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What used speaker would you buy with $20,000-$35,000 and why?

I'm closer to the 20,000 part, but if I get stretched i would like to know higher recommendations. Remember, this is on the used market - not retail. I'm even interested if you think I should make a huge jump (say to 50,000), but I want to know what justifies that jump. I'd like the best bang for the buck and even the worse bang for the buck. Are there speaker lines that are totally overlooked that sound wonderful in this price range that I need to be exposed to? I may go higher, but lets start there.

PS Let's just assume the upstream equipment is adequate to drive any recommended speaker. We are not limited by upstream components.
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mgattmch
570 posts
 
For me it would be a pair of Apogee Ultimate Divas from True Sound Works ($22k). Nothing, IMHO, compares to the sound of large scale planar speakers. The original Divas are one of my all time HiFi show most memorable speakers demonstrations. Apparently the TSW refurbished/upgraded versions are way better than the originals (I have only heard the originals).
tom_hankins
928 posts
 
Either YG Acoustics Hailey, or YG Acoustics Anat III signature.
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 

I encourage you to answer a couple of questions regarding preference before you lay your money down on any speaker. Do you prefer a variety of experiences or are you content with one type of experience? Do you have a particular type of speaker design you enjoy more than others (i.e. Horn, panel, dynamic, omnidirectional, line source, or a hybrid design etc., or are you open to any/all types of speakers? As expected, you will encounter a lot of enthusiastic recommendations here among the responses. However, answering these questions may well determine the framework of your selection.

Try your best to get to an audio show. With your means to build a system you should be hearing some of the premium speakers. It is often possible at a show to buy the display set for a significant discount. Also, it is usually possible to work out logistics of shipping.

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