Looking for Speaker Recommendations


Hi,

I am getting a new system and am looking for speaker recommendations. I will have a ma8950 and will, at least initially, be streaming exclusively. Focal and B & W are too bright and fatiguing. Wilson SabrinaX are good except for the price. Any thoughts? Thanks.

wast314

Undoubtedly, you would be happy with Legacy speakers.  I own a pair of Legacy Focus SE’s, and the are exactly what you are looking for.  Full range, wonderful ribbon tweeters (top end is smooth, but extended), beautiful midrange, and bottom end that is extended and fast.  They image like small monitors (but you’ll have to work with placement (which is true of any speaker).  Now this is a pretty large speaker, and if it’s too large for you and your wife, I’d look at other speakers in the Legacy line up…perhaps the Legacy Calibre?  Good luck!
 

 

@bgross -Thought the KEF Reference One to be such a massive departure from LS50 Metas.  Could you explain how they are different sounding and pleasing or not?   

@lucky_doggg7 Yes, They are $18,000 asking price for a formerly $27,000 speaker from a great manufacturer.  The last edition VR5 and typically great VS speaker.  But the Legacy Sig IIIs and Focus are "cheap" in price relative to their oh so musical performance.   I am holding out for a higher end VS speaker to replace my Focus than the VR5s, especially at that price.  

 

While I'm a huge hegel fan we still have to make sure whatever speakers you get will play good together. With my Kef blades the Hegel is exceptional, with my previous persona 7f I'd  heard the speakers sound better with a pathos logos mk2. 

British sound isn't what it used to be, but I think the 3 you listed and maybe meridian still fit the description, fat midrange, smooth treble.

I've been buying the speakers I read good things about when I can find them used at or near what I can resell them for and I've learned a lot about how my room sounds and its helped me interpret reviews. 

If I was in the market without the ability of an audition right now it would be the Yamaha NS 5000. 12" woofers and all drivers use the same material, 

@wast314 

You have a list of excellent speakers at their price points, and I'll +1 for both Rockport and Joseph Audio.

Beryllium tweeters, like in the Focal, are often reported sounding bright.  The B&W 800s tweeters also have a couple of Stereophile measured hot spikes in their frequencies.  

I was in the same boat, researching 6yrs to build my audio analog+digital chains from scratch. Speaker preferences are highly subjective, it's best to audition for yourself.   

Your favoring the Wilson SabrinaX seems to indicate you like detail, accuracy, neutrality without sounding clinical (lifeless), and the amount of bass energy you're satisfied with. 

Without the opportunity to audition, probably the safest choice would be Monitor Audio's Silver, Gold, Platinum lines.  They get a very large number of very positive reviews, and it would have been my choice at the $10k level.  Take a look at both Stereophile's measurements for Monitor Audio Gold 300 loudspeaker and the Wilson Audio Specialties SabrinaX - both are frequency flat/neutral especially in the treble region.