best 5-20K speakers for high-end tube amp?

No slouch,
Thanks for your in-depth recount of all your auditioning. Man, you sure have been listening to a lot of speakers! I'm jealous, actually.

I am definitely not experienced enough to make specific recommendations from the vast list of brands you have heard. I've heard many of them, though not all. I'm sure that recommending an amp/speaker audition that approximates your preferences is not any revelation, but if it's me listening, I have a very hard time distinguishing the potential of a speaker when I'm simply guessing because it's being powered by an amp/source that isn't anything like the one I have. On the other hand, you may feel more comfortable with those parameters. Sounds like that might be the case, which is great, because you definitely are zeroing in on your final choice.

Based upon what you liked already--some A+ speakers, by the way--and your stated list of priorities, I too think that you will find the Avantgarde to come up short, particularly in the realm of tonal richness & texture. I hope that statement doesn't kick this thread into another (potentially argumentative) tangient. My comments are simply in response to the fact that the Wilsons, Eggleston Works & Kharmas were so pleasing to you. These aforementioned speakers are not remotely similar to the AG's, so I would suggest auditioning speakers in a similar realm to those that you already like.

I don't know if you have access to them there, but for your lower powered tube amps, you might really enjoy the Silverline OR Coincident line of speakers. Sounds like the Merlin's could be right there as well. You might even start another thread, asking for recommendations based upon the progress you've already made in your quest. Problem is, if you keep listening to speakers that cost several multiples of your $20K ceiling, you'll end up needing a ski mask and a good team of friends to help you find the money to buy them.

Enjoy!
Howard

I finally heard the Avantgarde Unos yesterday (although I was only given a very rushed 15 minutes), since the dealer was accomodating enough to borrow a Jadis DA50 integrated tube amp from the store upstairs. Wow, what a difference! The first note brought a smile to my face. The harshness and edginess was replaced by a warm Jadis glow, in fact I would say the sound was too warm, as I've found before with lower end Jadis designs. As I hoped, these highly sensitive horns speakers seem to reflect their source more than many box speakers I've come across. I can only imagine how much better a sound my Jadis separates would produce. They also used a very inexpensive CD player.

I'm hooked on the possibility of horns now. Compared to the Alexandrias, Ivy, and Kharma speakers, and probably all the other box speakers I heard, I can make out more instrumental details and feel closer to the music. I hope that having the appropriate mix of source components can minimize or eliminate any possibility of harshness.

However, the physical size and appearance of the Avantgardes I find very imposing and unappealing and slightly impractical. I think the bass integration is somewhat of an issue as well, although that may be a necessary compromise. There is still something about their sound that is not as 'comfortable' as my favorite box speakers, but I could attribute this to listening habit and unfamiliarity more than anything.

Boa2 has flagged a possible warning about tonal richness and complexity. I suspect tonal richness could be provided by the source, while I haven't reached a conclusion about tonal complexity, which is one of the reasons I like the Alexandria and Ivy so much. However, the ability of the Avantgardes to resolve find detail, including previously obscure lines of instrumentation, may mean this might not be a big concern. I also like speakers to have what I call, perhaps wrongly, richess of harmonic overtone/instrumental resonance, but wonder whether how much of this is often an exaggeration of hifi systems.

I guess the Avantgardes go on my shortlist. I hope to compile a longer list of potential audition candidates, but any further research is going to cost me considerable time and effort. I am considering just settling on a speaker now, despite there probably being better and more suitable choices lurking out there, and just enjoying music and developing my musical and 'audiophile' appreciation for a better selection process down the road.

Boa2, your comment about my budget is well-taken. I originally thought that my stated budget range ought to take care of it for me. I guess I would spend up to about 30K now, and would like to buy used, so would probably consider speakers up to around the 60K new retail mark.

I guess I could restart a new thread with a better title (e.g. best 10-60K speakers for high-end tube amp), but would this cause more confusion than clarity? I should also state that I would consider trading in my amps for higher power tubes if necessary.

My future audition list, should I continue, now contains:

Beauhorn
Zingali
Von Schweikert
Merlin
DeVore Fidelity
FAB model one
Verity Audio Sarastro
Coincident Total Victory II
Carfrae

Would any of these speakers match or exceed the qualities I found in the Avantgardes?

For $30K on the used market, you should be able to find your dream speaker. Actually, you could probably spend much less for that end result.

You might also look at the system of member skuhino. The Edgarhorns could be a perfect match for your sonic preferences. Horn immediacy & detail, with the ability to convey the breadth & body of the instruments.

Good luck!

Thanks for the encouragement-- I stayed up the whole night doing my speaker research, armed with my auditioning experience of the last few weeks. I also think I can put together a great system well within that budget.

I couldn't find "skuhino" using member lookup or searching in Virtual Systems.

Another speaker that you might consider is the Classic Audio Reproductions Project T1 or Project T3. The two are very similar, being full range (read: cutoff at 20Hz) and easy to drive all at once. Their efficiency is a little lower then most horns (97db) but they are a uniform impedance- either 8 or 16 ohms depending on options.

I have used these as reference for some time, and while I have heard some speakers that do some things better, I have heard no speaker that does all things better. They are easy to place in the room (mine are 6" from the rear wall, which makes speaker choice difficult in my room).

They are quite revealing and relaxed. Listening all day at any volume level is a treat. I would not put transistor amps on them though! Imaging is excellent and the speaker overall lacks coloration. Its faults: while easily as fast as any cone speaker I have heard, it is not quite as fast as some planar speakers, although for that lack it more then makes up for it by being easy to drive and dynamic, something that all planars lack. If you don't have to strain your tube amp to make it work, your system will sound better.

Finally, the price, which not cheap, is very reasonable compared to some of the lessor speakers listed elsewhere in this thread.

Good Hunting!