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Speakers in the 5-6K$ region & their components

Hi all,

This is my 1st post here.
I'm a long time audio enthusiast and even worked in high-end audio sales for a few years a while back, but I've been out of the loop for a few years now. I'm looking now for a new pair of speakers in the 5-6K$ range to replace my current Merlin TSM. The type I'm looking for is a 2 way 6-6.5'' speaker, preferably a floorstander. I know many brands and models and went through a lot of speakers in the past, so my question is a technical one:

I'm looking only for speakers in this range which use high end componenets. which ones are there?

I've already done some research, so here are a few examples of what I mean:

Proac in its response range is using Scanspeak D2604 tweeter (48$/unit).
PMC in its "i" series - Seas 27TFFC (45$/unit).
Spendor, "A" series - Seas 29TFF/W (52$/unit).

I can go on and also bring examples of the woofers used and more speaker brands, but I think the picture is clear. These are all quality units of well acclaimed manufacturers, but are by no means high-end units. Which are?
My research brought me this far to the following (All in my price range):

Kudos audio Super 10/Super20: Seas T29CF-002 tweeter (330$/unit) + a version of Seas W18NX (196$/unit)

Marten Form Floor: Accuton C173-6-095 woofer (over 300$/unit) + a ribbon tweeter I was unable to recognize (anyone?)

Merlin VSM (as second hand only): Dynaudio D330/A tweeter (over 400$ per unit) + Scanspeak 18W/8545-01 (173$/unit).

BTW, my current Merlin TSM is using Morel MDT30 tweeter (80$/unit) + Morel MW166 woofer (124$/unit) and sounds wonderful to my taste, despite a considerable lack of bass (being a sealed- box design). 

So, given all that, does anyone have any more ideas for speakers I should consider?
roylindenfeld

Showing 6 responses by erik_squires

erik_squires
15,627 posts
 
The PBN is a very good deal. If you are looking to spend a little less, the Klang Tong Nada would be around $3K, with ScanSpeak Be and 6.5" woofer.

You can have it built as a floor stander by TaylorSpeakers.com or as a stand mount.

Commercially, based on parts quality, this is a $20K speaker system if it had basic parts. With the upgraded Mundorf caps it would be higher.

Comparing the PBN and Klang Tong kits to commercial speakers, Gryphon uses the same line of woofers, and the current Magico tweeters are built on the same tweeter motor.

The impedance of the KT is easier to drive. Without hearing it in the room it’s hard to tell, but for me the PBN may be a little too flat, especially in the bass, whiel the KT has a bit of a boost I would probably prefer. However, this is not very accurate criticism to make via charts alone.

The 3-way design and dual woofers of the PBN will give you a lot more dynamic range, but the KT will really amaze you all by itself. :) I say this owning similar woofers in my reference system.

Best,


Erik
erik_squires
15,627 posts
 
Hi Roy,

So, in general, the retail price of a single speaker is 10x the driver cost. It goes up and down, but that’s it in general.

So, it pays to go with a custom-speaker builder for a good design. Taylor, Selah, etc.

Otherwise, for a $5,000 pair, on average, you’ll be getting $250worth of parts (retail) in each.

There are some exceptional values though, Monitor Audio among them, which I consider very good sounding, but since they make their own drivers, it's quite likely they are actually charging more than 20x a single speaker.

Lawrence audio is also another company that has exceptional value in terms of parts cost.

NONE of this makes a speaker worth buying though. :)  As @bassdude said, the whole package matters.

Best,


Erik
erik_squires
15,627 posts
 
So, if you were looking for a $1,500 speaker, my kit, the LM-1, would fit the bill. It will cost between $350 and $500 to build depending on crossover parts or if you build the cabinet yourself. ;)

Sounds fantastic, and a great crossover designed by a true gentleman and scholar. << cough cough >>

Ok, some of that was a lie, but it's free, and incredibly well measured and documented.

Best,


Erik
erik_squires
15,627 posts
 
@bassdude

Is of course quite right.  Did I misunderstand the point of the original post?

I though the point was good speakers in the $5K range with top notch drivers.

Best,


Erik
erik_squires
15,627 posts
 
@timlub

+1 !!

Look at the LM-1 for instance. The drivers are about $90 / speaker, but I challenge anyone to find fault with the crossover design, or the sound actually, and unlike all commercial speakers, the design docs are open to the world.

I’ve also seen commercial makers use inexpensive drivers with extremely good integration and balance, and some use expensive diamond tweeters and end up with.... well, not so good. :)

By the way, the LM-1 uses the same tweeter as found in some Krell, older Magico and Sonus Faber designs. It’s not an expensive tweeter at all, but damn nice. :-)

By the way @dgarretson - I did use Clarity ESA's in the recommended crossover. :-)  I have a feeling you and I should have some drinks if you are in the San Francisco area, we'd get along just swell. 

Best,


Erik
erik_squires
15,627 posts
 
 Sounds real is right, but kind of. My impression is a little different.

For any given type of technology, Be or AMT or whatever, there are excellent and crappy versions.  In and of themselves, diamond or Be tweeters are not all that.  Still, there are great versions of each.

As was mentioned before though, the truth is for commercial designs, the quality of parts in the crossover may or may not be all that. As far as I can tell, with few exceptions, the speaker prices are often set solely on driver cost. Since that's true, there's usually very little cause to spend a lot in the crossover.

Also, some one mentioned upgrading crossover parts as a good idea.  While I often recommend it, I've seen a lot of commercial speakers with really wonky crossovers that, while they would benefit from a better tweeter cap, really desperately need a new crossover design.

Best,


Erik
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