Best Floorstander Under 10K?


This thread is prompted by another that started to head in this direction. I've been looking for over a year for an attractive floorstanding speaker with outstanding musicality in a two channel application. Much of what I've heard has been pretty disappointing--barely or not at all bettering my Harbeth Compact 7's at $2500. I'm interested in hearing from folks who are passionate about their floorstanders. These could be current production or something from past years that provides excellent sound and value. Perhaps I've missed the diamond in the rough. My listening room has grown to 26 X 14 X 9 and I really would like to find something the wife will find attractive/unobtrusive and provide a fuller sound but preserving the "rightness" of the Harbeths. Any thoughts?
dodgealum
Krell's Resolution stuff. Go heard those! I like my Mcintosh LS360's but the Krell are the best I've heard in years for below 10k speakers.
Those Harbeth's are a tough act to follow, but for 10K you might be able to find a used pair of Vandersteen 5A's. They sound great with your amp and will fit your room nicely. They also look great and aren't too large, so your wife will be very happy.
There are a couple I would recommend you audition in no particular order...

The Von Schweikert DB99s at just under 10K new (maybe 6K used) impressed me quite a bit at THE Show in Vegas last week powered by sanely priced Consonance electronics. They had very tight, full-sounding bass, and a very natural midrange. They personally are not to my taste visually (not to say they are ugly or anything), but they look good enough, and they were not obtrusive at all.

The next pair of speakers I own... They are the Tyler Acoustics Linbrook System speakers (the 4 piece version). They can be had direct from tyleracoustics.com for about 5K new (about 3.5K used). Subjectively a better value than the DB99s (same level of performance for 50% of the price), but somewhat more risky purchase as Ty sells Internet direct only.

The Linbrook 4 piece System features a very solid midrange, excellent soundstaging, and tight bass... Highs are very natural sounding, but not fatiguing at all to my ears. They also look quite good, IMO.

A dark horse contestant might be the Dali Helicon800s:

While these were not quite as good as the two speakers above to my ears, they were close enough to merit strong consideration for anyone looking in the 10K or less price range... The Helicon800s retail for $5900/ pr. new (about 4K used), and they impressed me quite a bit with their reproduction of brass and wind instruments in particular. Their fit and finish rivals the best I have seen at any price as well. Worth a look.

Good luck,

---Dave
Dodgealum, I'm a big fan of the Merlin VSM speakers in the price range you mention. While I'm not an owner, two members of our local audio group have these speakers and I'm tremendously impressed every time I listen to these speakers in their systems. The Merlins would be at the top of my candidate list in your price range and above, they are clear overachievers. If you do a search here, you'll find lots of comments.
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