Looking for a Speaker Recommnedation
It's starting to look like I may have to bring this budget down. Would prefer to be $5k or < now. New or used is ok. Resale will also be a factor since I'll want to have the option to sell and not lose too much if I don't like the speakers in my environment. Out of the speakers being discussed which are the top 5 in holding their value? I would assume the Maggie's would be there. Anyone have resale thoughts on some of the comapnies that sell direct (Zu, Tekton, Spatial)? |
Yesterday, I got to hear Goldenear Triton 1 and a bunch of Bowers and all the Bowers and Wilkins 800 series speakers(at two different dealers). I didn’t know much about the Triton 1, but I have to say that for $5K, that is some pretty dang good stuff. Not going to win any beauty contests, however, if that is important. Ribbon tweeter, great sound stage, nice cymbals, good dynamic impact, pretty well defined bass guitar lines, pretty deep bass. The salesman there claimed that the Triton I had been compared to the B&W Nautilus and was judged to be its equal. Next, I heard all the 800 series at Magnolia Design Center at Park Lane in Dallas. I had likewise not heard B&W speakers in decades, as the rap back in the day was that they were not the most accurate speakers, possibly designed to be "euphonic’. First, IMO, the 800 D3 series are a bigger jump in sound from their lower lines than is the case with many speaker companies. I first heard the CM10 S2, which sounded nice at $4K. But then I heard the 804 D3, which actually appears to have less cabinet volume than the CM10, but somehow B&W gets more and way better bass out of the 804, along with much better mids and highs. The 803 D3 seems awesome, with REALLY deep bass for the size of the speaker. I don’t know how they do it. The 802 perhaps was not a great match for the room, as it didn’t sound quite as good as the 803 to my ears. Now, at $5K, I’d really have to look hard at Goldenear Triton I. Most well known name brand speakers at $5K are just pretty small speakers, with limited bass extension. The CM10 S2 are very nice, but don’t go deep at all. Dedicated Audio may still have this set of Focus 380 for $5K, which would be awesome, as it launched at $10K. https://www.dedicatedaudio.com/collections/floorstanding/products/dynaudio-380-floorstanding-loudspe... |
Look at full range listing on Agon today for $4K-$5K. There are a couple of pairs of Dynaudios, Acoustic Zen and Reference 3A which are all more sophisticated than the GEs, as value-for-money as those latter are new. And it would be hard to go wrong with the Focus at $5.5K. The trade-off is 50% saving vs. likely not being able to audition before purchase. |
