I meant Borresen 05 but could o longer edit my previous comment.
Here is a video of them anyway.
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The question of bespoke speakers is an interesting once, actually.
Numerous good small companies do, or would probably, "build to suit" : GR, Salk, Selah, Vapor, Fritz. I've listed to all of these, and owned a pair of GR's, and all are excellent (different presentations for different tastes, noted).
But all of them build to way lower pricepoint. Even Rick Craig's dramatic line arrays at Selah probably don't tickle a quarter of the pricepoint in the OP. Interesting question what these guys would do with a blank check, or whether one could approach a luxury maker with a custom request. "Err do you think you could make those Wilson's sound a bit less etched?" 😉
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@jdoris That is a very tasty anecdote, thankyou for sharing. I so much enjoy people with Didi’s quiet and modest disposition of character. Strength. Nod, smile, "Ï know, thankyou". As @acresverde noted here on the first page, the Ultimate Reference is rated at 6 ohms with 1st order XOs, and its also 2dB more sensitive at 92dB. That rocks my boat. Maybe I need a bigger boat while I’m at it, coz they’re getting very heavy at 120kg. |
@jdoris You make a great point. An interesting question is raised by the OP's post, namely, can the price point separating audio quality from audio bling be identified? |
@hilde45 First an agreed upon definition of "bling" would have to be identified. Is that fair? |
@noske I'm open to hearing people's criteria for distinguishing "sonics" from "bling." |
@hilde45 I'm open to hearing your own objective criteria by what you mean by bling. Its simply not fair to ask a question and not be clear about exactly what you are asking. |
Exotic veneer or high end automotive finish is obviously bling.
But does finish account for a high percentage of costs on luxury speakers? I dunno. 10 v. 2 bucks per sf. of veneer doesn't add up to much.
A lot of stuff that kinda feels bling-y, like the multi-piece cabinets on the big Wilsons, is of course supposed to positively influence sonics.
Since Maggie's have been mentioned, interesting to note they are relatively low bling free - a sock is a sock 😊 - and their flagship model is much less expensive than many luxury speakers to which it might be compared. |
OP here... the swipes are so unnecessary. I'm literally just doing a personal comparative study using information from the community. No need to direct digs at the price point. While I realize (now) that I opened myself up for it when I put the price point in the post, I am really just trying to get at what compares to the Alexx Vs and Aidas, because I had the privilege of listening to both recently. Price point is one way to measure comparability, and there have been some other very helpful comments doing comparisons from other perspectives. I am grateful and appreciative for all the productive comments and wisdom so far. THANK YOU! And FYI, I like gear and expanding my audiophile horizons, regardless of whether I can afford any particular product(s) I am looking at. I thought most of us were like that in here. Should be about the learning and enjoying, not the swiping. |
op we are enthusiasts here, but "most of us" don’t have speakers costing 6 digits your practically content-less, context-less initial post smacked of trolling - when i see something that smacks of trolling, i can’t resist a similarly troll-like retort at times... sometimes 🤗 your reply just now lets others take you more seriously... maybe... that said, you seriously think you’ll get a number of meaningful responses to your post? - i can go onto rennlist (the porsche forum), and ask, yo, so what's the best porsche you’ve owned over $1,500,000? go!!! ... what kind of replies do you think would result? (answer -- a lot just like what you’ve had here) - most readers would do a huge eyeroll... merry christmas, no harm intended, lil dig is just fun...
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When I get my sweepstakes winnings, I'll be happy with Steinway & Sons Model B or C speaker system. I can't wait to hear them before final decision. If their sound isn't to my liking, I'll probably use this guide in finding my dream speakers: https://www.stereophile.com/content/recommended-components-fall-2021-edition-loudspeaker-systems |
@jjss49 I think i spent that on tires for the flashed X-50 Turbo. For the “ bling “ crowd, i had the Turbo badge deleted and a stealthy coat of Slate Grey applied…. Rennlist eyeroll indeed… I am a naked carbon fiber robot, no bling veneer will…..adhere.. |
haha i fully debadged my bugatti but it still gets keyed at in and out burger wtf - no respect for even the low keyed top 0.1%ers these days - the world is going to hell in a hand basket 😁 |
Thankyou, this goes to my wish for clarification about what is bling? I’m thinking of the AGD Audion which has been discussed a bit here. Some see the tube which appears a marketing ploy, is that bling? It has that aspect, but it is also a deliberate functional part of the design - it affords easy replacement if and when upgrades become available (perhaps every year or so? Its already on MKII). The Audion is available in matte or chrome. Is chrome bling? Is matte bling? Does it serve a function? (hmm, second time I’ve used that word) Some people who are blessed to have a very extraordinary utility such as the Audion and which is gunna be sitting peering down at you from its esteemed pedestal for the next 100 years may wish it to be chrome rather than matte for their aesthetic preferences. Or matte rather than chrome. Does that choice contribute to the utility that the owner derives? It certainly does not contribute to sonics. No correlation here at all with sonics and aesthetics. What was the question? |
You are either crazy, a multi millionaire, robbed a bank, and on top of all that, are not married, or have a very understanding wife....even if all this were the case, I would not be blowing 130k on a pair of speakers. Just think about it....let's see, the cabinet is either made of a wood product or metal, neither of which are That rare or expensive, the drivers are either metal, paper, or plastic, nothing wild there, and the crossovers are mafe from off the shelf parts... this all being true, what in He$$ would justify the cost?? Maybe I'm missing something. For that money, I could put a heck of an addition on my house. To each there own, and i don't care what you or anyone does, but personally I think it's nuts.
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at that level, $100k or $130k are competitive. Raidho has speakers at that price. I believe the TD3.8s are about that price and are a great speaker. Wilson Benesch is in process of replacing the Cardinal. I don’t have timing for when that speaker will be introduced. At the moment, there is nothing between the $75-$85k resolutions and the $250k eminence. there is the flagship Vivid Giya G1 Spirit but it is not quite in that price class at $86k. I am certain Marten has something in that range, not sure about exact model. I am sure Borresen has a speaker in that price range. I would guess Magico, YG and Rockport have something in that range. Not sure about exact model. MBL definitely should be in your considered set. Kharma and Tidal/Vimberg might also have an entry. I am not sure exact models and pricing that should give you a good list of brands to explore. I am certain there are other but this should give you an adequate selection. I am a Raidho, Vivid and Wilson Benesch dealer which is why I know more about them than the others.
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Discussion of speaker must include the entire set up, what is driving them, room set up, of which the variables are infinite. My current room has Totem Element Metals driven by VTL pre and amp, set into the corner of a room…IMO, sounds fabulous with a huge stage, incredible depth, and voices are as if the singer were 12 feet in front of you. Have never heard better even with set ups costing twice as much (over $100m). My set up has multiple acoustic elements to limit sound bouncing around room. I also added a sub, primarily for vibe below about 50hz. Virgil Fox sounds like he is playing in my room. So, maybe most of the money needs to go into the room and set up… I am guessing to arrive at the final positioning my speakers were moved about thirty times, some moves being in the half inch variety. and now, the real issue, age of listener, actual ability to hear differences, True confessions… will not disclose my age, but my daddy bought me my first Porsche in 1960…. LOL |
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After having a pair of Rockports Hyperion for 11 years, hooked up on huge poweramps i deceided to move to a High eficient speaker and a low watt amp. My decision went to Sigma Acoustic: Maat Vector XDC which i beleave starts at around 165k€. There are many ultra highend speaker but these have captured my heart for sure. With 100db and flat 8 Ohm i can now use single ended tube as solid state amps and this has been a very very nice expirience. End of story would be that after having them a year, i would buy them again. Happy chrismas and hopeful we get a lot of good music. regards
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If I went to a dealer looking for speakers and his first question was "what's your budget?", I would consider that inappropriate. Starting off by quoting your budget is probably not going to give you meaningful responses, whether the question is hypothetical or not. Let us know your room size and if it is dedicated for listening. Let us know what the rest of the system is and what types of music are favoured. Let us know if you have a proclivity for box speakers as opposed to panels, horns, etc. There are great speakers at every price point but a more info would help. Go!
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Sad state of affairs when the peanut gallery can't give advice and instead insult or joke ad nauseum. IME for $130K new I would recommend Magico M3s, Vivid Audio Giya G1 Spirits, Rockport Lyras and Vandersteen 7 XTRMs are all excellent. I would augment all with a pair of JLA Gothams. This all assumes your room is large enough to accomodate such speakers.
GLWTS!
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Good question (because I’ve had the pleasure of listening to all the speakers I mention). |
why not consider second hand. Usually at that price level the speakers have been very well maintained, look like new or possibly have a little tiny something somewhere, but are sold at half the price. At this moment several up for sale at audiogon, including a pair of Gryphon Pendragons, for much less than your price point. |
Tidal speakers. Period.
I have heard many of the suggestions listed above. However, there has only been one system that had me 100% completely fooled that there was not an actual piano playing in the room. Tidal Contriva G2's with a whole Bricasti front end. It literally brought a tear to my eye and a moment in my life that I will never forget.
Good news, they are about half of the OP's budget. |
There is no universal best, of course. Not to one pair of ears, certainly not to many ears. Magico would not be on my list. If I had 130k burning a hole in my pocket I’d buy a very nice pair of 30k or less speakers, like what I have. Then buy a decent Porsche. Call me practical, a penny pincher, thrifty… |
I’ll bite… Last year, around this time, my wife asks just how much spend had occurred over the year, she was noticing the new cartridge (Etsuro Gold), the new phono stage (CS Port), and the new bespoke phono cable (LFD). Since we’re in our 60’s, she says that kind of outgo sure can’t be the norm in retirement. We discussed the speakers (Wilson Alexia v1) were getting long in the tooth, would probably be the next thing to upgrade while we’re both working. So, like the OP, what speakers would be candidates? I enjoyed my Alexia, so Alexia 2 were of course an option but those are due for an upgrade to v3. Alexx V were on the table, probably near the top of possible options. That puts a lot of speakers into the possibility mix with a caveat of what is available to listen to within reasonable range. I could see myself driving 3 or 4 hours max to hear some speakers, or hopping a flight but the silver tube isn’t a place I like to hang so again, a few hour flight probably max range. I’m in Portland so my range was essentially the west coast to mid-west. Wilson, Magico, Evolution Acoustics, Diesis (because I had heard them in NYC before), Martin, YG, Kharma, AvantGarde… so many options if the budget is stretching up over $100k. And as others have mentioned, at this level all are probably excellent comes down to matters of taste and how they’ll fit into an existing system. My Audio Research REF160Ms were not yet a couple years old, so not eager to change amps with speakers. So about February of this year I noticed Bob V., who owns Rhapsody Audio in NYC seems to be having a pretty strong pandemic. (I heard the Diesis at Rhapsody a year before.) With everyone cooped up at home, it seemed hi-end audio was benefiting and Rhapsody was opening “remote listening rooms” across the USA. This meant an opportunity to hear Alsyvox, Diesis, and Bayz at a single location. Excellent news — the Diesis were on my radar, the Alsyvox were getting best of show at RMAF and elsewhere, and the Bayz too — their looks crazy cool and reports made me think they’d be a lot of fun to audition. So I mention to my wife about these “remote listening rooms” and she says “maybe you should do that!” WHAT? I assured her that it would probably cost a fortune. Long story short, I am now hosting a Rhapsody “remote listening room” here in Portland. “Rhapsody out West” I’m calling it, and anyone is welcome (with prior appointment) to visit and I can play Alsyvox Botticelli (with external crossovers), Bayz CounterPoint 2, or Diesis Roma, all with Pilium electronics (Alexander pre-amp, Achilles stereo power amp). These are all strong competition near the OP’s original price point (or less), all are exceptional, and none are conventional “box” speakers. It all comes down to personal taste and system matching. All three very room friendly. So yeah, a plug for “Rhapsody Audio” but mostly if you care to audition three world class speakers here on the left coast, brands you can’t easily hear elsewhere, look me up. Contact info is on the Rhapsody.Audio website, and there are other listening rooms in SoCal, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, and of course NYC. |
This is truly a bore-- whether it be simply passive bragging, or price worshipping, whatever it is, it's got nothing to do with hi-fi. |
