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Soliciting Upgrade Advice

I’ve been reading numerous threads on this forum in an attempt to isolate what would generally be regarded as the “best” pair of speakers in the 5K range. I understand that “best” in this context can be both subjective and objective. I listen to two channel only. While my primary musical preference is Grateful Dead, on occasion I’ve been known to throw on Mozart.

I currently have JBL S412P speakers and recently bought an M6si amp. Now before you guys trash the speakers (because I realize it may be a stretch to even consider them audiophile grade), I can tell you I’ve listened to quite a few speakers in my day, including the relatively new to market Golden Ear Triton One’s, and I still feel the 412s hold their own (if not sound even better). And yes, I know that there are Von Schweikerts to be had at 50K and even JBL makes an Everest model at a 50K price point, unfortunately that’s out of my reach.

Also, I’m told the JBL Array 1400 can annihilate the 412s. While that may be true, spec wise it doesn’t appear that way. I’m not simply looking for speakers to handle more wattage. The Array 1400’s appear to me at face value to be more-of-the-same (with respect to the 412s).

So, my dilemma – although it’s not a bad one to have – is because I’m budget constrained to 5K, do I stay with my JBL S412Ps or should I “upgrade” and if so, to what?
128x128gdhal
dhl93449
455 posts
 
Gdhal:

Since you are a JBL guy I'll contribute to your quandary as I myself was a JBL user for many years.

In the late 70's I purchased some L212s, and modded them by time aligning the drivers. While not the most "timbre" accurate they imaged like crazy and had dynamics to die for. But time and smog took their toll and the surrounds disintegrated, forcing me to look for an alternative.

Zd won't like this but I ended up with B&W 804S which retained many of the things I like about the JBLs. They do not image quite as well, but dynamic range is great, and I began hearing things in program material I did not hear with the JBLs. For the money you are talking about, used B&W s might be an option.

And regarding specs, they are basically meaningless. I time aligned the drivers in my L212s and that did not alter the specs 1 dB, but the difference is sound stage depth and imaging was incomparable.
melbguy1
1,438 posts
 
Well $5k these days would just about buy a 2nd hand pair of Infinity IRS Betas. Certainly the classic Infinity IRS Gamma would be within reach. Some other options in that price range would include Legacy Audio Signature SE & Revel Ultima Studio 2. I've even seen original Apogee Diva's in good shape <$5k.
gdhal's avatar
gdhal OP
1,641 posts
 
Are there any opinions about the Golden Ear Triton One's or Mythos ST-L SuperTower? Either of those could be had new for 5K a pair. In the case of Golden Ear, certain reviewers claim they are comparable to speakers costing 5 times as much.
jafant's avatar
jafant
19,677 posts
 
Gdhal-

best advice- get out there and listen, listen, listen to the many "flavors" of loudspeakers. It is one thing to read reviews/opinions and it is quite another to demo these speakers in the moment.

Over the years, I have crossed off my short-list from the speakers that I thought I wanted to own. Keep me posted and Happy Listening!
paraneer's avatar
paraneer
818 posts
 
I’ve been reading numerous threads on this forum in an attempt to isolate what would generally be regarded as the “best” pair of speakers in the 5K range. I understand that “best” in this context can be both subjective and objective.
As you know there is no "best" of anything. In the case of speakers, it is strictly subjective. I can list ten current models at your budget and it would be difficult to arrive at a consensus. I would probably get replies adding even more. There is no objectivity in this.
The best speaker is only the one that sounds best to you!

I can tell you I’ve listened to quite a few speakers in my day, including the relatively new to market Golden Ear Triton One’s, and I still feel the 412s hold their own (if not sound even better).
You may be answering your own question. To your ears, you already prefer what you have vs. a new offering at your budget. I suggest you go out and listen to several others, using music that you know very well, and that can be driven by an amp of comparable quality and power output to what you already have.
Specs do have their uses, but they can't tell you anything about sound quality.
Zd is absolutely right. Specs are good to tell your amp will match up well with the speakers you intend on auditioning but will tell you nothing about how they actually sound. And in your case you have a very good amp and I am pretty sure that it will properly drive just about any speaker you will encounter in your auditions.

This is just another reason why to go out and hear as many speakers possible so you can find the speaker that is best for you. Or find out that you may already have it.


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