How to shop for speakers?


OK, I've got the upgrade bug. My problem is how to evaluate speaker auditions given the limited local choices and the inevitable differences in amplification, room, etc. I have a local dealer who will let me do home audition, but he does not carry 4 of the 5 brands I am interested in after attending RMAF. He is even getting the mfgr to send a pair for my audition. My problem is how do I judge the various speakers given the variability in listening environments and the time lapses between listening. Buying used for home auditioning and selling what I do not like does not seem practical to me given the price range I am looking at - not much available used in this range and too much potential for significant loss with each transaction. Besides what if I sell one I later decide was the best.

My short list after attending RMAF:

B&W 800d or 802d - not so impressed after dealer demo
Dynaudio Confidence C4 - waiting for dealer to get one for demo
Wilson Sasha or Sophia3 - was blown away by the soundstage of the Sophias at RMAF
I would like to audition Revel Salons or Studios or Sonus Faber Elipsa but local dealers are installers and do not have demo capability

My favorite at RMAF was JM Labs Maestro Utopia but they are out of my price range new.

Amplification is McIntosh MC501 ( this makes me a non-audiophile since I read in another thread that audiophiles do not use Mac equipment - I'm fine with that since I really like the music more than the equipment). But, I would like to hook up a MC275 during the hot summer months to listen at low to moderate levels.o

Not sure if this is a gripe or a request for advice, but I will appreciate any guidance that is offered other than the usual " you listen and decide" I already appreciate that.
altbrewer

Showing 2 responses by honest1

6550c has a point. I expereinced the same thing with Spica TC50s years ago. I olistened to everything I could for miles around, and wasn't happy with any of it. I discovered a new store that had opened, heard the Spicas and knew they were the ones. I still have them 24 years later.
"When it's right, you'll know it"
Tim - I think Atmasphere is right - efficinecy refers to how much power something consumes, and power is measured in watts. Sensitivity refers to how much something is affected by an input. Audio equipment, when run in its normal operating range, acts like a voltage source, so the input to a power amp or a speaker is a voltage signal. The output is then the sensitivity of that speaker to the voltage input.