Need Help finding Speakers Budget 20,000 US

I'm gonna say something controversial, so here goes. Imo, it's better to go with bigger companies or companies who have been in the business a long time rather than upstart or companies that have only been around for 5-10years. More financially stable, better R&D, higher tech, and better qc for the most part (although all audio equipment can certainly fail no matter who the company is)

Just something to consider...I would go for the B&Ws or Tannoys myself.

Dave,

Every one has an opinion, agreed that large companies like the ones that you mention have almost unlimited R&D funds, however the large business model is driven by numbers ONLY, if the profit is not there that division gets nixed. Even if the company is large it too can fail, GM rings a bell ?

Now consider the fact that If you buy from a smaller company you buy product that is made with passion, not by an hourly worker that's thinking about what to do after work or next weekend. We too of course have workers, but the owner usually is hands on all the way making sure that the product that goes out the door is A+1 because it has his name on it.

A few years back I was quoting a very large system to a local customer via my local dealer. I got part of the bid but not all, the client went with a different make of amplifier that the one we make, reason given was exactly the one yo state, large company that was not likely to go out of business any time soon and that if repairs were needed in the future then the network would be there to facilitate such.

Fast forward a year or so, the amplifier company had almost failed but been saved by the bell with a buy out form a investment company, also 3 of the 5 amplifiers had failed and were in need of a new power supply board - guess whom stepped in to help with the repairs upon request from my local dealer to avoid the substantial shipping cost of 3 ea 200 lbs amps to the east coast plus a downtime of several weeks ?

You get my point I'm sure.

Good Listening

Peter

Nice point there Peter. Assuming that the big guys offer more/better technology, better R&D, better quality, is really an unfounded generality.

We offer arguably the best woofer on the planet in the Nimbus that John Atkinson found to be one of his favorites at the Newport Beach Audio show. We offer arguably the best tweeter on the planet in the RAAL 70-20XR. And as we discovered through actual measurements in the room from Steve Nugent's calibrated mic and ARTA, the flattest response he's ever measured in a room at a show, with no speaker EQ at all.

Where would guys like Salk Sound, Zu, Tyler Acoustics, etc., be if everyone went with the "big guys" over and over? Where would the innovation be if there were no little guys nipping at the heels of the big guys?

There are plenty of great companies not bound by the structures of a corporate philosophy that stifles innovation. The smaller companies can work with the buyer to develop a more custom approach to fit their desires. And because they don't spend gobs of money advertising and supporting a large dealer network, in many cases, they can offer much more value for the money than the B&Ws and Tannoy's of the world.

The B&W 802s don't hold a candle to the 800s. Your Claytons certainly allow you to consider Revel Salons, as well as most other speakers as long as they don't have a major/ rediculously low impedance dip. I would also consider used Rockports.

Peter, I agree with you, but there is one thing- a resale value. You can easily sell second hand Sonus Faber, B&W, Focal, Tannoys etc for reasonable price. But I have seen so many BIG speakers from SMALL companies with discount more than 70% of MSRP with no luck over years..