5-10k budget... so many choices

I'm in your price range chasing the magic and its got me stuck in analysis paralysis. I've ended up leaning toward the new Dynaudio Contours but have not pulled the trigger yet. 

Lowspark
i am Seattle lesser .... offer still stands but
Victor and Bob at Advanced will take great care of you

as for the Seattle area ?
stores in Silverdale, Gig Harbor, Tacoma, and at least 3 in Seattle proper, plus another Lynn wood, so decent....some shops run out of homes that come and go....

I had the opportunity to listen to the f208 by revel and the 1028 be, kanta and sopra 2 by focal.  All were powered by a Macintosh 5200 integrated and rega cd player. 

The room was setup wider side having the speakers against it and not any acoustical treatments on the walls.  No doubt the audio equipment tested would sound better in a room setup for listening specifically.  I asked why the room had no acoustic treatment other than defusers set behind the speakers?  The sales person said we want to portray the speakers in an environment similar to what you would have in a typical home.

The revel F208 was the most linear and balanced speaker I have listened to upto the 5k  range and I would have been completely happy with these had i never listened to a speaker with beryllium tweeters or mid range.  The detail and image of speakers with beryllium are just in an entirely different league to my ears.

The 1028 be was a pleasant speaker but not for me.  This speaker was the most focused sharpest imaging speaker I have listened too to date.  There seemed to be a bit of over emphasized areas in the highs and the lows that seemed to come and go depending on music type (it felt like certain frequency ranges were over compensated for which caused an unnatural bump).  Perhaps the room was somewhat to blame but the same room and equipment powering others were all much smoother to my ears.

The Kanta was a great speaker very smooth and slightly laid back driven by the equipment in the test room.  I enjoyed the detail and sound stage that was nice and in focus although not as hyper focused as the 1028 be.  Great overall speaker it is very close to the persona 3f I listened too before.  The personas have just a sweeter mid and top end where the kanta plays down lower more linear than the personas.  I personally would want a sub with either but the kanta can get away without one.

The sopra 2 was a great speaker sounding very much like that kanta and it just had a little more of everything from detail to low end extension.  The one thing that was odd to me about this particular setup was the image was very forward with these.  The image was also unnaturally wide an even with the front speakers or even slightly forward of that.  Again this is probably due to the room setup and lack of acoustical treatments. I have seen these 15k speakers demo or used for 11k or so many places which makes them a bargain.

(((I am completely taken back by your continued mention of Raidho speakers being “bright” or too detailed. They have perhaps the most magical tweeter on the planet. I haven’t ONCE heard them sound bright or fatiguing in any way.)))

I think what he meant was Raidhos can be hard to live with as not being able to play with the finesse on voicing, for example, One of our listeners that had the 70K plus Raidhos found female voices hard to live with its multiple drivers blending or transition and traded into Vandy 7s, now very satisfied.
 
As for the OP the Vandy Treo CTs should definitely be on his list as he may also discover and appreciate its unique Time correct design works as well ..
Best,
JohnnyR

Well he very obviously didn’t mean that if you read his posts.   Also not sure what you’re talking about with female vocals.  Never heard anyone mention that about Raidho speakers before.  

I don’t disagree with your recommendation of Vandersteens though.  :)

It would seem we were in the same boat and I we chose Focal originally we did 2-1 then 3-1. Then 5-2.  What really sold us was the sound and the expansion.  I like focal for a lot of music but what my wife loved was the Movie experience.  Focal is where that is and you can’t go wrong!  I paired the focal with Anthem amps. 


We do have our own music room, and that runs a completely different setup but, Focal is hard to beat, I like Spendor (can’t really expand as far as home theatre) and a quality tube amp the best! B&W (top of the line) is fantastic as well Focal but $10,000.00 won’t do it unless buying used.  

My current home theatre setup is $20,000.00 not all at once of course.  My listening room is triple that if not quadruple!  $10,000.00 is a great start!  I am still impressed by Focal and better yet the wife actually shows it off! It really is beautiful setup!  

Lowspark, I was at RMAF all 3 days this past October and had the opportunity to hear most of the speakers mentioned in this thread. One, and only one of them made me want to upgrade; the Focal Kanta. Upon first listen I just melted into my seat and did not want to get up. Acoustic instruments and voices seemed convincingly real. They are detailed without being bright, imaging and soundstage were just right, but most of all they had an organic quality that was irresistible. My wife joined me on Saturday and her response to the kantas was identical to mine. We kept coming back to this room, but the biggest problem was getting visitors to give up their seat. Everyone that heard them seemed gobsmacked.
By comparison, some $10,000 floor standers down the hall sounded boring and even a bit irritating (poor setup was a contributor)
The Kantas were driven by all Naim gear.
I haven’t heard them again since RMAF because if I do, I’ll likely be $10k poorer.
We also heard the Sopra 2 and preferred the Kantas. Sure, the Sopras did some things better, but they didn’t have that same organic quality of the Kantas. As always, this is just a subjective opinion based on my particular taste.

Seattle: in the university area, you've got a great cluster of three, Hawthorne, Audio Connection, and Definitive, and downtown Tune was very welcoming too.

I still have a few speakers left to listen too but I picked out the amp for my new system and bought it today.  I picked a PS Audio BHK 250 to keep me going until I can listen to a few more speakers including the new Magicos that should be out in the next few weeks. 

I like the New Technics $5K Speakers very much for the price. A great Integrated like the Naim Star with a hard drive gives you streaming and a Powerful system. Add a Pair of REL Sub Bass Systems and you are good.
Aerial Model 9 would be great in Preowned if you have a BIG Room. Amazing. Just took a pair in trade.
If you blow your budget, I have a MINT pair of Audio Physic Aventara with custom WEL Signature Wiring and Custom feet a $6000.00 Valur for $12,500.00
Aerial Model 7T, and Sabrinas would be bitchin too !

What a busy weekend... it didnt all go according to plan but I still got some quality listening time in.  I went back to audition the Kanta's again but this time I also got to hear the Spora 2's which is where I started. 

First off my thoughts on the Sopras... they are pretty big and the increased driver size was definitely noticeable.  They extended low and punched deep but never seemed to sound "boomy".  I feel like there was more room in the high end and they just never seemed to quite reach that upper ceiling to give them that sense of a truly dynamic sound.  Im not really knocking them, they were incredibly clean and produced a full sound but they seemed more geared towards modern bass forward music.  I also felt that the mid levels, especially percussion, kind of took a back seat.  They were driven with McIntosh tubes which may have played a role in their overall sound.  What was really interesting was after listening to the Sopras I went to the back and listened to the Kanta/Naim combo I had fallen in love with.... To my surprise that gushy feeling they gave me was gone... The Kanta's sounded much more forced and almost bright.  I listened at the same levels I had previously and they almost felt fatiguing, they were still punchy and dynamic and lively but I found myself wanting to back them down, not push them forward as I had before.  Im not sure if that is a result of listening to the Sopra first but it definitely made me scratch my head.  I spent about 45 minutes listening to all kinds of content and I just couldnt back to that place they took me to when I first heard them. 

Saturday I got a late start and wasnt able to get out to Silverdale to hear the Legacy's but I did make it to Tacoma for a good audition of the Vandersteens.  All I can say is WOW, what a totally different speaker and experience.  They had recently shuffled their demo room around and only had an Anthem AVR driving Treo's, so we listened to several CDs through an OPPPO unit.  Even with the minimal setup these speakers still came alive.  Their sound is incredibly unique, they made the music we listened to come alive.  The separation was unreal, they created and presented a truly LIVE sound stage.  At first he put on Dave Mathews and I asked him if it was one of their live albums, to my shock and surprise it was just the studio version of Under the Table and Dreaming.  The way the Vandersteens isolated each instrument and element of the recordings was phenomenal, the speakers just disappeared.  The sound was rich, it was full, and it had an airiness to it.  I wouldnt say the sound was fragile but it had a definite delicateness to it.  Looking back and comparing them to the Focals the best way I can describe my impression is this, the Focal's were like an electric guitar, plugged in and turned up to 11, where as the Vandersteen's were like an acoustic guitar with a richer more intimate and soulful sound.  They really are that different.  One thing that was really refreshing about the audition was the room had absolutely zero treatment so in theory I got to hear them in basically a "home" type of environment.

Im still no closer to a decision and if anything I am even more torn, its like loving ice cream and having to choose between chocolate or vanilla.  They are so different but at the same time both so good.  A consideration that I am realizing is I need to take into account my space.  The room itself is big, but its awkward.  After rearranging my furniture orientation I will be seated about 6 ft from the speakers and at best I will be able to position them 7.5 ft apart.  If I had to be pressed into a choice today I think I would have to give the nod to the Vandersteen's.  I really want to love the Kanta's but I just cant get the taste of their last listening out of my mouth, Im afraid that they will end up just being dominating in my home.  I still have plenty of time before I have to decide and I no doubt will spend several hours with both speakers again.  Im also going to try and get some time with the Revel's and Paradigms.

In the 5-10k range I’d definitely consider Revel’s new 10k speaker which may or may not be available right now. Don’t know model no but it’s definitely been announced and Revel is great stuff. Kevin V is a great designer backed with a big budget.

The fact that your impressions of the Kantas did a 180 is suspicious.  Same exact setup?  That’s...  odd.  They didn’t move them since you were last there?

@lowspark  Great update on your Saturday demos!

I also want to commend you on keeping the thread updated with your posts and journey and in such a detailed and excellent manner. 

So many Post Originators (OPs) disappear or contribute minimally. 

As you found out, even the short journey so far has some interesting twists and turns. 

I’ve been reading this forum thread, and in particular the speaker comparisons of @lowspark and others, with great interest since I am also thinking about buying a new pair of speakers in the $5-10K range and upgrading my AVR system. I’m hoping to be able to soon listen to the new Elac Adantes, which have received rave comments from people who have listen to them. I’ve also been reading the Tektron DI’s rave reviews, but find these speakers to be too big. Unfortunately living in the California Bay Area, my home is small and we only have space in the living room for the AVR/stereo system. My wife would probably get a heart attack if the ungainly DI’s were suddenly placed in the living room. I’ve been considering the smaller, but still imposing and somewhat ungainly, Tektron Electrons as an alternative to the DIs. Another alternative are the soon to be released Magico A3s, which were recently favorably compared with the Sopra No2s. (http://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/product-debuts/magico-a3-december-2017/739-magico-a3-louds...). I’m also checking for used B&W 803 D3s, but these speakers seem to elicit widely diverging comments (some people love them, while others hate them). I guess that I have to spend more time listening in addition to reading forums and reviews.

I see that there's already a pair of Kanta no.2's on here for sale.  4 weeks old.  That can't be a good sign.

Eh, the only thing that would give me pause about the Kantas is that they are a bit "smallish" for the price.  I wonder about the deep bass capabilities.  The 1038 BE ii are larger, heavier, with more bass drivers, and are rated deeper in the bass, and you still get the beryllium tweeter.  You also can get them for around $7K.  I'm afraid I wouldn't be satisfied with the deep bass on the Kantas.  I'm guessing that they live up to the reviews in all other areas.

@lowspark   Any updates? Were you able to audition the Legacy speakers?