Suggest your most desired MSRP $1,500-$3,000 Stand Mount for a Shootout.

@dayglow,

are you saying 1.5k - 3k speakers are budget? Not being snarky just asking. 
 

yes they are probably all made in China at that price but likely different factories …… but who knows. Some small guy US options are in deed made in the USA for that price although that list is pretty short. 

The event was yesterday and a great success. If you visit the www.azavclub.com website you will see the speakers we had there. Some were made in Asia but many were not…ATC, Falcon Acoustics, Tekton Design, Speakerlab, Philharmonic, Sonus Faber, Buchardt off the top of my head. BTW, the event was not a shootout, it was an exposition so folks could hear many different speakers that were not easy to demo in the Phoenix metro. We even had a number of folks come from out of state to partake :)

@dayglow Even budget speakers from big box stores don't sound alike. The Klipsch RP600M sound very different to the Q Acoustics 3030. 

For over 1000€, I expect my bookshelf speakers to be made in France or somewhere in Europe. The OGY are built in Poland for example. 

The point I failed to make is with a shootout how many amps/cables/sources are on hand to get the full potential out of each speaker. With this type of test nothing can be proven its more about entertainment. Yes, it's a starting point but the truth is this is a very time consuming and frustrating hobby that takes many years of trial and error. Yes, even budget speakers have a different sound signature even if they share parts and are assembled in the same factory. My point was there is less exclusivity from brand to brand then being advertised.

@dayglow My experience with exclusivity is different than yours. Surely brands like Focal, B&W and Sonus Faber are built in China. Boutique brands like Tekton assemble in the US but use off-the-shelf drivers from China (probably). 

In France there are several driver manufacturers like EMS, Audax, Supravox and Davis Acoustics. However, it's murky whether the drivers or finished speakers are built in France or not. The lower end stuff is 100% likely to be made in China. 

This is why I blindly bought the OGY:

- The drivers are EMS LB5 (fullrange). EMS is a tiny driver manufacturer. An old couple runs the company. Everything is assembled by hand and the price reflects that. The EMS LB5 driver sells for 300€/unit. 

- The enclosure is a wavy transmission line built from glued layers of laser-cut plywood. No other speakers will have the same construction. The outter box is corian. Most other manufacturers just use MDF and cover it with glossy paint/vinyl/veneer. The backside of the speakers has an embossed logo in the corian which is a nice touch. It's clear that the speakers were difficult to assemble.

- It is clear that the builder did everything he could to maximize the potential of the EMS LB5 driver. That takes some guts. Conventional wisdom says that fullrange drivers suck. 

So maybe I get your point in a sense that:

- Just spend $30 on a tweeter/woofer combo shipped from China. Design a crossover and a ported box around that and you'll get something good. Every manufacturer is doing that with speakers from $600 to $3000. Every speaker model performs similarly across all brands with minor differences in the tuning and cabinets. 

- Maybe there's just one way to design and build a bookshelf speaker (and other inferior ways). We figured that out over 50 years ago. There's little room for innovation. Speakers are about as exclusive as electric kettles. 

The trial and error part of the discussion is interesting. A live show wouldn't demonstrate trial and error because the environment is unlikely (stage) and the experience with the products is limited in time. Perhaps this is an invitation to purchase/sell/swap/lend/borrow equipment with other audiophiles? The idea here is to experience many gear in your own space without spending mountains of cash.