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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
semi
649 posts
 
I have owned and heard a lot of gears, some that I like and might fit your taste:

Analysis, similar to Apogee. very direct and immediate sound just like other ribbon

Sonus Faber Homage line, but be sure to get the newer generation because new drivers are head and shoulder above the old one, not just in hi-fi effect but also in emotional capture

Aerial 20T, very detail and dynamic, but requires some muscle

Verity Parsifal or higher, very musical and on the easy side for amps

Usher BE10/20, very detail and transparent with great leading edge micro dynamic, requires some muscle too

in general, I am not crazy about speakers using ceramic drivers or hard dome/cone, they wear you out very quickly. I like ribbon in general, but don't like line source because the narrow vertical sweet spot. there are hundreds of good speakers out there and there is no guarantee you can get good sound (or sound to your liking) unless you match them well. define what type of sound you like, buy any speakers in that category that receives mostly positive rating, and work from there.

have fun!
neal1502 OP
11 posts
 
First of all, thanks much for so many great suggestions. I want to personally thank Tsciame, Krisjan, Shadorne, 4musica44107, Nealrm, Paladin, Kurt_tank, Magnumpi205, Glai, Grannyring, Hi_hifi, Nextlevelav, Ojgalli, Dfaulds, Jburidan, Macdadtexas, Abramsmatch, Rcprince, Larryi and Semi. Really appreciate your thoughtful response. I surely need some time and lot of research to absorb all the info.

My room is 20x13x9. Probably not the best room for a full range speaker. Where I live (Charlotte, NC), we got very few dealers. Closest I need to travel to is Atlanta or Raleigh. What I was looking for in a speaker is that can represent the ‘body’ of a full scale orchestra. That can soundstage and image well. And that can isolate different instruments. Can depict the depth of the stage, or can keep up with the increasing pace of say, Saint Saens’ Piano Concerto 2. Not sure if this info is helpful in any way.

My next step would be to look up places where I can audition these.

RMAF was a great suggestion too. I have booked my tickets to get there :), though this will eat into my budget, but I guess it would be worth every penny.
magnumpi205
504 posts
 
Neall502,
Email me.
Magnumpi205
f1a
198 posts
 
Interesting thread...

I have the same size room, same budget, similar tastes, and am also looking. Please let us know what you come up with.
kyyuan
28 posts
 
Neal1502...based on my reading of your posts, I think we seem to have similar room dimensions and, perhaps, similar musical preference. I also will be attending RMAF to scope-out speakers at that price range. The ones I will listen to include Horning Hybrid Eufrodite MK3, Ascendo, and Audio Acoustics.

I just might see you at RMAF. If you want a speaker-mate to demo speakers, let me know.

Ken
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