Help with new speakers


I own a pair of the paradigm tributes, first pair actually (serial numbers 1&2), but am thinking about going much higher end. I have listened to almost all of the b&w 800's and though i like the 802D's i'm not in love with them. Same thing with the mcintosh xr100's and dynaudio chorus 2. Any other suggestions in the $10-20k range that i can power with rotel 500 watt mono's..

Also, opinion on what i can get for my tributes? I've had them for about a year and they are factory perfect. they are in a dedicated 2 channel setup, not home theater so they probably have a hundred hours or less on them. The cool thing is that they're the first pair. It was totally by luck that i got them but i think they'd be worth more because of the exclusivity, thoughts?
gary324
Ive heard great things about vandersteens but have no local AD. And i was able to goto CEDIA this past year and heard sonos fabre on mcintosh 600 watt monos and melted. What an amazing combination but at $30k its a little out of my price range. To add to the dilamne i sold my monos the other day at a profit so the budget is now higher but must include amps. Thought about doing the sonos fabre whatever they call the $10k ones with a mcintosh 200 watt integrated.... Ah the dilemna of high end audio...

And i love the tributes, they are truly a great value. Its just time for something a little higher end and exclusive.

Maybe i shoukd list my tributes and see what i get. No one has chimed in on what they're worth. To the die hard paradigm fan its as exclusive as you can get. The first pair is pretty cool especially because they've never done an anniversary speaker before. May be once in a lifetime purchase for the right person.
You have many great speakers to choose from. Like many, I've listened at length to lots of speakers such as, B&w 800 series, Paradigm , Vandersteen, Maggies, etc. Great stuff!

I want to add though that I wish I could afford and have your Tributes. I heard them a few months ago by chance when I was looking for a new integrated. After a couple hours I wanted to leave the dealer with those Tributes in the back seat! Good luck with your search.
WIth 500 w/ch amps (similar to BElCanto ref100m amps I use), definitely give www.ohmspeakers.com some consideration. You might save some considerable change in the end and end up with a top notch sound that is hard to beat.

In my case, in my largest room, I run the largest OHM Walshes with the on board tone adjustments to help tune them into most any room that they will fit. That is my reference system. I also run smaller OHMs, Dynaudio, and TRiangle speakers in other rooms and have run B&W, Magnepan, and other popular brands as well in the past.
What i really struggle with is in my area their are only two good dealers in town. Its not that i'm in a small town but this area is over run by box stores. My choices are b&w, totem, golden ear, paradigm, mcintosh, dyn, and focal. Thats it.

Ive owned all of these brands except golden ear and totem which i just dont like, and mcintosh because i dont have that kinf of coin.

Whats everyones opinion of mc speakers. Obviously their amps are awesome but ive only heard the $4k book shelf speakers. Any one heard their big boy stuff?
Suggest you look into large dual-concentric (DC) speakers in the Tannoy Prestige Series, e.g., 12 or 15 inch. IME, they are far better than any of the above-mentioned brands. I drive mine with 24 WPC SET monoblocks, but Prestige series are efficient and may be drive by 12 or 500 WPC.

Many discerning audiophiles eventually ascend to the realm of flea-powered single-ended triodes. Therefore, I advise you to invest in loudspeakers that are suitable for use with SET amplification. Such speakers are called 'keepers' and will remain highly-prized fifty years hence.