Best high-efficiency speaker under 10K

Tvad, you put way more weight to half-hour listening sessions in a hotel room than I do. In my experience, listening to a speaker in a hotel room with equipment that is very different from yours is not very informative. The beauty of audiogon fellow travelers is that they have lived with a particular speaker for long, and they know it inside out. Plus, you can get leads like what suggested by newbee on pieces of equipment that you would have not considered. While I knew about silverline, they never came to mind before newbee mentioned them. So, thanks for your comment, but I still think there is a lot to be learned from fellow travelers.

Tvad, don't get me wrong. I do listen to a lot of speakers, and local dealers know me well (and I am lucky enough to live in boston, which has pretty good dealers). all i am saying is that system integration is key, and room layout even more. it happened to me more than once to pick up a speaker i loved at a local dealer and then return it because it did not sound right in my setup. that's why listening to others' opinion is an important aspect of this hobby...and one i enjoy too. then of course you have to be intelligent enough to interpret what other people say. the purpose of this post, for me, is to know what speakers made other people happy, why, and in what system. if you think there is little information in all this, that is fine. i respect your opinion. but newbee for instance suggested that i consider a speaker that i did not consider prior to this post. it's possible that i'll have a chance to give it a listen somewhere, and that i'll like it enough to try it out in my system. to me this is useful feedback. that's all.

Folks thanks for the many suggestions. I notice a consensus around Tonian models. Also, Devore seem to be liked by most, together with the Silverline models. This looks like a pretty good set to explore. Too bad the local dealer only carries Devore. But I will find ways to try the others.

Paulofbrecht, I am curious about the beauhorns. You seem to have tried them. I will take a listen to them in a few days (a local guy owns a pair). How do they compare to, say, the Tonian classic 8.1? Based on what I've heard about them they are technically more flawed than other HE speakers (coloration and limited extension, both high and low) but they have a magic that is addictive.

Thanks again. This is really helpful.

Hello fellows, I just had a chance to listen to a pair of beauhorn that a local gentleman owns. I first listened to them with his electronics ($65K worth of equipment..a nice audio note SET power amp and a battery powered preamp whose brand I don't recall), and then with my own Lavardin IT. It's a very interesting speaker, the sound is palpable, 3-dimensional. It really looks like you're a few feet away from Ray Charles. Of course the extension is limited, especially the low frequencies and I did not like the use of REL subwoofers (after the first tune I asked him to diconnect them). The way he positioned the speakers made for a very intimate experience with the speaker or player or orchestra. it's an incredible experience but I probably like a more distant perspective, which can be had by simply repositioning the speakers a bit closer to the walls and the listening position a few feet farther away from them. By the way, these speakers used an optional supertweeter. I tried them both with and without the supertweeter. There is some difference but I am not sure which option I like best. It probably varies with music. As for my Lavardin vs. Audio Note, well, it was day and night. The AN was warmer, more textured, quieter. The Lavardin was drier, more extended, leaner. Through the AN you have the impression to almost touch the players. The Lavardin puts you a bit farther back in the audience. Both of them did very well. Which one is best is a matter of taste.

Gawdbless thanks for your suggestion. I haven't heard a single person criticize the KCS's, ever, which means they're really good. I have two extra-audio issues with them. First, I don't like their standard look (while many other speakers in this niche are prettier to my eyes). Second, I am not sure what their resale value is. From this standpoint, a more mainstream brand should be a safer bet.