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What are the best loudspeakers under $4000 to re-create lifelike piano

Over the past 4 months I've spent time with five loudspeakers.  On a scale of 1-10 I'd rate them as follows in their ability (with my equipment in my room) to recreate a lifelike piano.  Tekton Lore - 6.5 (great scale but tonal accuracy and clarity somewhat lacking),    Kef LS50 - 7.0 (moderate scale but slightly better clarity and tonal accuracy)  Kef R500 - 8.0  (great scale and very good clarity and tonal accuracy), Spatial Audio M3TurboS -8.1 (great scale and very good clarity and tonal accuracy and very smooth)  Magnepan 1.7i - 9.0 (very good scale with excellent clarity and tonal accuracy - very lifelike).

In your room with your equipment, what loudspeakers are you listening too and how would you rate them for their ability to recreate a lifelife piano and if possible a few comments as to why?
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m669326's avatar
m669326
330 posts
 

Used ATC SCM40 passives are right at your price point.

With the right components…

dtapo
73 posts
 

Philharmonic BMR monitor powered with a Hegel H95 or H 360, depending which room I move them to. They were a DIY kit from Meniscus Audio. In Baltic Birch cabs. I used top tier Clarity caps for the tweeter, air core inductors and mid tier Clarity caps for the midrange circuit and all Mundorf resistors. Much better x-over components than most speaker companies use. These speakers are transparent and accurate. Solo piano sounds wonderful. Violins sound realistic. Being a stand mount, they don't scale as large as a full orchestra, but tone and timbre wise, they're excellent. The speaker designer is a professional classical violinist. The best I've ever owned, they make my other speakers sound sad. DIY rocks!

johnto
1,029 posts
 

Agree on Philharmonic my musician friend has an older pair of the Phil 3 which is truly amazing. I see they also have a tower on their web now about 4K that goes down to 25 hz.

Any Maggie 1.7 or higher with a sub will also sound fantastic.

 

tbombb25
28 posts
 

I personally dont think you're getting there without a quality subwoofer, here are few big speakers that i think will...im only listing new speakers

Emotiva t2+ & t3+

Polk Reserve r700

Ohm Walsh 2000

Definitive D17

Dynaudio Emit 50

KLH Model 5

Golden Ear speakers with the built in subs....i'd add subs to all of these tho..

 

grislybutter
3,267 posts
 

so I compared speakers with 3 cords of a piano intro from the Gypsy Queen by VM. I was sold when I heard it as if it were in the room. It was a low end Dynaudio monitor

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