Best new/demo/used value for $7.5K range


Hello all!

I will be buying new speakers at the end of September.

My budget is roughly $7.5K (can flex some if a steal is found).

I am currently looking at:
-B&W 802N (5000K used and 7K demo)
-JM lab Mezzo Utopia (7k used)
-Revel Studio (7.5K used)
-Dynaudio Confidence 5 (5k used)
-Wilson Sophia Used (8.5K? used)
-Wilson Watt/Puppy6 (8.5K? used)

I like all of these speakers for different reasons. I would be happy with any of them, but wish I could afford the wilsons - my favorite.

Any thoughts? At this price I want to know I considered everything.

My gear: EAD 8000pro preamp, Levinson No.27, Classe CAV150, SACD XA-777es, Pioneer Elite DV-47 DVDm, Transparent Audio and Audioquest interconnects...
jtee
Easy there Btstrg...I clearly stated I was a Talon dealer and OBVIOUSLY it is my OPINION that I don't care for B&W. If you like them, great. A LOT of folks like B&W, I don't. No reason to get so defensive. If you own B&W, and enjoy them, it shouldn't matter to you what others think. If you don't like Talon, no problem, I respect your opinion. One thing that makes this hobby so fun is all of the different products that are available. Can you imagine if there was only one brand of speaker, one brand of amp, etc.? Yuck!

In case you didn't notice, I also recommended some brands that I don't sell. There are quite a few speakers that my dad and I like besides just the ones we carry, but we can't sell every speaker brand.

The speakers my dad and I carry are those that WE feel offer the most performance for the money. We hope others agree with us, but if they don't, no problem. I made a recommendation based on what I like, and yes, I just happen to sell them. This is why I always try and state upfront that I am a dealer for a particular brand I am commenting on. To do otherwise is dishonest and unethical. Ok, I will get off of my soapbox now ;-)

It may sound corny, but I tell my customers this all of the time: The BEST product for YOU is the product YOU like the BEST, NOT what someone else tells you is the best.

Best Regards...Mike - Father & Son Audio
Ehider,
Could your friend tell us what changes in the crossover your friend is making? Is that the external electronic crossover? Also, how about the sub electronics, what is your friend doing to the sub 'electronics'?
Also, I would be interested as to what electronics are in those particular subs?
Do you know which generation of pipes these are?
I would personally be unhappy buying an $80K pair of speakers and feel it necessary to do ANY work on them; especially since this design is proprietary, and what may simply LOOK like one thing, might be something else altogether. Also, if he is that gifted that he can improve on this rather expensive design, why not build his own pair to start with,rather than spend so much, only to have to rebuild them? Did he not take time investigating, before making such a large purchase? This sounds daunting to me.
Larry
I love ACI speakers. So, in your price range, the first thing I'd look at would be the Jaguar/LFM combo. I would think it would be ideal for a room of your size. I have not personally heard them, but every other ACI model I've heard has been great. In fact, though I've heard many fine systems with B&Ws, Wilsons, Thiels, etc., one of the finest systems I've ever heard was a pair of ACI Talismans. It was just so real. The Talismans are what I plan to buy when I have the room and the money.
Andra eggleston,my friends and I we audition them side by side
with Wilson watt puppy,B&W N02,Verity Fidelio,No
one of these speakers came close.IMHO, you can find
them sometimes used for your price range.Thats why
they are speaker of the year.Read the review of Wes
Philip on the original Andra.I have them, they are not
for sale.