Best speakers for Classical music under 10k used

I just upgraded my Thiel CS2.3s to Linkwitz Orions. After listening to lots of models these were the only ones that really offered overall improvement IMO. However, the Orions are not easily heard as they are either DIY or sold direct fully built. LInkwitz has a list of owners who allow a private audition on their website @ www.linkwitzlab.com. I also listen primarily to classical music and the Orions are amazing. The only problem I had was the bass, as they produced some bothersome nodes in my room that the Thiels did not. The Orions have two 10" woofers a side as opposed to one 8" in the 2.3s. I tried some RealTraps and other fixes but the addition of a TacT RCS 2.0 room correction preamp made a huge difference. I cannot ever imagine having the need to upgrade again. This truly seems to be a "get off the merry go round" sort of speaker.

Tim McTeague

Billhound,

The Orions, being active speakers, seem to just get louder as the orchestra swells. As much as I loved my Thiels they seemed to contrict a bit when things got loud. That may be due to the 1st order crossovers which put lots of strain on the tweeter. The Orions bass is really impressive, not just low down but in the sense of air pressure in the room. They have a very layered sound most likely due to being dipoles. They are very clean and lack the slight brightness that most Thiels seem to have. But, as noted, I had to invest in a TacT room correction preamp to get them to really work in my room. When I first set them up they did sound better than the Thiels but not as much as I had hoped after hearing them in Don Berringer's house (Linkwitz's partner). Now who knows how much better the Thiels would have been if I had used the TacT on them.

Tim