Before choosing, you should listen to a set of Lowther speakers that have been broken in properly. Some people believe that these are the best sounding speakers. There are several enclosure types that use Lowthers, and have different sonic characteristics. They all are very efficient and can be driven with just a few watts. The primary strong points are extreme detail and great mids and highs, but the bass rolls off a little early. There are designs out there(Carfrae) that add a built in subwoofer to fill out the bottom end. The search would not be complete without hearing a speaker that many say is the best in the world(whether others agree with that or not). They deserve a listen .
Deciding on the right huge speaker
Say you had decided that it was time to buy the speakers of your dreams, that you were willing to spend $30K for a pair and that you were going to utilize the full services of a dealer if necessary (ie, you're willing to pay list, more or less).
We all say it's essential to listen to your potential purchases before committing, preferably in your own setting. If you were choosing between, say, the Dynaudio Temptations, the Dunlavy SC-VI, the new Snell XA (in this months Stereophile), the Krell LAT-1 and a pair of Wisdom Audio's, how would go about getting an evaluation of this field? All of these speakers are huge, both in terms of dimensions and in terms of weight. How do you go through the process with some sense that you're going to make the "right" choice? -Kirk