2. speakers
  3. 139341-110207

Curious what people think is the best "value" high end speaker (~5K to 15K)

I am on a long search for speakers and just curious what people think is the best value both new or used in speakers ranging from around $5000 to $15000? I have a set of Paradigm S8's (V1) and love them but looking for another set for another set in a different listening area (25 x 20?, maybe larger).  I love the full sound of JBL's and looking for something in that range (it also helps that JBL's seem to hold their value better than most, which will be a consideration). The only drawback to JBL is footprint.  I prefer a smaller footprint which is why after reading I hope to listen to several B&W 800 series but open to suggestions across the board.  used Watt Puppies? Revels?  I am curious about peoples experience with McIntosh XR100's. 
gene3x
gene3x OP
43 posts
 
Smart and Sound in McKinney TX
audiokinesis
2,740 posts
 

Just FYI, the Lone Star Audio Fest is in early May, and its location is less than half an hour from McKinney.  Wayne Parham of Pi Speakers is a regular there.  He's the founder of the show. 

I'm about twenty minutes east of McKinney in Princeton, but I don't have a showroom, just a workshop. 

Duke

Ag insider logo xs@2x
hwr
17 posts
 
If you have 2 full corners and a decent sized room, just go with a pair of K-horns. Be sure to bi-amp them using a transistor amp for the bass and a single ended tube amp for the mids/highs.
 Audio nirvana can be yours......
taww's avatar
taww
128 posts
 
This is getting interesting. A speaker company [B&W] with a long tradition of building really esteemed products gets more than just one "not my kind" response on this thread. Again, no haters but just not impressed ones. I thought I was the only one out there. I guess it is time to come out of the closet. Maybe higher models are significantly different?

FWIW I have never cared for B&W speakers, ever. :) Always thought their sound was cold, hard and shallow. When they first started using metal tweeters, the treble was downright unlistenable. Over the years they have gotten better at controlling the resonances but they still can’t match a 20 year old Dynaudio Esotar in naturalness, to say nothing of something like a good AMT. 

There is a B&W I like - one of the cheapest ones, the 686. I think it’s a fun little speaker that sounds more natural than their expensive ones - I have always preferred it to any of the 800 series.

BTW I can vouch for @audiokinesis - Duke knows what he’s talking about. His room was one of my absolute favorites at RMAF 2018 - it was the one I wanted to keep coming back to, so good. (Duke, I still owe you a shout-out for that, coming soon!)

Cheers,
TAWW
http://taww.co
joemarsh
30 posts
 
I walked several shows and decided that the Dali Euphonia 4, 5 and now the Epicon series were giantkiller at the sub 15K level. Someone mentioned the Focal Elektra 1038 and, of course, Joseph Audio and Vandersteen are always strong.
More to discover