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Up to $4500 burning a hole in my pocket

I recently sold my last 2 sets of speakers. I am redoing my man cave and will take the speaker proceeds to buy a new set for down there. I want to go floorstander this time, something with killer dynamics but still detailed and musical. Whatever has to have great sock you in the gut mid bass.
For amplification I have odyssey stratos extreme with Jolida Fusion Preamp. Also sometimes run Cayin A100T. Have a JL Fathom for the low low end.
The room is about 13x20 10ft ceilings. 
This is a no wife input zone so I will be doing whatever regarding looks of the speakers and room treatments that I want. 
Speakers will go on the short wall. 
There is a local guy selling Klipsch Chorus 2 with upgraded Crites crossovers and tweeter I want to take a look at. These seem to hold their value decently and I could probably break even if I sell them. Not sure I will like them but the retro look is kinda cool and I am sure they go loud but need to be somewhat refined ans detailed as well.
Only other contender so far is really the Tekton Double Impact. These really intrigue me as to if they really are as good as some say. No dealers so demo is out and I would rather buy used and these are too new for that. Only other floorstander I have owned for a while is the GE Triton 1. While very nice I want to try something different. Any suggestions on what else I should be looking at and my current candidates?


mofojo
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
polk432
Check out the Wilson Witt Series II on the bay I could make you a good deal on. 

I'm kind of on a budget. Is there a Wilson Half Witt available?

dayglow
1,885 posts
 
For $4500 a Vandersteen unless a model 5 should not be a consideration. The 3A would be a downgrade IMO from a GE Triton One. Consider a KEF 205/2, $4500 might not be enough but desperate sellers exit! Except for the bottom octave the 205/2 is near reference level. In the future you could consider a subwoofer but it better be refetence level to blend with the superb mid/treble of the 205/2. With a modest footprint and easy placement this speaker is a no brainer!
sbank's avatar
sbank
3,378 posts
 
Careful @geoffkait , I resemble that remark. 

@mofojo since you are inclined to buy used, if you go with a very established brand with a long track record, you will have little risk and consider any purchase as a sort of long term home demo, because depreciation would be small. Stuff from Vandersteen, Magnepan or Wilson would all fall in that category. 

Since you have the awesome JL sub and you are a rocker, that will help alleviate the problem that so many $5-$10k speakers have, which is that when forced to choose what compromises to make to stay in budget, is to sacrifice low end and/or dynamics. You've got that covered, so you will be ahead of the game no matter what you choose in that respect. 

Anyway, if you appreciate the speed and dynamics of electrostatics, Maggie 3.7s are a good option. I've heard Maggies & subs before and while not the easiest to setup for good integration, it's do-able and worth the effort. Vandersteen, Audio Physic, Monitor Audio are other contenders that lean towards what you describe.

IMHO, Klipsch can play loud but lack the finesse of most of those suggested to you. Haven't heard the Tektons, but I would need to be convinced of the staying power of the company and the risk of them losing too much value if I decided to go in a different direction. Cheers,
Spencer
keithtexas
352 posts
 

"I'm kind of on a budget. Is there a Wilson Half Witt available?"

@geoffkait - If he opted for the Half-Witt, he would be obligated to spend the other half of the budget on small bags of glass 'tuning' rocks and of course a small 1970's LED clock. 


mofojo OP
2,288 posts
 
I used to have a pair of kef 201/2 and while they were excellent I thought they were harsh when playing rock/metal. The triton 1s were acceptable for this. The Kef was wonderful however at Bluegrass and vocals. Detailed as all get out. 
I never have really heard of a Vandersteen as being a high impact speaker but I could be wrong.
Gonna go check out the Klipsch tonight after work. 
What I find lacking in most speakers is the mid bass impact. I think that's one of the most important aspects of getting rock/metal right. 
Thanks for the suggestions. 
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