$15,000 Floor-Standing Speaker Selection and Advice

All of them you’d need. a subwoofer to supplement them as they’re not true 20Hz to 20kHz

And of all the speakers I recommend the Perlisten. Their directivity is the more controlled of the lot and that makes for easier coupling with your room as that is the most important step in your setup. Room/speaker coupling @hifiworld2024 

Add this subwoofer and you're good to go - https://www.powersoundaudio.com/collections/subwoofers/products/s21-ipal-m-new

Get without the Anti Model EQ

@kofibaffour WOW the subwoofer is powerful, I have SpeakerCraft zteqi-12, got at half price discount lol. 

Take a look at Legacy Speakers, they can handle a large room.

What amp are you going to use ?

I heard a lot of speakers at AXPONA this year, and there were a lot that I liked, but very few made my list of brands I could live with. FWIW, Perlisten S5t’s made the short list.  

It would help to know where the speakers will, or can be placed, other speakers you have heard and liked, or not liked, whether looks are important (and if so, what examples have you seen and liked--in other words, any more specific details.

If you are not that well versed on speaker types and models, it would be quite useful to attend any convenient regional audio show.  These days, this is the only way to hear a wide range of types and choices.  If you have not heard much more than conventional, dynamic driver floorstanding speakers, you should hear alternatives, such as dipole panel speakers (e.g., Magnepan planar magnetic speakers), open baffle dipole speakers (e.g., PureAudioProject speakers, horn-based systems (e.g., Volti Audio), single fullrange single driver systems (e.g., Charney Audio), coaxial driver systems ((e.g., Tannoy and Fyne), etc.  Some of my favorite commercial speakers are from these less conventional designs (these include PureAudioProject Quintet), Charney Audio Companion speakers).

If you can make it to the Washington D.C. suburbs, you should check out Deja Vu Audio for their custom-made horn-based systems.  Most of them use vintage midrange horns and compression drivers and are outside of your price range, but, they have recently begun to build models using entirely modern drivers that are within your budget and sound shockingly alive, vivid, and rich sounding in ways most conventional speakers do not sound (similar to Volti speakers, but in my opinion, better sounding). 

@winoguy17 Thank you sire for the response.

Amp I will be using for now are the Parasound A21+ model. This amp is capable of 1000 Wrms into 8 ohm mono if needed but I will be using it as stereo mode.

Tah.

@larryi Thank you sire for your kindly response.

Yes I will be placing speakers 100cm away from walls, toed into centre.

Looks are important to me. I like the big bulky looking speakers with multiple driver arrangement. Some coaxial speakers are indeed very good sounding but again I prefer multiple driver look.

Not really keen on panel speakers "Maggies" as they look odd and I don't see how they make huge sound using electrostatic panels.

Looks are very important and I don't like the look of open baffle either. Boxed shape bulky presence is best.

Tah.

Is it fair to assume that since you’re posting on this site that you’re shopping used? That opens up most all the speakers on the market in the world most of us live.

Dynaudio Confidence 50 would be added to my list and even the C60 that had too much bass for most rooms could be a great match for your room.

Usher BE20DMD

Paradigm Persona 9h 

Meridian dsp8000se

KEF Blade (my current speakers)

Legacy Aeris

 Klipsch Lascalas

Focal Sopra 3

I used a similar price point when shopping for my upgrade speakers and I tries a few on the list above, some had too much bass for my room 3400 cu/ft while some just didn’t sound right with my source. The Salon 2’s sounded really lean because my integrated didn’t drive them full range. 

The gent I bought a pair of Salon 1’s from had a huge open room with walls of windows and not enough window treatments and last I heard he still struggles with good sound in his room 10 years later. I could have started a business just buying and reselling his used speakers from him if I was a salesman.

Eventually you’ll have to put your faith in 1 of the speakers and build a complimentary system around them because the odds of getting lucky and dropping something in that sounds great from scratch are slim.

Have fun with it and try to get a demo of the DALI Epikore 11, might be special if you can find a second hand pair.

You should also look at Proac and consider a set of used Kef Blades

@steve59 WOW those models are 50k+ range. If win the lottery I would defiantly look into those models. As title states I am looking for new but I would consider high value old model speakers if they were 10-15 percent the original cost otherwise its better to buying brand new current model. Tah.

@hifiworld2024 Wrote:

 

$15,000 Floor-Standing Speaker Selection and Advice

JBL 4367 see here. 

Mike

legacy focus 

why?

96db efficient 

plays loud 

can handle a lot of power

great clarity while still being warm

state of the Art custom made heil AMT tweeter and midrange

very deep bass 22hz 

made in America

attractive real wood cabinets

upgrades possible in terms of adding advanced room correction via legacy wavelet processor.

dave and Troy

Audio Intellect NJ

Legacy dealers

ATC SCM 50 Passive or for a bit more ATC SCM 100 Passive

Your amp should be fine.

f you're looking to spend around $15K on a pair of floorstanders, I'd strongly suggest giving the Sonus Faber Olympica Nova III a serious look.

They hit a sweet spot between beautiful craftsmanship and genuinely musical performance. Not just warm and rich — they’re also detailed and dynamic without ever getting fatiguing. Great for long listening sessions and especially strong with acoustic, jazz, and classical, but they hold their own with more modern stuff too.

I’ve heard them paired with McIntosh gear and it’s an insanely good match. The synergy between the two brands just works — smooth, full-bodied, and immersive. If you want a speaker that feels like a long-term piece of furniture and a performance upgrade, the Nova III is hard to beat.

@hifiworld2024 oh if you have a subwoofer already then yes get the Perlisten and you're good to go.

The A21+ is incredible too so I think you're set in that section

Also yes Electrostatic speakers are akin to headphones... I'd rather headphones than such a Lazer focused dispersion pattern. No thank you on that.

And I'd rather you push the Perlisten as close to your front wall as possible before bending your speaker cables. Their roll off rate makes them front wall friendly. Do that so the integration with your subwoofer is fine

Sonner and spend the other $5K on music and room treatments. https://twitteringmachines.com/review-sonner-audio-legato-duo-floorstanding-loudspeakers/

@oster-sc-arkansas Sonus Faber line is strong candidate at this stage. For my ears they sound very smooth, dynamic and tight controlled bass slam. 

Thanks.

@hifiworld2024 I will add one thing that is sort of interesting. I sold a pair of Sonnetto VIII to a guy the other day and one thing that i hadn't noticed before was the little specks on the midrange driver. Doesn't effect the sound at all because it is a pattern that is on it. Just a piece of unique information to go off of. Not sure if you are a no grilles or grilles type of man. 

What sound characteristics are you looking for, what’s your budget and are you looking for new or used, and where are you located?

Take a look at the Volti speakers, like the Lucera, which are bulky, nice looking, and quite easy to drive.  They have a warm tonal balance and sound quite lively.  While they look like a plain box, the construction and finish of Volti speakers is first rate.  

@soix Thank you kindly for the speedy reply.

I will first note I am NOT an acoustic expert, so, I have limited knowledge in the field but per sound characteristics I am not sure as most speakers sound the same to me and for some reason Sonus Faber tickles my fancy. Out of all the speakers the SF sounds most pleasing and the bass response is wicked, and then there's Buchardt A700 WOW!!

My understanding is I need dynamics, agile bass, refined midrange clarity where you can hear the nuance in vocals and breaths.

I am located on planet earth, probably 1000s of kms from where you are but definitely from green earth. Lol.

Tah.

AS a Goldenear Triton reference speaker owner, I would suggest considering picking up a pair for @8K and if you want better sound consider upgrading the crossovers, internal wiring and binding posts for another 2.5K or so from humblehomemadehifi.com. See the What’s best forum for more information. These speakers are very highly regarded and a tremendous value at their current pricing. Best of luck to you.

How about Franco Serblin Accordo Essence Loudspeakers. I've heard these at Axpona and they checked all my boxes. 

Sonus Faber Amati TradtionThese pop up occasionally used. I bought a used pair and I LOVE them...! Maybe a stretch at $15k...?? Make a deal..! They are pretty wonderful.

Sonus Faber Amati Tradtion

here is a list

ignore the American brands as you may be in Europe, possibly Eastern Europe?

He is in Australia. Why ignore American brands?

At that price point there are MANY great choices.  It's such a bummer (to me) that it is so hard to demo many of them.  I ended up demo'ing a few, including Magico.  I ended up buying Raidho XT-2's several years ago.  Knowing what I know now, I would have bought them on the used market.  But they are fantastic.  I would add to your list:

Raidho

Borresen

Legacy

I have not auditioned Legacy.  And no knock on Magico, but I preferred the Raidho's.

Personally I'd stay away from actives.  Why?  Because the Class D amplification used inside the speakers won't last nearly as long as passive speakers.  My $2K sub died after a decade.  Who would want to spend $15K on a pair of actives, only to have an issue with one of the amps inside the speaker-- after a decade?  The warranty might be 3-5 years only, so you are out of luck if the active dies on year 6.

Good luck and let us know what you end up buying!

My vote goes to Avant-garde. 

A couple of used duo should do it ..

ATC

Offered in passive and active versions

@texasblues1959 because they would be the priced higher than local brands. Nothing wrong with them, it's just practical to chose items made in the area, less transportation costs. 

@iseland they are expensive and hard to place but ok

They are quite costly but in room that size they would really come alive. 

And in Europe you can easily find a pair for $15k US .

My 2 cents;

You can't just give a budget and room size and ask for loudspeaker suggestions. Well.....you can but good luck! 95% of the time the people who respond to such posts just recommend what they have. Silly. 

As others have said, you have to listen for yourself. 

Case in point is the recent Axpona exhibition of a $2M system featuring the reigning flavor-of-the-month Magico and their flagship monsters coupled with D'Agostino electronics. Today's version of the S'Phile website features a rave review of the sound. Check the 'net and various Youtube videos covering the show and some very experienced industry insiders, dealers, and experienced listeners could not get over how bad the sound was. The set-up was in a very large room but the Magico's arguably were still overpowering the room but here is the key-different people hear differently. Somebody else's gold may be your dog shite. 

One more thing-the very first response to your post recommended you get a huge subwoofer. News alert-going down to 20hz is not the be-all and end-all of good sound and it is not necessary for every listener. That is the hallmark, no offense, of not knowing much about this hobby. I recognize that false mental paradigm as my own when I was inexperienced at home audio. Almost 40 years ago I bought a pair of B&W 805's and falsely thought if I added a subwoofer I had all the frequencies covered and that was all I needed. Silly wabbit, trix is for kids!

Most people respond with the ones they chose. Understandably. 

For me a listening tour was necessary- and buying the ones I loved best at the best deal possible. 

I have Magnepan 3.7s, Bryston T-10 Actives, and love them both after much auditioning. They are used for different kinds of music therefore 2 pair.

Now I "need" a Wilson Watt Puppy 50th Anniversary speakers. And I'm looking for them used. Understandably. 

Get what you heard and loved. Then make sure your listening room matches the room you auditioned in. 

BTW my Cousin is a Sonus dealer (among other great brands). I get them at his cost (40-50% off retail) I had a pair- loved the craftsmanship and the snob appeal but the sound was dull to my ear.  Just me. I like French vanilla ice cream.  Maybe you like rum raisin. Make your own ears happy. Nobody's opinion who doesn't pay for your system matters. Only you happiness with your music matters. 

Acora MRC-3 will fill your splendidly. 

I will second the the couple of recommendations above for Legacy.

Focus SEs or Focus XDs are worth considering. Also any of the models above these if they fit your budget.  I believe you will be impressed for what these speakers offer for the price. 

If you had been in the USA, Canada or Italy I would have suggested used SF Serafino as there are several excellent examples for sale on Hi Fi Shark. If as suggested you are in Australia, like me, the chances of finding top end Sonus Faber speakers used are slim. If you have to go new then the SF Olympica Nova or something in the Dynaudio range are worth looking at. Unless you really like extremely analytic speakers with accentuated high end avoid B&W and Focal.

That's right everyone I am in Australia and I do not ignore American brands as they make some brilliant stuff but UK and Europe are go to countries when it come to speaker manufacturing as far as I'm aware. 

As per the guy mentioning getting a subwoofer was a bit absurd but i let him have his two cents worth of comment. A decent large driver floor-standing speakers can cover low frequencies very well. So justifying a sub for the propose is as one guy said silly. And he said "not true 20hz-20khz", what in the hell that means?? Human hearing is 20hz-20khz and most speakers can reproduce those frequencies very well. But again I let him have is .5 cent worth.

Tah all.

I own the Perlisten S7T’s they are amazing. I’ve owned many great speakers including Revel F28BE, B&W Nautilus 802’s, Paradigm Personas and more. They all had their strengths. I’m also a HT guy besides 2 ch. The Perlistens are wonderful. But as one might guess here, they are going up for sale. I’m building a dedicated HT room and the wife wants to not see larger towers, so in-walls are coming - just not sure which ones but Perlistens in-walls are on the short list. Just my 2 cents worth!

Music Direct has B-stock of the Revel Salon 2 for $7k each.

Crutchfield has the Revel PerformaBe F328Be for $6800 each.

I own Yamaha NS-5000's which are at your price point. They are efficiently sized for a maximum input wattage of 600. Woofer, tweeter, midrange are all made of the same Monel coated carbon fiber Zylon fabric. Hence no speaker at that power rating (for your large room) can match their tonal accuracy. 

The Zylon drivers are the result of Yamaha's desire to exit the beryllium market for the element's toxicity and difficulty to shape. Notice beryllium is ubiquitous in high end tweeters. Yamaha used it extensively. But they had the resources to leave it behind. 

Mine are on casters that screw into the spike locations on the included stands. It provides a 3 inch lift. They are driven by Wyred4Sound SX-1000R monoblocks, an Ice Module design capable of 1000+ watts at four ohms. So I never turn it all the way up. Previously they were driven by 500 watt Ice Modules which were OK but not as good, especially in the bass. The woofers have superb detail. 

This model is marketed with Yamaha's other high end homeowner gear. The amp has nowhere near enough power. The speakers were designed by a team of young engineers long after the ancient designs of the other gear were perfected. I read about them in their display at Yamaha's Innovation Road museum in Hamamtsu, Japan. 

NS-5000 has not been reviewed in U.S. popular media. I had to read an Australian site. It is an overgrown studio monitor of modest proportions to appeal to people who do not want their room dominated by huge speakers. My wife was at the counter paying for them before I had made up my mind. 

Hamamatsu, Japan that is.

I’ve become a Sonus Farber fan and currently own a pair a few notches above what you are interested in.  Over the years, I’ve listened to about half their line and have enjoyed them all.

You won’t be disappointed with the Vlll G2’s.

Fischer & Fischer 

We have a pair of Raidho XT3 on sale on Canuck Audiomart that are in your price point, or you could look for a pair of Fink Team KIM - great speakers!

If you're lucky for 15 grand you might find yourself a JBL Paragon which is the finest sounding speakers I've ever heard.

Another one here for Legacy speakers!
I have the Studio HDs, and my Step Father has the Focus SE and loves them.
Incredible detail, incredible sound staging and control, and realistic tangible timbre. 

https://legacyaudio.com/products/view/focus-se