Tannoy System 15's and K'horns are probably worth considering..both can play at absolutely extreme levels without breaking a sweat...the 15's are obviously a bit more forgiving with placement issues but are dead neutral and revealing to an almost absurd degree. They're both probably about as close to 'live' as you can get without spending many orders of magnitude more $.
Best $2000-$3000 full range speaker?
I realize that offering advice on such an open-ended thread isn't for everyone, so below is some background. Too much? Probably. I'm a chatty feller; it's an occupational hazard.
First, I don't live near any hifi stores and don't often leave my mid-sized midwestern town (I have 2 small kids and don't like traveling), so my chances for auditioning equipment are zip. The closest cities are Minneapolis/St. Paul, and they're not that close.
Second, all my friends think I'm crazy, because none of them can understand spending $1000 on an entire system, let alone spending that much on a low output moving coil cartridge (I love my Dynavector).
Third, I'm not expecting a consensus on what a good 2k to 3k full range tower (could be towers; don't have to be) speaker is. I want some suggestions that I can research and ogle on-line. I'm in it for the journey, so if I buy some speakers based on your recommendations here (and I probably will) and don't like them, I'll sell them here and start over. Fine with that. Totally fine.
Fourth, I'm not that picky . . . yet. But as Steve Martin said, the ear grows sophisticated pretty fast. But I'm not ready for a moonrock needle and a googlophonic system yet. I'm a newbie, but I'm well on my way to addiction. Sometimes walking down the street I'll see a car and think, "I wonder if Acoustic Zen Adagios would look good in that finish?" Do other people check the Speaker-Full Range classifieds 5 times a day? I hope I'm not the only one. (And I'm sorry for bumping up the number of hits on your ads.)
Fifth, I started my Adventures in Audio with a small, fairly inexpensive system (although it was a lot more than I've ever paid for anything that I couldn't live in, or at least drive) for my small office (about 8 x 8). In here, I now have a pair of SET mono amps (Wright Sound), an MFA Magus preamp, and Reference 3A De Capo i speakers. I like the sound of this system very much - lots of air, amazing mids and highs, and decent bass, although a bit thin.
Sixth, I want a different sound for my big living room (35'L x 15'W x 8'H with hard wood floors and not much furniture). This is my family of four's living room, and my system is down at one end, firing across the short width of the room, not down the long length. It's not ideal, but unless I finish off part of my basement (I'm not handy), it's my listening room for now.
Seventh, I'm not looking for the perfect speakers for me, just a good, well-balanced pair that will sound better than the ancient Klipsch Heresy speakers that I'm using now. But don't get me wrong; I like the Klipsches, but liking them too much can suck all the fun out of an audiophile's life. There are too few speakers to try. Work your way up to the Kornerhorn and you're done. Also, the Klipsch speaker is not a subtle speaker. That said, I like the clarity and punch in the mids and highs, but I want more bass.
Eighth, I listen to a lot of soul, funk, jazz, reggae, Afro-beat, and rap, so bass is important. No pipe organ, though, and not much symphonic or orchestral music. Very little classical (or baroque) music, except for those beautiful Mozart pieces for cello, and who doesn't like those?
Ninth (!?), I'd rather go used on Agon than buy new. I'm totally happy trying equipment out and re-selling it here. And I'll build the system around the speakers, but it will be an SS system. I don't want tubes in my living room near my kids. And no massive electrostatic speakers, either, so thanks to the Maggie fans in advance. Some day I'll try them, but I like speakers that 3-year-olds can't push over.
Here's my short list right now. Somehow, none of them seems quite right, but maybe I just need some warm words of encouragement.
Gallo Reference 3.1s. (I read a review - on 6 moons, I think - that says they're giant-killers and well-balanced in every way. I have some negotiating space here, but WAF is low. My wife says they're speakers that are trying too hard to look like people. I showed her some of the Cabasse speakers online. Bet they're creepy at night.)
Acoustic Zen Adagios (Why Mappa Burl? Pink wood with knots? This must be what a speaker designer thinks that our wives will like.)
Vienna Acoustic Strauss (Too warm in a bad way? Too muddy in the bass? There's a pair on Agon now for $2350. Tempting.)
Coincident Super Eclipse (Hyped too hard by Arthur Salvatore?)
Talon Ravens (Tombstones? The WAF factor matters, and she thinks they look a little cemetery-esque, but there might be a little wiggle room here.)
Sonus Faber Grand Piano (Is that pleather on the tops and backs? They'd have to sound really great if it is.)
Amphion Xenon (Impossible to re-sell? Does anyone know about this speaker?)
Joseph Audio RM25si (surprisingly unprepossessing for a speaker with such a high MSRP -- lacking in bass?)
Dynaudio Contour 3.3 (WAF is fine, but not too exciting for me - Generic Tower Speaker Version 1.1)
This post got a little out of control. If you're still with me, thanks for reading, and thanks for any suggestions.
First, I don't live near any hifi stores and don't often leave my mid-sized midwestern town (I have 2 small kids and don't like traveling), so my chances for auditioning equipment are zip. The closest cities are Minneapolis/St. Paul, and they're not that close.
Second, all my friends think I'm crazy, because none of them can understand spending $1000 on an entire system, let alone spending that much on a low output moving coil cartridge (I love my Dynavector).
Third, I'm not expecting a consensus on what a good 2k to 3k full range tower (could be towers; don't have to be) speaker is. I want some suggestions that I can research and ogle on-line. I'm in it for the journey, so if I buy some speakers based on your recommendations here (and I probably will) and don't like them, I'll sell them here and start over. Fine with that. Totally fine.
Fourth, I'm not that picky . . . yet. But as Steve Martin said, the ear grows sophisticated pretty fast. But I'm not ready for a moonrock needle and a googlophonic system yet. I'm a newbie, but I'm well on my way to addiction. Sometimes walking down the street I'll see a car and think, "I wonder if Acoustic Zen Adagios would look good in that finish?" Do other people check the Speaker-Full Range classifieds 5 times a day? I hope I'm not the only one. (And I'm sorry for bumping up the number of hits on your ads.)
Fifth, I started my Adventures in Audio with a small, fairly inexpensive system (although it was a lot more than I've ever paid for anything that I couldn't live in, or at least drive) for my small office (about 8 x 8). In here, I now have a pair of SET mono amps (Wright Sound), an MFA Magus preamp, and Reference 3A De Capo i speakers. I like the sound of this system very much - lots of air, amazing mids and highs, and decent bass, although a bit thin.
Sixth, I want a different sound for my big living room (35'L x 15'W x 8'H with hard wood floors and not much furniture). This is my family of four's living room, and my system is down at one end, firing across the short width of the room, not down the long length. It's not ideal, but unless I finish off part of my basement (I'm not handy), it's my listening room for now.
Seventh, I'm not looking for the perfect speakers for me, just a good, well-balanced pair that will sound better than the ancient Klipsch Heresy speakers that I'm using now. But don't get me wrong; I like the Klipsches, but liking them too much can suck all the fun out of an audiophile's life. There are too few speakers to try. Work your way up to the Kornerhorn and you're done. Also, the Klipsch speaker is not a subtle speaker. That said, I like the clarity and punch in the mids and highs, but I want more bass.
Eighth, I listen to a lot of soul, funk, jazz, reggae, Afro-beat, and rap, so bass is important. No pipe organ, though, and not much symphonic or orchestral music. Very little classical (or baroque) music, except for those beautiful Mozart pieces for cello, and who doesn't like those?
Ninth (!?), I'd rather go used on Agon than buy new. I'm totally happy trying equipment out and re-selling it here. And I'll build the system around the speakers, but it will be an SS system. I don't want tubes in my living room near my kids. And no massive electrostatic speakers, either, so thanks to the Maggie fans in advance. Some day I'll try them, but I like speakers that 3-year-olds can't push over.
Here's my short list right now. Somehow, none of them seems quite right, but maybe I just need some warm words of encouragement.
Gallo Reference 3.1s. (I read a review - on 6 moons, I think - that says they're giant-killers and well-balanced in every way. I have some negotiating space here, but WAF is low. My wife says they're speakers that are trying too hard to look like people. I showed her some of the Cabasse speakers online. Bet they're creepy at night.)
Acoustic Zen Adagios (Why Mappa Burl? Pink wood with knots? This must be what a speaker designer thinks that our wives will like.)
Vienna Acoustic Strauss (Too warm in a bad way? Too muddy in the bass? There's a pair on Agon now for $2350. Tempting.)
Coincident Super Eclipse (Hyped too hard by Arthur Salvatore?)
Talon Ravens (Tombstones? The WAF factor matters, and she thinks they look a little cemetery-esque, but there might be a little wiggle room here.)
Sonus Faber Grand Piano (Is that pleather on the tops and backs? They'd have to sound really great if it is.)
Amphion Xenon (Impossible to re-sell? Does anyone know about this speaker?)
Joseph Audio RM25si (surprisingly unprepossessing for a speaker with such a high MSRP -- lacking in bass?)
Dynaudio Contour 3.3 (WAF is fine, but not too exciting for me - Generic Tower Speaker Version 1.1)
This post got a little out of control. If you're still with me, thanks for reading, and thanks for any suggestions.
- ...
- 41 posts total
Look into the Omega line of speakers. There is a pair of the Max Hemps for sale here on the Gon, and another pair for sale over on Audio Circle. They sound good with tubes and SS gear. I reluctantly had to sell my pair of Alnico XRS Super 8's. Can't wait till I can re-buy them when this economy thing turns around. |
Devore Nines, a little above the budget but worth it No affiliation with the seller http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1271213129&/Devore-Nine- |
Thanks again to everyone for your responses and suggestions. I've been researching all of them. I'm still very interested in Acoustic Zen Adagios and might wait for a pair to become available. I'm curious about members' experiences with the Genesis company, though. There's a pair of G500s for $2900 and a pair of GVs for $3000. The reviews are mostly positive, although I read a couple of claims that the separately amped woofers never integrate well with mid-range and tweeters. True? I like the looks of both of them a lot, and my wife says she could live with them. They're not towers, but that's fine. Would they outshine the speakers that have been mentioned above or simply be different? In what ways? I should add that I only use my speakers for a 2-channel system, no Home Theater. I teach film classes, so it makes sense that I would put the money into HT, but I really prefer seeing movies in the theater or in a dedicated film classroom. Thanks again. I await your thoughts. |
- 41 posts total