could find under $3,000. I've listed to almost all the speakers mentioned in this string. I even made a 9 hour drive to the Denver RMAF to be able to compare most of the finalists in one place. For me, it came down to the Triton 2s and the Spatial Audio M3. I ended up buying the M3s. They are only $1,595 -- one of the best values in hifi. I had the money in hand to buy the Triton 2, but I liked the sound of the M3s better. They are an amazing speaker, and can be shipped to your house for a 45 day(I think) trial. I purchased them to replace my 1977 Klipschorns (sadly, I have to downsize), and they are a worthy replacement. 
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