New speakers for $5000

Tekton Moab or Encore is around that price.  Warm and detailed with a big expansive soundstage.  Will respond to whatever gear changes you make.  I have ran my tektons with tube gear, solid state gear etc.  My favorite has been running with a Pass Labs X30.8 to my impact monitors.  Need to lug it out to the living room to try on the double impacts.  Tektom speakers look way better in person ImO than online.  But if you want smaller speakers for strictly acoustic music with little bass, the speakers you listed should work great 👍 

Hi, i don't know if Totem has made any changes to the Forest, but on the ones that I had the tweeter height is so low that the stereo image is also quite low. As much as I liked them in every other way, I had to put them on some homemade stands to get them up up where I really enjoyed them. That made them difficult to reposition, etc., so for that reason I wouldn't buy them again. I'm sure the Harbeths are great, and even though you have a higher budget,  I can't imagine anything that I would want in a speaker that my Wharfedale Super Lintons can't provide. I've also been wanting to hear the MoFi Source Point 888 for a while...I think those are around $5,000. Good luck!

I am not sure why people don't know Stirling. It is very similar to Harbeth, only cheaper and better. https://www.stirlingbroadcast.com/

I visited a local hifi shop yesterday and listened to a few speakers that I’ve had on my audition list for a while. Here are some brief listening impressions:

- Harbeth C7ES-3 XD: this was the first speaker that I heard. Really polite. Did not sound full range. Sounded quite small in terms of scale and imaging. Didn’t do anything particularly well except maybe female vocals. Not a speaker I could live with. 

- Kef R3 Meta: this was my favorite speaker of the day. A nice improvement over what I remember the non-meta version being. The best treble out of the speakers I auditioned. Highly detailed. Non-fatiguing , at least for me. Excellent mid-range. Bass was satisfactory, but I have 2 Rel subs that I would use with them.

- Revival Audio Atalante 5: I wanted to hear the 3 but the dealer did not have them. Absolutely amazing. The lower half from the mid range down, was the best of the day. Great mid-bass bump. Treble was smooth. Not recessed, not exaggerated. If you have the room, I think this is a speaker that a lot of folks would enjoy. I could’ve listened to these all day. These also get the award for most attractive speaker of the day, with the Kef next, and the Harbeth last (if looks are important to you).

Wharefedale Super Lintons: the dealer only had the regular 85th anniversary. But said that if I didn’t enjoy the Harbeths, I would probably not like the Wharfedales. I would still like to hear them as the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. 

Now my question is: Do I get the Atalante 3 unheard based on my impression of the 5, or go with the speaker I know I liked in the Kef R3 Meta? My room is on the smaller side, 11’x13’ so I don’t think the 5’s would work. As your room is 12x16, I would put the Atalante’s on your audition list. I’m leaning toward the Kefs for me. 

Best of luck!

@petar3

Stirling Broadcast is closing down due to the owner suffering health issues.

Therefore the current stock is being sold off at reduced prices and the only speakers being built are those using existing parts from stock*. Because of the owners health issues this work is being done by a former customer and LS3/5a enthusiast who is keen to ensure as many of these superb loudspeakers reach customers as possible and that they remain supported for as long as possible. Dispatch and administration is being handled by a close friend and neighbour.