Lots of competent speakers at that price point but if you want to push the needle to exceptional then I agree with Duke--check out some of the "little guys" who sell direct. I would strongly second the recommended Daedalus Apollo 11s. I heard them in Ferndale last year and they took my breath away. Certainly a big, bold, organic sound that will fill your room with gorgeous music. I've got the little brother (Apollo's) on order and should have them next month. I'm just outside NYC and on the NJ Transit line. If your still looking then, and the Daedalus are on your short list, and want to get a good idea of what the Daedalus sound is all about, send me a PM and I'd be happy to have you over for a listen. Good luck with your search!
Speaker Recommendation: 20K range
I’m looking for new speakers in the <20K range.
I am not looking for used, unless it’s a demo model straight from an AD.
I am hoping to find a line that clearly beats speakers in the ~10K range like Magico A3, Revel 228BE, Legacy Focus SE etc.
I will be pairing the speakers with a Lumin D2 streamer, Mcintosh C2600 pre and MC452 amp. Changing those components is not going to happen anytime soon and so system synergy with those pieces is important.
I also would like the speakers to be rated at 500W given the amp I will be using and the fact that the listening space is quite large.
While I mostly listen to jazz, rock, pop, classical and vocals, I am really looking for speakers that sound amazing with any genre. I also need them to sound great at moderate levels of volume.
I currently have Focal Kanta No 2s, and while they are quite nice, I want something much better in all respects.
I am not really up to speed on all the audiophile terms that describe the various traits of sound – I just want my jaw to drop when listening to the speakers with any genre at all volume levels, if that’s possible :)
I am close to NYC and would like to narrow down the list to ~5 candidates before I start auditioning.
Hopefully you guys can help me compile a list!
Thanks in advance for your time and suggestions.
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I scrolled all the way to the bottom without reading any previous posts,yet. You do understand the rule of diminishing returns in hifi right? $20k isn't going to get you twice as much quality as the a3, persona 3, kanta 2, F2289be. I like that focal lists the size room their specific speakers will sound best in and would like to see more manufacturers do it. Most companies have their house sound and each line will offer more transparency while the speakers in each line will suit different rooms. Often i've found brands who's statement line was also the least musical, like all that accuracy sucked the life out of them. Demo all the brands you can and if possible with your own gear( I usually wait til my list is down to 2 or 3) and when you hear the speaker that makes you want to drop everything and buy it stop and listen to several in the line regardless of price, tell the dealer the size room and gear the speakers are going in... Just Kidding find a pair of Vienna Acoustics 'The Music' make the best deal you can and go home happy you have the greatest speakers in the world. |
@steve59 Sorry, but no, going off the Stereophile measurements, Vienna Acoustics are terrible for the money, way overpriced, just look at his listening window measurement for their Klimt the Kiss speaker, utterly atrocious, not even $100 speakers are as poorly tonanly balanced as those, and it’s directivty is super poor as well. |
Op Our shop Audio Doctor in NJ has four reference speakers lines in that price range for you to audition. We have the Legacy line on display and the Legacys are an unbelievable buy for the amount of loudspeaker you can get for the money they excell at deep bass, have a warm midrange, good detail and create a very large soundstage. We have both the Aeris and the Focus lines on display. The Paradigm Personas which offer stnning clarity and a very holographic image, they rate very high on the waf factor and would sound fantastic with the Mcintosh gear which tends to sound a bit on the warm side in tems of clarity and imaging they will beat many much more expensive loudseakers. We also have the entire Kef Reference line we just setup a set of Ref 5 in California and they did so many things right and again they would pair very well with warmer electronics. The Kef's are very attractive, throw a huge soundstage, have very good bass and an excellent midrange. We also have the Dali line which are also extremely musical and we have a demo pair of the $20k Epicon 8 for $12k which is a fantastic dealer for a $20k reference loudspeaker. Our shop is located just 15 mins from NYC and our selection of components is largger then any of the NY or NJ dealers. We have over 60 lines of equipment on display. We would welcome you in for a visit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NPIn3pEmI4 This is a 3 year old video before we added: Mytek, T+A audio, Legacy, ATC, Naim reference, Light Harmonic, Micromega, Anthem STR Quad, Rethem howerver, you can get a nice feel for the shop. Sincerely, Dave Lalin, Owner, Audio Doctor |
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