5-10k budget... so many choices


So its that time of year where I get to combine my tax return and annual bonus.  I am looking at stepping into the world of hi-fi and the more I research the more questions I have.  I am mainly looking at creating a 3.2 soundstage for 50/50 home theater and music listening.  I originally started out with a budget of 5k but after listening to step ups I am open to increasing my budget to ~10k.  I have listened to the B&W 702's, 804's, 803's the GoldenEar Reference, the Focal Kanta 2's, and Martin Logan 60t's.  After listening I was quickly able to eliminate the ribbon style of the Martin Logan, as for the GoldenEar's and the lower B&W's I was impressed with the accuracy and composure of both speakers and could have otherwise been quite content but it all changed once I heard the Focal's and 803's. I truly felt them, they gave me that indescribable goosebump feeling and I dont know if I can go back.  So far if I had to pick one, I would hands down go with the Focals, but since I am starting from the ground up I want a speaker that can grow with my setup.  Initially I will be using a Marantz 7012 AVR but will eventually add either 2 channel or dual mono block amplification.  At any rate I was curious what other speakers in this range give that feeling of experience and presence, the goosebumps.  Ideally I would like to be able to incorporate a center channel and dual subs but at this point I put more priority on the quality and clarity of the towers as they are the stars of the show.  Anyway I appreciate and thank you for any feedback and ideas.

Cheers
lowspark

Showing 2 responses by gdhal

...I really want to stick with 3 channel setup. I totally get the rationale behind the 2 channel configuration and that may be how I start but I love movies and I dont know if I could do without the center.

You mentioned you heard the Golden Ear Triton Reference but preferred the Focal's and 803's. Keep in mind Golden Ear also makes (very good) center channel speakers. 
I never felt the need for a centre speaker.

You might (or really should) depending on the the of music you listen to. I’ve already undeniably pointed out (elsewhere on the forum in another thread) that the ability to reproduce lower than 30 Hz is a *requirement* in the case of Grateful Dead (90’s in particular) music. Also the case if you listen to classical where there are pipe organs involved.

The aforementioned said, I never felt the need for a "stand alone" center speaker, hence once reason I chose Golden Ear Triton Reference.