Needing to replace thirty year old speakers.


I have a thirty year old pair of Canton ergo 80 speakers. I 

never felt they were that good. My current system includes

a Chronus magnum dark integrated amplifier, a Cambridge 

audio can v2 streamer and two Svs 2000 pro subs. The

Chronic dark replaced an Adcom 555-2 amplifier and an

Adcom 565 preamplifier. I always thought the Adcom 

equipment sounded harsh in the upper midrange. The

Chronic solved that problem. It is better than the Adcom

equipment in every way. I like speakers that are slightly 

warm sounding but still give detail. My budget is around 

$5,000, maybe a little more. What speakers would sound

good with my setup? If a recommended speaker allowed 

Me to delete the subs, my wife would be happy 😊 

mbruflodt25

Earlier this year, I replaced my 33-year old Thiel speakers with a pair of PS Audio Aspen FR10 speakers. (I had also been using an Adcom 555 amp that needed updating/upgrading and has now been replaced by Atma-Sphere Class D GaNFET monoblocks.) I have found the planar-magnetic tweeters and midrange drivers in the FR10s to present incredibly transparent mids and highs without any harshness or listening fatigue. The low end is also amazing, with two small front-mounted woofers combined with three rear-mounted passive radiators. I have not been tempted to add any subwoofers because the bass has been so tight and solid. (Take a look at the TAS review on YouTube for the comments of a drummer who also doesn't feel a need for added subs with the FR10s.)

You can get a new pair of FR10s for $6K from PS Audio if you also have $4K of audio gear to trade-in. (The nominal trade-in value of your old gear is based on the original retail price for that gear, not on the current value as a used component.)

PS Audio allows for a 30-day home trial. If you decide to return the speakers after a trial, you have to pay shipping costs but no re-stocking fee. If you happen to be in the Denver area, you can stop by PS Audio in Boulder, CO, for a listen. I would think you could call them ahead of time to be sure you could listen to the FR10s when you arrive.

Good luck with your speaker search! 

I'm about week and a half on some Tekton Nebos. I was disappointed the 1st night as they lacked mid bass out of the box and something sounded off. Ran them overnight but not very loud, then played them loud for about 4 hours while we went out to shop and grab lunch. Came back to a totally different speaker and I think are still making slight improvements. Bass is tight, mids are are spot on, highs are great and the speakers just swallow up the room. You mentioned warm but super detailed and that's exactly what I'm hearing. Very impressed for 3k delivered off the specials page. They sound more natural and impactful than the Paradigm 120Hs I sold some months ago. They were really good also but retail for 9k and for my tastes these Nebos take the win in the sound dept. The Paradigms were stunners to look at! I don't mind the looks of these but not the same level. 

Speaker choices are so subjective, that I hesitate to suggest anything, but I replaced some 30 year-old speakers three years ago; they were the Infinity Modulus speakers, which I still think sound pretty good in my second system.  I ended up replacing them in my main system with Fyne Audio F-702s, which are now well above your price level.  However, given that you already have subwoofers, the F-700s bookshelf/stand model might fit the bill.  When I went searching for speakers, I had speakers in the $4000 to $6000 range in mind, but when I heard the Fyne F-702s, I was hooked, and I think the F-700 has the same tweeter.  The sound quality: tonal qualities, resolution, and imaging are superb.  Also, I believe the F-700s are made in Scotland.

Another speaker line I would look at is the Canadian-made Paradigm Founder series.  I have the lower Premiere series and am very pleased with the sound of the 200b bookshelf model.  The floor standing Founder 100F is just above your $5K mark for a pair, and it might obviate the need for the subwoofers.  But, again, speaker choices are quite personal and very subjective.

Happy hunting.

My ears tell me Magnepan. I have auditioned speakers at this price point, and Maggies knocked me out. I can't get them because they are large and blocky and too ugly for my wife's taste. Your wife, or you yourself, may a have similar reaction. But they sound amazing. I opted for Spatial M5 Sapphire Open Baffle speakers, which are more neutral sounding than the Maggies and look great. The Spatials need 3 feet of space behind them to sound their best. Not sure about the Maggies. 

@mbruflodt25, As usual suggestions all over the place some of which you should totally ignore. Except for the clown denigrating Richard Vandersteen speakers I'm sure they are all well intentioned but some are ignorant of how the speakers interact with the room. 

First and foremost do not get rid of those two good subs you have. They are paramount to good sound. All rooms have modes and to defeat these problems requires bass sources that can be set to counter the inevitable peaks and nulls that are the bane of the audiophile's life. The SVS subs are particularly good for this because they have the desireable adjustable phase feature and much more. Understand that variable phase allows you to literally place the subs where they best fit the room. I can assure you from the many subs I've dialled in that once you've heard them used as tuning devices you would never go back to a room plagued by peaks and nulls. Keep the subs!

Also ignore advice to use 'Brand WXYZ' big fat floorstanders and get rid of the subs because they are fullrange.  Well let me tell those recommending this approach that the low frequencies combining constuctively causing peaks and destructively causing nulls that the long wavelengths don't care a dot what speakers they are. If I'm not explaining that well just know that all speakers need help from subs.

The absolute best is to use subs, some judicious room treatment and measurement.

If your amp is using KT88s on the output stage prefferably choose a speaker with a benign impedance plot around 8 ohms and of mid to high sensitivity. Vandersteens are excellent value and would shine with your amp. Another brand and is what I would aim for is Volti, not well known but are easy to drive with sensitivities at 97dB/octave and higher. 

Volti Audio - High Sensitivity Horn Speakers

Good luck