“House” Character of Popular $20-$30k Speakers


I’ll be upgrading my speakers in a bit (after I add a turntable to my system). I’ve always thought that people two often end up attempting to correct or compensate for a quality they don’t like in one of their system components. My thought is that speakers and amps shouldn’t try to “correct” each other, but rather, they should complement each other, while sharing many similar qualities in their sonic signatures.

With that in mind, I’d describe my Gryphon Diablo 300 with the internal DAC (fed by an InnuOS Zenith MK3 streamer) as being rich, lively, engaging, slightly warm but moderately detailed, with dramatic dynamic swings that can often simulate a live sound. Smooth but energetic and engaging at the same time. My speakers I’ll be upgrading from are B&W 803 D2’s. Big full and bold sound but with finesse and moderate quickness too.

What brand of speakers would be along the lines of the sound I describe above? I’d be hoping to follow this sonic signature in my next speaker purchase, but adding some small capabilities with transparency and detail, imaging, and low end presence.

The speaker brands I have in mind to look into are:

-Magico (would check out the A5’s. I hear the A5’s could be too analytical for some, but have an excellent and clean bass presence.  Bust most rave about the A5)

-Sonus Faber (heard these are too relaxed for some?)

-Wilson Audio (if I can get over how they look)

-Monitor Audio

-Dynaudio: Maybe this brand could be a sweet spot?

-B&W: I’ve tested many and find them lacking in bass presence resulting in a mid forward style. That said the 802 D3’s I auditioned matched the sonic character of their upper ranges very well.

Would be interested in how others describe the house sounds if the brands above…

 

 

 

nyev

If you think that Dynaudio might be the ’sweet spot’, you should then consider Verity. That would be a brand and quality of reproduction that leans even more into the ’sweet spot’.

It can be tied to that thing about popularity not being peak, but merely the peak of the attntion of the mass of the group. Those two things are not synonymous. Real peaks are not always part of the attention direction of the mass of the respondents or overall group.

If you ventured off the well-trodden path a bit, you might find something you liked even better.  QLN, Rosso Fiorentino, Gershman, Audiovector, and many more.

“speakers and amps shouldn’t try to “correct” each other, but rather, they should complement each other” <——- I agree completely.  I think quite a few of us have gone about the other way for a long time

The new PS audio speakers are in your price range and available for 30 day home audition. If I were in the market for a new speaker it would be at the top of my list, but then again I’m a sucker for speakers with bespoke drivers of an unconventional design.