Advise Needed, Best speakers for approx $15,000

I couldn't agree more with the folks telling you to take a trip. The sum of money would be trivial compared to what you're about to invest in speakers, and as said above, some dealers will help cover your travel costs. Just looking at the wide array of opinions offered here should tell you what a personal decision this is, planars, boxes, actives, etc! Make an informed choice with your ears!

eggleston andra

Hello Magoo,

How about a trip to New Orleans? We have several dealers here carrying such brands as JM Labs, Wilson Audio, and Vandersteen. I'm also a dealer for the JC-1's, and could give you an audition of Sound Lab full-range electrostats driven by JC-1's. I'd offer you a free place to stay regardless of where you shop, and if you ended up purchasing Sound Labs (I know they're not on your list, but hey a dealer can dream, can't he??), then I'll re-imburse your airfare. I'll offer you transporation as well, and would be more than happy to take you to the other shops I mentioned (there are several other fine brands carried here that aren't on your list).

Worst-case scenario would be your trip to New Orleans doesn't result in your discovering the ideal speaker, but at least you narrow down your list while enjoying some great food and live music without having a killer hotel bill, and you meet a few fellow crazies along the way.

Seriously, check out ticket prices at Travelocity.com or wherever. Shoot me an e-mail for details of my accomodations and such.

And whether or not New Orleans makes sense to you as a place to visit (there are bigger, better-stocked cities), I'd suggest investing a portion of your budget into making the necessary pilgrimages. Say you travel a couple of weekends and spend a grand doing so. My argument would be that fourteen grand well spent will probably take you farther than fifteen grand spent on an educated guess.

Best of luck to you on your quest, wherever it might lead you!

Duke

www.vonschweikert.com

I think Duke's suggestion of listening to the Sound Lab
M1s or maybe the new R3s with some subwoofers are what you are looking for. Forget Kharmas or Avalons because of your listening tastes. The JC-1s will probably drive any speaker you choose. And the Pass Labs pre-amp is one of a handful of ss preamps that are musical. Once you decide on a speaker, the next stop is the cd playback system. The Cary
is very good but not in the same league as your other components. Good luck!