The Focal Kanta no2 and Paradigm Persona 3F are absolutely my picks at the $10,000 price point.
The Kanta is one of the most forward thinking visual designs I have ever seen, and they have the sound quality to match. They are extremely musical and laid back. Very organic -- almost like a poor man's Gamut (EASILY in the top 5 best speakers in the world). They smoke the outgoing Electras (although I do still think the 1028/1038 be2 in the dark walnut was one of the nicest speaker designs in history (see them in person before commenting). After the unbelievable Aria range, I feel like this is the new direction Focal is going. Drive them with anything, and be rewarded with a huge soundstage, tons of resolution and detail, yet never bright or forward, and unbelievably engaging and musical.
Now the Persona -- I have to say technically, it is an even better speaker for the money. A totally different look but still stunning. I still am in awe that Paradigm has made a speaker this good. The 3F and 7F are both under priced. With the right set up (mainly room positioning and acoustics, not speaker cables and power cables, aka throwing money down the drain) they will give you maybe the most holographic and coherent sound you will hear for anywhere near the price. There is something intrinsically special about not only having a beryllium midrange and tweeter, but the fact that they are the exact same material. I don't know if I have heard better midrange anywhere under 60k~ on any speaker when it all comes down to it. These speakers are a little more difficult to get right. If you have ever heard them sounding bright, clinical, etc -- you did NOT hear them.
I can go on and on, but I highly recommend listening to these two speakers. I'm eager to also hear the Magico A3, which I'm sure will be great -- although the look isn't even 1/3 as nice as the other two I just mentioned. Either way, sound is most important. Might get a chance to listen to the A3 very soon, so I will post impressions this week.
The Kanta is one of the most forward thinking visual designs I have ever seen, and they have the sound quality to match. They are extremely musical and laid back. Very organic -- almost like a poor man's Gamut (EASILY in the top 5 best speakers in the world). They smoke the outgoing Electras (although I do still think the 1028/1038 be2 in the dark walnut was one of the nicest speaker designs in history (see them in person before commenting). After the unbelievable Aria range, I feel like this is the new direction Focal is going. Drive them with anything, and be rewarded with a huge soundstage, tons of resolution and detail, yet never bright or forward, and unbelievably engaging and musical.
Now the Persona -- I have to say technically, it is an even better speaker for the money. A totally different look but still stunning. I still am in awe that Paradigm has made a speaker this good. The 3F and 7F are both under priced. With the right set up (mainly room positioning and acoustics, not speaker cables and power cables, aka throwing money down the drain) they will give you maybe the most holographic and coherent sound you will hear for anywhere near the price. There is something intrinsically special about not only having a beryllium midrange and tweeter, but the fact that they are the exact same material. I don't know if I have heard better midrange anywhere under 60k~ on any speaker when it all comes down to it. These speakers are a little more difficult to get right. If you have ever heard them sounding bright, clinical, etc -- you did NOT hear them.
I can go on and on, but I highly recommend listening to these two speakers. I'm eager to also hear the Magico A3, which I'm sure will be great -- although the look isn't even 1/3 as nice as the other two I just mentioned. Either way, sound is most important. Might get a chance to listen to the A3 very soon, so I will post impressions this week.