$3000 Speaker Search

I apologize for being so late to chime in, but I would strongly support the Spatial Audio M3 Turbo recommendation. They are ideally suited to the criteria you have listed – especially the sound stage component. They are efficient, dynamic, and very musical. I spent a full year on a travel odyssey auditioning speakers to replace my Klipschorns – which I happily enjoyed for 17 years. I listened to many of the speakers on the list above. I settled on the Spatials and haven’t had a moment of regret. In fact, I’ve continued auditioning other speakers over the past two years, and my choice has been validated many times over. These are wonderful speakers, and so far I’ve not heard anything in their price range that would come close to making me consider trading them out. I hate to admit it, because I dearly loved my Klipshorns, but these surpass the K-horns in every way.  Since acquiring the M3s, I’ve become a sound stage connoisseur (maybe “junkie” is a better word). I’ve replaced my amplifier (now tubes) and some other upstream components with the intent of enhancing the soundstage, and the M3s have responded magnificently to every tweak. They are producing a sound stage that often has me shaking my head and laughing out loud at how amazing it is.  And they don’t sacrifice any detail in producing that sound stage.  Everyone’s tastes are different, but based on what you’re looking for, you really should hear these speakers.

Hi abd1 I was in the same predicament as you and scared as hell to buy with out listening. I had heard the b&w cm9 & 10 and was positive until my dad wrote me to try a speaker that was getting rave reviews. It came with a 30 day money back no issues they had a promotion going may still be going buy 3 speakers and get cables too. Anyway I after some burn I was sold, except I am OCD I do a small Nick almost crack and called in and they sent a new one immediately. Customer service is A+ and they recommend some power and ask what you have just to make sure it has enough power. I kept them until my dad wanted to trade for his b&w n802 I in away regret it because they have that sweet spot and look is awesome. The break in period is awesome to hear. Just my 2 cents good luck.

If Frisco isn't too far:
http://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649390911-canton-ergo-90-tower-speakers/

Great speakers, bargain price! I love my Ergo 1002DCs.

  If Spatials are something you are interested in, I recommend placing a call/email to Mr. Clayton Shaw, he is very knowledgeable and friendly. He can best answer your concerns and explain his models. There is also a U-Tube video from New Day Records that reviews Spatials. Towards the end of the video they (M3) are placed in a smaller room and reviewed. You may want to take a peek at that.

  In my opinion their design can work in many places that conventional speakers may have issues. I first purchased his Turbo S model (only the 4ohm speaker model was available at my time of ordering) which Mr. Shaw advised me that they might not be that compatible with my amp (he is a straight up guy) however, they sounded great and exceeded expectations. I have an amp that behaves like a tube (First Watt J2), so when the new model became available, I upgraded to the Triode Master 16ohm and haven't looked back. Both models are very good. Good luck with whatever you choose.

For those with Spatial speakers, would they work in my room? My speakers are about 7' apart and 9' from my MLP. The front of my speakers are about 18"-24" from the wall -- 24" is the max. The right speaker is open on one side and the left is in a corner. I thought Spatials need a lot of room around them to sound their best. I am very interested in these speakers as I've heard great things and they seem very tube friendly. Just not sure they'll work in this space.

Hello abd1,

I have not listened to any of the speakers on your list..... 

I went through a similar process a while back, wanting to upgrade to a nicer pair of speakers and listened to quite a few different systems trying to find the one speaker for me.

Well, as you know, that's a very tough process.

While auditioning speakers, one of the front runners were the Totem Forest Signatures.  I think you can find them very close to your price point on the used market.

Good luck with your search.

bassdude2,
I have not heard Wavetouch speakers, so I can't comment on their sound. But looking at the reviews, they look like they're from mostly a bunch of "no-names, as far as reviewers go. Other then getting a heads up on a product, I am very reluctant to trust a reviewer's opinion. I trust my own ears.....

Though... I should mention... that if you're sensitive about the appearance of your speakers... the WaveTouch Audio speakers have a bit of an "other worldly" appearance, and do not rival the "finish" of many others.  

My priorities, however, are the sound quality... not the appearance.  And... in that regard... there are few which compare.

bassdude2 - Not for nothing, but "most" is not "all".  As JGH used to say, if you haven't heard it, you don't have an opinion.

Most of them... and... yes, I can say this without reservation.

Read the reviews - not just my opinion, but those of many, many others.

If you don’t believe them... try these speakers and see for yourself... it will cost you nothing, but the price of the shipping.

By the way... my ideal choice of speakers would be the Legacy Audio Aeris, or some of the upper end Gamut’s, or Focal’s, or Magico’s, or Tannoy’s... but the WaveTouch Audio speakers with a very similar sound will do fine... at a much, much lower price.

@bassdude2

I don't doubt that these speakers are excellent, but when you say that "nothing else mentioned comes close to any of these," is this conclusion based upon extensive listening comparisons you have done with ALL of these speakers? I am just wondering how you arrived at this fairly startling conclusion.

That list of possibilities listed above is pretty extensive. It would be impressive indeed if you had heard them all.

These may be the "best speakers in the World" - certainly for their price and size - read the reviews, and you'll understand.

 I’ve got 2 pair - and... I’ve not heard anything to challenge them at many times their price. Though, they do have exceptional resolution of detail - if you’re not a fan of that.

http://www.wavetouchaudio.com/products.html

http://www.wavetouchaudio.com/reviews.html

Otherwise... I’d 2nd the recommendations of the Spatial Audio OB’s and the Magnestand’s (which I also have).

Nothing else mentioned comes close to any of these.

Room acoustics mean just as much as speakers. Speakers normally sound vise ve the equipment driving them and room acoustics combined. Tower speakers when combined with the right sub can be amazing! For your price range I’d shoot at Polk! What model depends on sub! Never heard towers solo that filled the bill. All the best.

Would recommend Pranafidelity Bhava speakers.

jjaudiosolutions.com

Very much enjoying my Revel Performa3 F206. Were a bit forward in the beginning, but as they break in they get better and better and better by the day.  They are cosmetically very nice, I like the magnetic grills.

Been a few late nights lately, just one more song....

Spatials are certainly a speaker I’m interested in but I thought they needed more room and space. I also think my wife will veto the looks. I think they have a modern 80s aesthetic that I like but she thinks they look weird. I think that spatials could work someday in my downstairs room. 

Not sure why you are so focused on 3 ways but I would further support you look at the Spatial Hologram speaker line.  You get a long period of to return if you don't like them but it is hard to believe you would not like the sound.  They do have an unusual look to them but are extremely room friendly and have a magic soundstage that makes them disappear when listening.  Obviously we mostly promote the speaker we have but I've been through a plethora of brands/sizes including several I built myself etc. and have no urge to look further at the moment with the Spatials.

I'm still trying to stick to a $3000 budget, but I know that even if I get the Salk Song3's, after any mods to the finish and shipping, I'll be closer to $4k, and even more if I go to the Song3-A. Money isn't so much the issue as value and the diminishing law of returns. If I here something for $5k, or even more, that I have to have and fits my room and aesthetics then so be it. I just feel that $3-4k should get me where I want to go. That all being said I went out yesterday and listened to the following speakers: 

Aerial Acoustics 6t
ProAc D20R
Spendor A6R
Focal Kanta (ok, that is out of range but they had just put them out that morning and I couldn't not listen to them)

I wasn't really impressed the Aerial Acoustics 6t. I wasn't seriously considering them but the dealer was selling the floor model so I thought I'd listen. Very handsome speaker and the midrange and a beautiful liquid sound to them. The highs were detailed, but a bit recessed for me. I was disappointed in the bass. I actually thought maybe they were being crossed to a sub, but the sub was turned off. However, that wasn't the case. Suprised since on paper they go down to the mid 30's but I just wasn't feeling anything. I think it may have been the setup. They were pretty close together and weren't the feature setup in the room. That was the AA 7t's. When I say between those I got the full bass and they sounded great. Either way, the 6t's were too big and too much for what I got out of them, so I moved on. I would say, and this isn't meant as a slight to Aerial Acousticis, but they reminded me of my Aperion Verus Grands. Definitely more refined and detailed, but they look similar and both have a relaxed, smooth sound. I would say the Aperions give you at least 90% of the performance at 1/3 the cost. Just saying, for anyone who's ever been interested in Aperion.

The next place I went to carries a lot of speaker brands: ProAc, Spendor, Focal, Dali, Rega, Elac, PSB... I didn't have all day and the sales guy insisted I listen to the ProAc D20R and the Spendor A6R for today. He said to start at the top of the budget and work down and once you get to a point where you feel like you're giving up too much then you know where you need to be (good sales tactic).

So started with the ProAcs, which I loved. I know I said I wanted a 3-way, but I guess if the speaker delivers it delivers, and this delivered. It was like listening to my Totems on steroids, and with a smoother, lush top end, more detail and very dynamic. Really a great speaker, and handsome. However, I have some aesthetic issues with ProAc. First, I hate that they put the binding posts so high up. Makes me pay for longer cable and I don't like have cables hanging, and I HATE that you can easily see the posts for the grills when they're off. These aren't dealbreakers but if they had lower posts and magnetic grills they would be almost perfect. I was impressed with the tweeter. It was the first ribbon tweeter I've heard and it sounded airy, detailed, but not cold or harsh. It actually sounded a bit rolled off at the very top and I could listen to it all day.

Next was the Spendor A6R. I loved these as well, but they're a small step down from the ProAcs in performance (as they should be for $1000 less). Aesthetically they are similar to the ProAcs, but they put the posts in the right spot and do a better job concealing the posts with grill removed, but they're still there. I wish manufacturers would all use magnets! Anyway, another handsome speaker that would look great in my space and that I know my wife would like. How did they sound? Excellent as well, but a bit lighter in presentation compared to the ProAcs. The tweeter was great, with great air and detail, but not quite as natural as the ProAcs. Bass was tight and detailed, but with just a little less weight than the ProAcs. Imaging and soundstage were almost exactly the same, and both were excellent, similar to my Totems. I would be very happy with these speakers as well.

So, I was getting ready to leave but wandered upstairs where they were breaking in the Focal Kanta speakers that just arrived. Wow! Stunning look. Not for everyone, but certainly makes a visual statement. I saw pics earlier and didn't love them, but in person with the grey front and wood wrapped back they were stunning. And, the sound was intoxicating. Bass was super deep and smooth and detailed. The beryllium tweeters had so much air and texture it was amazing. It was a treat to hear these. They had only been out 2 hours, so when I go back to hear more options I will definitely sit with these for a couple tracks. Maybe one day...

Anyway, no decisions yet, but moving along.

Also, I respect Tektons and want some eventually for downstairs, but not this room. 

Tekton either Double Impact or Enzo XL's.

About two years ago I changed from ProAcs to Sonus Faber Venere 2.5. I drive them with an old Arcam integrated amp and use an Arcam cd player and streaming from Tidal as my music sources. They sound terrific in my 18' by 30' living room and they look great. I have been very pleased with these speakers and would buy them again. Rock music sound wonderful on them as well. My goal is to upgrade to a tube amp but not gotten there yet. Consider the Sonus Fabers.

I’ve been running my upgraded Reference 3a Veena with a Primaluna Dialogue Premium for about 3 years.  These speakers love tube power. Spectacular match.

I know you mentioned floor standers but if you have the opportunity to demo the new Dyn S40's (stand mount) you may be very surprised how big they sound for being a monitor. MSRP for the S40 is 3K but not sure what the stand6 retails for. I had Dyn C1's driven by an Octave V70se and to me it was a match made in heaven. I found with the Octave/Dyn combo the original Tung Sol 6550 black plates (expensive) sounded the best. Ei KT90's were second best. You may want to also think about changing the input/driver tubes to Mullards to iron out some of the 'etchy' sound from the hawks.

Congrats on the 20 years and best of luck

 

What happened to your $3000 budget? The Spendor D7 is $7000 and the others that you are checking out are over 3 grand!

In threads like this, everyone will inevitably recommend their favorite brand of speaker(s), and in many cases, with no considerations for the placement challenges or the gear. The MMG suggestion is a perfect example. I said this before, you can get a lot more performance from the Hawks by some very simple room treatment and/or placement tweaks. That would apply to any new speakers  you get if you have the burning itch to change.

The Double Impact are by far the best I have heard at that price point. You need to get them in the gloss finish to look nice and get the grills so the unconventional driver array is covered for your wife.

Used something, because you can get like-new speakers for a little over half price (plus shipping).  This is particularly true in this price range, as people are always upgrading to macho-grade audio equipment.  I got Revel F212's for $2700.  Love 'em.

I would add WLM Diva monitors or La Scala floor standers given the gear

If you can get the speakers a couple feet away from the walls, you might try the Vandersteen 1ci. I just picked up a pair and I'm amazed at how much better they are than many higher priced speakers I've heard, some of which are on that extensive list in the second post. I've also heard the 2CE but that was years ago. Vandersteen speakers play the the full decay of notes that other speakers simply cut off. They also have far more pleasant tonal balance than most.

The 1ci is about 88 db sensitivity (realistically) with a minimum impedance of 4.8 ohms, which is no sweat for a tube amp in your room size.

Harbeth Compact 7es3

I'm loving mine!

I 2nd the vote for Spatial Audio if you are looking for high efficiency or have room concerns. Although, I would look at the Triode Masters which are a little more, but well worth it in my opinion. I have owned Tekton (Enzo) in the past, nice speaker, however my Spatial TMs take my system to another level and are quite good for the price.

I have owned or heard a number of speakers on your list and I vote for the Spatial Audio Speakers.  They are by far the more enjoyable speakers I have ever owned and are very easy to drive.  They fit very well in your budget.  

At shows, the Spendors, Harbeths and Revels have always stood out as exceptional sounding speakers in that price range.  I came from Dynaudios and if I had to do it again I would probably step up my upgrade path through one of those brands.

You could get a pair of Gunned Maggies for that price. I have a pair of MMG's that Peter did for me and they are phenomenal.

Given your preferences, I recommend you try and listen also to Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Baby Grands.  There's something very special about that model.

Revel. Love the F206 in particular. Superb build quality and sound way beyond it’s price class. 

I think I’m going to demo the ProAc DT8, Spendor A6 and D7 and possibly some other models from Focal this weekend....

+1 Twoleftears.  Proac and Silverline would seem to provide what you're looking for, and I'll add Joseph Audio as well.  Tough to find 3-way Proacs or JAs in your price range, but there's a pair of Silverline LaFolias at a bit over your price that would be really sweet and a huge step up from your Hawks.  Not sure why you're limiting to 3-ways as there are lots of 2- or 2.5-ways out there that go pretty deep.  Anyway, best of luck. 

I am interested in Tekton, but not for this room. I already know my wife enough that with 1 look she would nix those in our living room. She is supportive of me having speakers, but they have to look good, and the Tektons I know won't pass. However, I have a 12x16 theater/music room downstairs that they would work in. However, I'm pleased with my current setup there for now. So that room will have to wait.

I used Ref 3A de Capos with my Primaluna PL2 and love them plenty loud.  Use the de Capos with a 4 watt sep tube amp and better sound just no complaints from the neighbors

Acoustic rock or any halfway descently recorded rock/ metal on the Tekton DIs is epic. Probably way overkill for your room though. Favorites are Alice In Chains acoustic live and Eric Clapton live. Maybe Impact monitors or Electrons would be a good fit. 
I'm gonna be proactive here and say "Kiss It" to whoever is inevitably going to call me a fanboy. Gotcha first 😘. 

ProAc Studios, or look at Silverline for even more efficient and sweet-sounding speakers.

Spendor A5R would be a nice fit. I’ve owned Spendor floor standers in the past and they always sounded great!
http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/94318/Spendor-Spendor_A5R_Stereo_Speakers-Speakers

Your current system is very good. If it were me, I would first play with some room treatment, especially the corner and behind the speakers and see if you can "warm up" the tone a bit. Your main challenge is the lack of symmetry between the two speakers and the huge open area. It would help if you could somehow "break" that space by putting a plant or something to create some refraction. I honestly think you’ll find it difficult to better the Hawks by much with only $3000 unless you just want a different sound. Finally, the Totem models I've heard; Arro, Forest, also seem to respond well to power; more power they get the warmer they sound. Good luck.

These may be worth entertaining...

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/monitors-2017-10-21-speakers

All good options. I would definitely consider the Elacs, but doesn't look like they're very efficient, and I would want a floor stander. I had the B5's, B6;s and UniFi bookshelves before and liked them all, especially for the cost. I considered Zu and may try some, but the style is hit and miss and I'd have to have my wife's approval on that. Tannoy's are a definite possibility and I wish I could afford a set of floorstanders that have the alnico driver. Maybe a used pair will somehow come up within my budget. I posted a message on the Salk forum and Jim said they had used tube amps with the Song3's and they sounded great. I do have a Peachtree Nova 220se that I could use for more power but I prefer the sound of the Primaluna/Eastern Electric combo overall, but I think the PL and Song3's should be fine.

I always see Salks paired with pretty hefty amps; I'm not sure if that's a cause for concern, or just what the manufacturer prefers.  The Song3 did look & sound real nice when I heard them last year, though.

The best advice is to demo as much as you can; ideally bring your amp to see if it's a decent pairing (unless you're okay with another an upgrade). 

I happened to fall in love with the ProAc Studio 148 after listening to one song (discontinued; I believe the DT8 is the replacement).  It just let the emotion through--without sacrificing either treble or bass extension--more than anything else I heard in that price bracket assuming your standard living room look. And this was with my humble Dayens amp; I've just upgraded to a First Watt M2 amp (amazing!), with even less watts (40@4ohms) and have no issues with power or loudness.  

Looking at cordobaman's list only the Tannoy and Zu stand out as being both more efficient and traditionally attractive.  

Hope this helps.

Audiokinesis Prisma is dynamic, tube friendly and very adjustable.

http://www.audiokinesis.com/prisma.html