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Speakers in 10-15K price range for Classical music

Well I am in the market for speakers. My music choice is primarily classical and then a little bit of everything else such as jazz and soft/alternate rock. I started with a budget of 5-7K and auditioned Maggie 3.6, Quad 989, Spendor S8e and so on, but quickly realized I couldn’t get what I was looking for in these speakers. They all did pretty well on solo or few instruments but could not nearly reproduce a symphony (Mahler’s fifth, or Tchaikovsky’s sixth or Schubert’s ninth) with any authenticity. This was about a year ago. Since then I had stretched my budget and am now looking for speakers in the 10-15K price range.

Now here’s the challenge. I didn’t like the Thiel, B&W or Wilson sound. I had liked Maggie 20.1 in the past, but can’t find any dealer nearby that carries them for an audition. Heard the Vandersteen 5a for about 10 mins and they are pretty convincing, but I need a proper audition and then it’s still beyond my price range. Now my question is what other speakers I can look at for the kind of music I like?

Thanks much in advance, for your help.

Oh, my system is Krell SACD and 400xi Integrated Amp. Will upgrade the amp eventually, but will need to wait for another year at least :)
neal1502
glai's avatar
glai
446 posts
 
I have previously owned Jmlab and Avalon speakers. I am quite happy with Verity speakers and I am primarily a classical music listener. Give it a listen. In my room, the rear firing woofers benefited greatly with some bass traps. I think they are more demanding to setup but ultimately took me further than the other two speakers I had mentioned. A major benefit is the higher sensitivity, and a very transparent midrange.
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,500 posts
 
Spend $4000 on the used Silverline Borelo speakers here on the Gon and prepare for heaven plus put $$ in the bank.

Really!
hi_hifi
120 posts
 
If you liked the 20.1 Maggies you should try hard to audition Soundlabs; they can create a tremendous soundstage; depending on the model they can produce a significant to a large amount of low end plus outstanding midrange and highs with a ton of air and definition. If you like Jazz, try some Bill Evans live recordings; you will feel like you are in the night club; same with good vocals, and I'm sure your classical preferences will do just fine too. You will definitely need to upgrade to a serious amp and a good preamp, but if you check out Agon you will see various Soundlab/Sound Lab models selling in your price range. If you have enough space in your room and the budget for the system it's hard to do better.
nextlevelhifi's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
nextlevelhifi
24 posts
 
I am biased, being a dealer, but have you tried Dynaudio?

You may be pleasantly surprised by their neutrality, smoothness and dynamics.
ojgalli
165 posts
 
At your price point, don't consider anything but active speakers. That alone will clear up a lot of the congestion you hear from most speakers. To maintain the best bass definition look at only sealed or open baffle. Avoid large panels unless you're okay with a very restricted, narrow sweet spot. Do some online research. There are only a few candidates that will meet all the requirements you need.
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