What speaker – under $10k – has the best timbre and tonal qualities?


Several years ago, a prominent reviewer had this to say as he was praising the natural and life-like tonal qualities of a particular speaker:

It’s [speakers] like these that make me question the priorities of audiophiles who relegate accuracy of timbre to secondary status. How are the richness and color of instruments, voices, ensembles, and textures to be reproduced in all their infinite variety and beauty if a loudspeaker has less than accurate reproduction of timbre? What do dynamics, imaging, detail, transparency, and the like matter if voices and instruments don’t sound like themselves?

I’ve come the same realization, late in the game. I recently made a lateral move from one of the most popular of recent speaker models to a different speaker, because it sounded so much more natural and realistic in timbre. I sacrificed a touch of image precision in doing so, but it has been well worth it. The sound is so much more engaging. It’s like going from a high-resolution black and white photograph – which is very detailed and impressive – to a color version of the same photo, but with slightly less resolution. The color version offers so much more in terms of realism.

So I’m now contemplating the purchase of what I hope will be my last speakers, with the objective of realistic, natural, and rich (but not artificially warm) tone being the primary attribute.  

What speakers, under $10k, would you recommend? (I’m driving them with a PrimaLuna Prologue Premium)


wester17
One  amp/speaker combination that I heard and think comes close to what your looking for was the Devore O/93s driven by a Line Magnetic 845 SET integrated.  

I own Tannoy Sterlings, the Turnberrys are the bigger brother at $8000. I let room size dictate the Sterlings. 
Just shop AG and USAM, buy low try at home and resell un til you get a taste for how each reacts to your listening room and components.
Harbeth 40.2’s or 30.1’s, but you will need to drive them with a good SS amp - preferrably a Hegel. Though, I also drive mine with a $700 Class D Audio SDS 470C - and they sound about the same with it as the Hegel.

Or... Spatial Audio M3 Saphire... with some great tube amps.

Or... Maggie’s also with a great SS amp, and possibly some REL Subs.



The most expensive Dali you can find/afford. So rich I can't seem to listen with my eyes open