85 db or more efficient speaker recommendations


Starting with my system and preferences to narrow things a bit:

Nottingham Spacedeck with upgraded Van den Hul silver cable, Boston Audio graphite mat, Origin Live gravity weight, SME309 arm with a bit of extra mass and resonance damping, Hana Umami red cartridge, Hagerman Trumpet MC with Telefunken smooth plate ax7’s and Valvo 3 mica e83cc, extra damping, crystal cable, Cayin A 300B amp with Takayuki 300 B tubes and various nos tubes, anti cables and zero autoformers, Omega AlNiCo junior speakers, Omega subs, various other tweaks, bases, isolation and room treatments.  I listen mostly to classical and older rock and folk (think CSNY, Moody Blues, Yes, Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell).

My main priorities are large holographic sound stage with excellent imaging, nice musical coherence (not a sterile or clinical analytic sound).  Less important is the last little bit of inner set or perfect FR.  Good dynamics too.

seeking recommendations that might do better than the Omegas for speakers.  Price limit $6,000 per pair new.  The Omegas are really very good for the price, just wondering if I can do better.

What a hobby/disease!

thanks for any input.

oceanica

I have Omega's myself- the Super 8 Junior XRS. Agree with you- very difficult to beat them. In fact I have an amp from them (tube)- maybe I am the first customer-  on the way from CT to Dubai as I write this. I only ordered them thinking if Louis makes such great speakers his amp has to be good.  Enough of my digression- to answer your question: I would say Klipsch. I have owned (and loved) the RF 8000F II. Of course the Heritage series looks and sounds great too.

The Living Voice Auditorium series is 94dB, which, for all practical purposes, is close enough to your specification. They sound fabulous, the veneers are some of the best I have ever seen, and they play nicely with tubes (albeit tubes aren't my thing).

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I assume you meant 95dB@2.83V/1m.

 

 

 

If you’re open to taking some DIY and maybe doing some aesthetic polishing, and woodwork, to make it look less stock in visual, I’d recommend this - https://www.diysoundgroup.com/home-theater-speaker-kits/titan-815lx-kit.html

 

 

Sensitivity rating of 98dB@2.83V/1m

 

 

 

You can send them an email to ask details and what you want clarificat

ion on @oceanica