2017 ‘Keeper’ speakers under - $25K


Heading towards the second half of 2017, I thought to ask here what other’s feel based on their experiences, wants or desires, exactly which recent production speakers under $25K, would be the ones you would want to marry.

Or be in a very long term fundamentally though not totally committed, relationship.

One wherein if they promise to satisfy on demand, you promise to keep them clean and sufficiently supplied with power and the purest of signals, not to leave dirty clothes on the floor, and to take the trash out daily, er, uh, regularly.

Actually, those last two items are predominately conscience driven and do not command perfect adherence.

Which speakers hands down just flat out captivated your attention, fancy, or were so compelling they made a significant impact.

In short, Speakers that have taken your breath away .

As speakers are merely one part of the ching let’s qualify things somewhat.

1. Speakers which can run very well in medium sized rooms. EX. 14 to 18ft wide, and 17 to 25ft long or deep, with ceilings from 8.5ft to 10ft H, or so.

2. If a sub was or should have been added, please, mention that as well.

3. If an Ultra high end setup, massive SS power amps, Tubes, or flea watt amps, were feeding and or driving them noting it would be appropriate.

4. Recent production since 2015. New or used.

Although it seems prudent to list only current production speakers, I know adding on the facet of pre-owned adds a lot more choices for the ‘desert island’ I got mine, you get your’s, scenario, but what the hey. It beats that 250 to 500 plus hours of run in new units usually insist upon.

If links to accounts or info on them is available, please include it.

As this is about options anyhow, let no design be excluded.

blindjim
Let me take the low road.

The most inexpensive choice whereby the question becomes "why would you sell these speakers, just keep them for life because they sound so good for the money"?

Magnepan MMGs = $599. I have them and will keep them for life. They are just too good and too much of a value to let go.
I personally was the guy looking for the best sound under 25k too.  I auditioned sooooo many speakers.  I went crazy over the course of a few years.  I ended up with a  speaker I never would audition in the past.  I got Vandersteen Quatro's  (after a year or more with Treo's while I saved money).

I feel it's their best value speaker. I put it up against still competition in the 35k and under range like the new Paradigm 9H (also a semi active) and the bigger Wilson's, the Magico S3 for around 30k, B&W and Sonus Faber to name just a few.

I felt it was the most coherent speaker.  Sounded like the point source speakers I auditioned and it had the best tonality, pace/timing and rhythm.  It just did things correctly.  As I bring in better components, I hear the differences (good and bad) in spades.  I'm in shock as how good things sound in my room how with the tunable bass.  I now realize how important it is to be able to tune the bass in my room.  Bass is the most expensive part of the chain for all products and to have ability to tune is sweet.  I have heard the digital correctable speakers and it's nice, but I still can hear it in the chain.  I don't hear the analog type of correcting that Vandersteen employs.  There was another manufacturer who does something similar in analog and not digital and I didn't hear any problems there either.  

So much depends on your room.  I know folks always say what type of music to you listen to, but should that really matter?  So many of us just listen to music and don't care what 'type'.  A great speaker, especially at these prices, should do it all. 

I wonder if this is why we see so many folks buying and selling on Audiogon.  They buy into what others say and don't go listen on their own.  Yes, I love Vandy's as do many of us, but folks need to go listen on their own and be sold or not.  JMHO
Harbeth 40.2 if you want to listen to music and not to speakers.  They are special.