Speaker recommendations, budget $10-15K

If you go with Revel there is a set of nice Salon Studio 2's for sale right now in my area, Oklahoma (not my ad). Some people like the studios more than the salons because the tweeter is closer to ear level while seated than with the salons.

I see a few problems with the Cresendos, one if they have too much bass they will most likely overload this room speakers which go to the low 20's need a much larger room to not overload the room with bass.

I heard the Cresendos at CES a few years ago and I was not blown away at all, in fact I thought for a Chinese made product was was too expensive for its build quality which was good but not stealer.

The Marten is a much better speaker in terms of both driver technology and build quality. Ceramic drivers can be very transparent and fast but can sometimes sound a little too bright so setup is crucial. This listener values warmth over transparency and the Marten may be too much of a good thing.

Tannoy's are very dynamic and punchy but I don't find them really coherent or that transparent, and sound staging is good but not amazing.

Aerial I haven't heard nice speakers but I don't really think they are that special.

The Dali Epicon's are new and are getting rave reviews in Europe how they stack up is up to the listener, they have some very interesting new driver technology, which is said to dramatically lower distortion and they go low enough to be punchy but do not go low enough to overload this size of room, in addition they are stunning to look at and come from a long standing well established company.

The Dali's tonally are warm yet have some good detail in the top and have punchy bass and a huge three dimensional sound stage.

Unfortunately the Dali's have yet to be reviewed in the US yet, however, in the Absolute Sound buying guide there was a snippet review which was very positive.

I am a Dali dealer and we just got in a pair of the Epicon 8 which are getting burned in, right now they are sounding very good, but it is still too early to tell if they are good, great, or truly amazing loudspeakers.

I own Acoustic Zen Crescendo’s and am absolutely enthralled with them. About three years ago, like you, I made out a list of speakers to replace the ones I owned for 13 years. Armed with a short list of six speakers and a rather substantial budget off I went to shows and dealers and after two years of auditioning, my list was down to two.

When I attended the RMAF I stopped by the AZ room only because I had read a great deal about them. By the time that two-hour session ended they went on my list. By the end of the show I purchased them without reservation or hesitation.

In my system, to my ears, these are the finest speakers I have ever heard. The fact that they were the least expensive speakers on my list was of no concern but gratifying nonetheless. They are so musical with such a level of detail, clarity and precision that just makes one smile as you listen. Bass is prodigious, taut, fast and deep. I miss not my two subs.....

My suggestion for your consideration is not, of course, to run out and buy a pair of Crescendo's but rather to keep an open mind, as you appear to be doing, work through your list and be open minded about new additions. What will challenge you the most is time. It took me almost three years to get what I am absolutely delighted with and the wait was extremely worthwhile. I certainly learned a lot in the process but when I heard what I heard, I just knew that the Crescendo was the speaker for me.

G917,
You and I may have similar hearing perspective as I find your description very much the same as my impression. Shortly after leaving the Crescendo at CES, I and two friends visited the CAT and Wilson room which had the Sasha speaker in use.There was quite a stark contrast, the sound was just different, it was less fluid, natural and believable.The presentation was toward the mechanical and stiff and was more artificial.Tone of the instruments were not as real (it was more awareness of listening to a 'stereo',the Crescendo in contrast was more of real musicians are in your presence). Different source,electronics and room are factors also, but the change was striking.Obviously some would disagree with my view and prefer this system compared to the Crescendo room as taste can vary significantly among listeners.At the end of the day it comes down to what moves you and gets you involved with the music.

I hope that Mcondon will be able to audition his list of speakers,there`s no substitute for hearing something yourself.
Regards,

Another vote for Zu Definitions 4. A really warm, dynamic sound. The warmth is not a euphonic colouration, but a function of their, IMHO unmatched, "tone density". Not short on transparency. A really holistic sound with detail never at the expense of coldness.