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Speakers - Your "Safest" Choice

Hello All: Many of us have limited access/ability to audition multiple speakers brands. That got me to thinking- If one had a budget of $20K max, a solid state amp rated at 125WPC, and listened to all varieties of music (primarily rock, pop, folk), what speaker(s) would you be most willing to recommend to that person and feel confident they would be happy with the purchase?

gnoworyta
grislybutter
2,301 posts
 

around 20K

 
brand model price
Qln Prestige Five 17500
Qln qln prestige five 17500
Rosso Fiorentino Audio Voltrerra 2 17500
Monitor Audio Platinum 300 3G 17900
Acora Acoustics SRB 18000
Martin Logan EXPRESSION ESL 13A 18000
Paradigm PERSONA 5F 18000
Perlisten S7T 18000
Sonus Faber Olympica Nova V 18000
Tekton MATRIX LS 18000
Vandersteen Quatro Wood CT 18000
Devore Fidelity Orangutan O/96 18503
Fyne F704 19000
B&W 800 Series 19001
Diapason Karis WAVE Limited Edition 19082
Perlisten AUDIO S7T 19185
Vienna Acoustics Liszt 19495
Marten Parker Trio 19500
Magico S1 MKII M-CAST 19600
Wilson SabrinaX 19700
ATC SCM50ASL 19734
Tannoy Kensington 19800
YG Ascent 19800
Usher BE-20 Diamond 19990
Canton Reference 2k 19995
Salk BePure 2 19995
Vienna Acoustics The Kiss 19995
Salk BePure 3 20000
Triangle Magellan Quatuor 40th Anniversary 20000
Triangle Magellan Quatuor 20000
Trenner Friedl RA 20198
Totem Element Metal V2 21000
Kharma ELEGANCE S7 22000
Usher td-10 22000
Harbeth M40.3 XD 23000
ProAc K10 23000
Amphion Krypton3 24000
Dali DALI EPICON 8 24000
grislybutter
2,301 posts
 

and feel confident they would be happy 

none?

8th-note
348 posts
 

Here are some recommendations of speakers I've heard at audio shows or have consistently great reviews. Some are sigificantly under $20K.

Dynaudio Contour 60: These did everything right. Goreous sound.

Goldenear Triton Reference: To my ears these sound about as good as any 6 figure speaker you can find.

Revel Ultima Salon: I haven't heard these but they are widely considered to be one of the best sounding speakers ever made. They turn up on the used market fairly often.

Joseph Audio Perspective 2: These sounded good from the moment I entered the room and got better when I sat in the sweet spot.

Paradign Persona 5F: They did everything well.

Rosso Fiorentino Fiesole II: These sounded amazing. I would love to hear the next model up - the Volterra.

One of my main conclusions from attending a few audio shows is that the price of speakers and their performance are not well correlated. I think somewhere around $20K is the sweet spot and it seems to take multiples of that figure to see a big improvement in sound. The MBL 101E Mk II sounds incredible but it is $90k. I think the best speaker I've heard is the Von Schweikert Ultra 11 which costs over $300k. There are a whole bunch of wonderful sounding speakers in the $20k range.

jjss49's avatar
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jjss49
6,610 posts
 

for all around capability i confidently recommend floor standers from proac or vandersteen as being safe bets to please pretty much universally, within any reasonable price range, up to nose bleed price levels (this doesn't mean other brands will not...)

i am leaving out panel speakers, which to my ear can be even better, but they require more of the user and the room setup to do their magic

gnoworyta OP
69 posts
 

I meant this question to be taken hypothetically, but for those that have asked: my current system consists of Audio By Van Alstine DVA M225 mono blocks and a Primare Pre35 preamp. Main sources are a  Yggdrasill DAC (Less Is More) with Audiolab CDT9000 transport and a Music Hall MMF 7.3 turntable/Ortofon Bronze cartridge.

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