A dilemma: Modern sound, Musical Bliss or both?


Hi,

I'm in a crossroad between different audiophile paths.
I have heard many speakers in the $10-$20K range.
So far, I was most impressed by the following:
- Brodmann/Bosendorfer VC7
- Devore Orangutan O/96
- Avalon Indra

They can be divided into 2 sound categories:
1) The Brodmann VC7 & the Devore O/96 are not "accurate" speakers - they both sound extremely musical and "lack" the properties of modern sounding speakers (transparency, quietness and extreme dynamic abilities).
2) The Avalon Indra is a modern sounding speaker but I enjoyed listening to it very much - but it can sometimes be non-forgiving to recordings, although not as much as other high-end modern sounding speakers I've auditioned.

My dilemma is - will I be able to enjoy both worlds with the Indra and the right setup?
When I listen to the VC7 or the O/96 - I enjoy them very much - but after auditioning the Indra I found out that I am missing many recording/musical insights that I have not experienced with the VC7 or the O/96.

What would you do?
iaxelrod
I'd checkout and listen to more speakers, it's clear your not happy with what you've heard.
In the finish only you can decide what is right for you, but there are some general guidelines which can sometimes help.

1. Make sure the loudspeaker is the right size for your room.

2. Match the loudspeaker to your electronics.

3. Select based on your preference of musical presentation.

Once the above is considered, in my experience the surest sign that a loudspeaker will provide long term satisfaction is if during audition you find yourself enjoying the music so much that you are not thinking about loudspeakers at all.
"the surest sign that a loudspeaker will provide long term satisfaction is if during audition you find yourself enjoying the music so much that you are not thinking about loudspeakers at all"

Amen brother.
^^ true that.

I stopped doing any serious auditions upon hearing the Classic Audio Loudspeaker T-3. Easy to drive, full range, detail of ESLs, what's not to like? Plus 60 watts is enough to shake my whole house.
I'm not so sure its a true dilemma. Modern sound does not necessarily forgo musical bliss.

There is good modern sound and bad modern sound just like there is good and bad vintage sound.

So you can have your cake and eat it too but you gotta do the homework first.