Again going a little above the post price.
For about 5 years now, I have enjoyed a pair of Klipshorns with a Heresy center.
The trio biamped with a Mcintosh MC-206.
Never tiring.
Non-fatiguing speakers in $10K range?
Some years ago I downsized to headphones only. Now I have access to a dedicated room again, so getting my absorption panels and ASC Tube traps back from storage... :-) The amp is going to be Accuphase E-800. I like class A, and I owned fair share of Pass gear but Pass integrated (and lower preamps) no longer have tape loop. I also like my gear to look the way I enjoy and Pass went too industrial for me.
Anyway, long story short. Speakers. I prefer relaxed, non-fatiguing sound. My headphones are Meze Elites and I love them. I also own Focal Utopia, but rarely listen to them, too forward for me.
Now, music-wise I do not listen to jazz or classical or vocals, sorry. Classic rock, hard rock, 80s new wave, punk, pop (classic and modern) and African blues like Tinariwen. People tend to insta-suggest forward sounding speakers - you like metal, right???. But I don't like piercing sound and I rarely go to concerts exactly because of this. I listen to AC/DC but NOT at 'realistic' revels. I like rhythm, melody, but I don't care about 120 Db.
The budget is about $10K, give or take, most probably second hand, but I can buy new, if I really like it. Unfortunately, there are not that many high end shops around Seattle with gear I like. Some went selling vintage and some went up selling only $100K+ systems. So most probably will be getting something blind.
It seems I should be looking for ribbon tweeters, I spent hours at youtube - it is definitely not listening in person, but some recordings are pretty decent and many show differences between speaker models.
I also compare frequency response measurements - I can easily tell that I won't like the speaker by looking at the chart. Ex, bump around 2-6K is a no-no since this is what "bright" is. Dip is actually good since this is what makes sound less "in your face/ear".
So far I more-or-less narrowed my search down to Legacy (Signature or Focus), Dali 8, ProAc (D48 or K) and - maybe - Magico A3? Legacy is huge, I am not sure I really need 20Hz extension. Magico has beryllium tweeters which may be bright....
I purchased Tannoy D700 many years ago, still own them, they are part of my TV set up. They sound good, but not as good as I would like it. My desktop speakers are ribbons too - AirPulse, I like them quite a bit.
Anything else I am missing?
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My used Wilson Audio Watt/Puppy 8's paired with ML No. 436 Monoblock's are neither fatiguing nor forward. They are a paring made in heaven. I have no experience with the speakers you have mentioned, other than Focal, which I found too shrill or piercing. I listen primarily to female and male vocalist's, classic rock and large collection of "audiophile" pressings. I feel no need to for newer speakers or electronics. |
Hi mikhailark Best of luck on your quest! I'm surprised no one has mentioned the QLN Prestige Three. This is a very non-fatiguing speaker that works well with all music. We also just started carrying Accuphase and there is definitely synergy between QLN and accuphase. My favorite quality of the QLN speakers is that they totally disappear into the room and they are one of the best speakers in terms of sound staging that I have ever heard. At Axpona 2023, one of the most common things that people would say as they listened in our room was "it sounds like real music in hear" They really do fill the entire room, much like you experience when you hear live music. The sound stage is the whole room, not a little 20 foot circle between the speakers. Anyway, I'm biased so take what I say with a grain of salt, but if you get a chance to listen to them, they might fit the bill for what you are looking for.
Cheers James
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