Best used speakers under $10000

Lol

Worst thread ever....lol....so interested in the Magico review..lol

Well this guy might be MIA for almost 19 months on this thread but his last post was 3 weeks ago 6/27/2020 on a thread he started on 6/25/2020 titled.

"Best used integrated under $5k"

Maybe someone should ask him why he abandoned this thread....thread starters with nothing to do.

The guy has been MIA for almost 19 months...why are people still responding to this?

Depends on what kind of music you listen and how long you listen to it .
And your room .

i already suggested jbl 4367 but since my suggestion i have also discovered two more candidates for you

focal sopra 3 and revel salon2.

please audition them.

Drum roll..... How were the A3’s? 😬

The threads leave us hanging because:

A:  the person didn’t change the speakers. 
B:  the person hates the choice made and is embarrassed to say anything. C:  the person loves their new choice and is too busy listening. D:  the person forgot all about their post. 

If you are near Brooklyn, go visit Bache Audio. Heard the smaller Lexington's at the NY Show, went to the Brooklyn showroom, and now have a pair of Tribeca's on the way. I was considering ProAcs (K3) and the Wilson Sabrina's. Check out this review:

https://hometheaterreview.com/bache-audio-002ab-floorstanding-speaker-reviewed/

Why do these threads always leave us hanging? Come on man whad ya get.

Dunlavy sc 5s.    There is a pair for sale now.      Or magico 3s or 5s if you can find used.    Higher end legacy speakers .    All these sound clear and can punch as you describe. 

Marrduk,

It you are in NYC  you should stop into our shop, we have a few speakers that based on your listening preferences you may like.

Also the question with all of your testing and in the beginning of  your post is you  don't mention what equipment you are using and what your current speakers are which would kind of give people a  base line of  your tastes  and sonic preferences and then unless your are going to change your equipment will have a major impact on the sound of your system.

You mentioned hearing certain models but certain speakers are going to sound good or bad depending on what gear being demoed with them.

In our shop we have one of the largest collections of speakers in your price range and we have a diverse selection of gear both solid state and tube.

We have the superb Legacy Signatures which are very musical and have a warm full bodied sound with good detail but whose top end is delicate rather then showing supreme detail.  The Legacy are easy to drive and have very prodigious and warm bass. 

We have the Kef Ref 3 which are a bit more than your price range, they happen to have superb detail and throw a huge well focused sound stage, they have a very accurate mid-range and very tight bass.

We have the Paradigm Persona 3F which are very transparent, if you found them to be unclear then the equipment wasn't good, the speakers have unbelievable clarity and a big sound stage, they are not particularly warm so they need to be well matched with the right gear.

We have the PSB T3  great imaging, smooth mid-range, very tight bass. 

We just took on the Golden Ear line, the new Tritron 1R are awesome and are very inexpensive. They image very well, and are very smooth, they have very deep bass and are very narrow so visually they just disappear, they are also very easy to drive, the caveat they come only in Piano black lacquer 

We also have the fantastic Dali Rubicons which are very warm yet have good detail.

Finally the ATC SCM 40 which sound like the PMC you like.

So in one location you could hear, Legacy,
                                                       KEF
                                                       Paradigm
                                                       Golden Ear
                                                       Dali
                                                       ATC
                                                       PSB

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ 
                                             

Looking forward to OP's views on Magico A3 and any other speakers (Spendors D9 perhaps?) that he may have listened to?:)

Your room will make a big difference in perceived bass. My room sounds lean so a rear ported speaker that I can move around for bass reinforcement offers the best balanced sound where if you have a bass heavy room a front, or bottom ported speaker, sealed like magico or get some transmission lines.

I would add Aerial Acoustics 7T to your list.

I have heard the 6T and think they hit all your criteria perfectly, so assume their bigger brother would too. I preferred them to Spendor D7, Focal Kanta No. 2, Paradigm Persona 3F, and the KEF R11 I heard. Of the foregoing list, my second favorite were the Spendors, so D9 would be good to hear too.

I second the poster that suggested you add the Usher BE10 DMD to the list. rear ported 11" kevlar eaton woofer BE midrange, diamond tweeter I expected bright and boomy and I couldn't have been more wrong. Because speakers tend to sound bad in my room I usually buy used so if,ahem, when they fall on their face at home I can resell them and recover most of my investment, doesn't make the speakers bad because my room sucks, but do try for a home demo b4 handing over the cash. 
The dac is newer in the H360 and it's coming down enough in price to make it worth the extra dough.

@ marrduk24

Haven't seen EgglestonWorks Andra mentioned here.  Not sure if there is some reason for that.  It seems they can be had well under $10k.  I read some reviews, which indicate an awesome speaker.  I'd be interested in your thoughts.

Finally listened to A3 today. Will add my notes shortly. 

Happy new year everyone. 

It's interesting to me how the speakers I own tend to decide what music I listen to. I did go over budget buying the salon 2 in my quest for $10k speakers. I thought NYC apt's were the entire floor? 
The Kanta's have an immediate sound to them that I really like and I believe they also have some extra energy in the bass, not a bad thing imo. I also ride motorcycles and i'm drawing a parallel between the 2 hobbies that there isn't 1 do it all motorcycle there also isn't 1 do it all speaker. They all have qualities that draw us to them, but in comparison we can't have it all, eventually we have to pick a favorite as there's no wrong answer.

Hey guys

sorry for going silent. Between the move to NYC and settling in here, last couple of months have been very hectic. So finally resumed the auditioning and tried Kanta 2 and Sabrina. 

To to recap what all I have tried so far

In AU
1. Focal Sopra 2 felt tight and precise. However lacked the soundstage of B&W 802

2. B&W 802 D3: awesome wide soundstage. However didn’t quite have the separation of Focal

I also found focal to be a bit boomy, but that could just be the room. 

3. PMC Twenty5.26 - British seems to do Mid really well. My fav mid, but didn’t like the overal package. 

4. Dynaudio Controur 60: Great bass. However didn’t feel it had the musical accuracy that I like. 

5. Paradigm 3F : it did not feel very clean. Plus my hearing is really sensitive to high notes and I feel I can’t tolerate any level of brightness.

6.  KEF Reference 3:  there was nothing obvious missing but somehow it didn’t feel like I got the three elements I was looking for: heft in the bass at low volume, clean & sweet mids and airy top notes

7. PMC MB2. Exactly the sound I wanted - punch in low notes at low volume, really clean mid-range and very smooth highs. However it is never going to pass WAF.

Speaker no 1 & 2 were with the same gear and 3-7 were with the same gear. 

In NY: given multiple months have passed. Plus electronics have changed. So really hard to make a comparison. 

8. Focal Kanta 2: I tried it with Naim Atom and overall was probably the third most satisfying combo I hve tried. I also tried it with Moon 240i but I think I liked Naim pairing better. 

9. Wilson Sabrina : tried it with Moon 240i. Great soundstage, much larger than Focal Kanta 2. Overall my second favorite package. Only hesitation I have is whether the combo might be a tad with too forward (recall my hearing is too sensitive and can get irritated even with what others might consider neutral). I switched the Amp to McIntosh MC252 but that took away from the soundstage. So I am keen to see how these sound with Naim.  

Magico and Rockport are only two that are left. I might try Devore Super 9 or X as well. 

One small complication - not enough space in NYC apartment and 11 month old twins love to chew any cable and kick anything that’s taller than wider :)

I got to listen to the focal Kanta 3 yesterday they list for $12k new but sound better than anything else i've heard. obviously different rooms will make a big difference in sound and they appear to need a LOT of room around them. 

I just got a demo pair of Revel Salon 2's in this price range and they are spectacular. For my money, room and taste in music they beat out anything from Focal, ATC and Wilson anywhere near this price range. Seek out a pair and have a listen. 

@marrduk24 how are you doing on your search? Have you zero'd in on one?

I listen to similar music and my goals have always been warm and musical yet I also wanted all the detail and basic audiophile checklist...great soundstage, separation, layering, imaging etc.  My room is slightly smaller than yours and I'm using McIntosh 601 mono's, C2300 tube pre and Sonus Faber Guarneri Evolutions paired with REL G2 subs.  SF has made recent changes that I'm not sure are for the better, but if you could find a way to audition the Evolutions might be worth the effort.  I also had a pair of SF Cremona Auditor M's that were crazy good in that room especially considering they were 1/3 the cost!  A real sleeper.

I second Peter's recommendation for PBN speakers. If you buy his Liberty speakers new or pickup another model on the used market you can't go wrong. PBN speakers are the only component in my system I have not changed in the past 8 years and I have no desire to even look at anything else.
Big problem is they are hard to audition.

@mardukk24, I listen to mostly vinyl now, but occasionally stream on Cocktail Audio X40, has reference Dac built in. Tidal sounds great on the X40 and you can burn CDs into it.

how about Cerwin Vega XL-15 . Look nice, sound like there under water

Just buy the Golden Ear Reference speakers and call it a day, and keep about $1,500 in your pocket, and that is for a new pair. I have seen them as low as $6,500 used, thus place the other $3,500 on a premium used amplifier. That is your greatest Value!!

No Daedalus (Argos?) recommendation on the list yet? 
Warmish yet detailed room filling sound, with life sized images and a realism/human factor some on your list don’t have. 

@shoff thanks for that. I am definitely going to try Rockport Atria. 

I really hope beteen Sabrina, Rockport Atria and Magico S3/ A3 I like something. 

I have also been looking at Salk song Encore but there is no way to audition them for Axpona in April. 

my two favs, B&W 803 and Focal Sopra 2

Another vote for Rockport Atrias!  The pair currently listed has been here for some time.  I bet you could get them for less than the $12k asking price.  You might try calling Goodwins in Boston.  They are Rockport dealer and sometimes have unadvertised deals on used Rockports of all models current and vintage.

@pbnaudio thanks for the link. They do look great. Though I haven’t heard of them as much as Many other direct players - Selah, Salk, vapor audio etc. 

@toneranger58 I did look at 700i but I didn’t want a separate DAC. So I am planning to either buy Hegel 360 or Hegel 300 and use Chromecast Audio. 

What DAC and streamer are you using?

Seems like lots of front end variables when judging and ranking numerous speakers. My Sopra 2’s sounded great with Hegel and Mastersound. With Simaudio 700i, absolutely amazing. On my search, changes in front end (as noted above) while only using S2 gave vastly different end results with 700i the clear winner. Best of luck on your search. 

Can one get used Kharma for $10k ? Worth a listen.

My Sopra 2’s have kept me happy since I purchased them nearly 3 years ago. 
Unless I get a new(bigger) home/listening room someday, my Sopra2’s are staying around for a long, long time.
Awesome Speakers with great WAF.

When back in NY you might consider a trip to Philly to David Lewis Audio.  They have Rockport, ProAc, Joseph Audio, Verity Audio, and several other excellent speaker brands.  I'd give the Perspectives another shot if possible. 

http://www.libertyaudio.com/products/x-vox-loudspeaker-system

From its maker 

Good Listening 

Peter 

So I auditioned B&W 802D and Focal Sopra 2. 

The gear: it was different from the gear I auditioned previous 4 speakers (Contour 60, PMC 26, KEF Ref 5 and Paradigm 3f on). Previous gear was Rega CD player and McIntosh and Audio research integrated. Today I tried it with PS Audio Pre and PS Audio Monoblocks. 

 
There were parts I liked about each speaker but didn’t like any in whole

focal: felt tight and precise. However lacked the soundstage of B&W

B&W: awesome wide soundstage. However didn’t quite have the separation of Focal

i also found focal to be a bit boomy, but that could just be the room. 

so only thing that’s left now is Magico, Wilson Sabrina and maybe Vandersteen. For those 3 I would have to wait until I get back to NY. 

Of the ones I have listened to so far, fav 3 would be
1. PMC for mid
2. Dynaudio for bass
3. Focal for the closest overall package - but still 7/10

I am probably also going to try and listen to Spendor D9 and Proac. 

Since u will b in NY, check out Devore Fidelity......locally made in Brooklyn, and very good.

Of the three you're auditioning the PMC should have the highest WAF and based on your stated sound requirements would be my first choice.  Also with the front facing transmission line should be the easiest to place in the room. 

Like the Vandersteen's they miss the size restrictions & WAF may be an issue. Martin Logan CLX are hard to beat with most of the other criteria mentioned and can be had for less than 10K -- add a sub and they are fabulous 

You can have used Dynaudio C4 for under 10k too

As a current Twenty.24 owner, very interested to hear your impression of the Twenty5.26.

+1 Legacy. Love my Legacy Focus SE.

FWIW, I auditioned the Sopra2, Kanta and 1028be side by side at local Focal dealer. My impression was Sopra2 vs 1028be each had pluses and minuses but both engaging, and both sounded better in that particular room than the Kanta. Shortly thereafter a like new pair of 1028be’s came up for sale locally for $3,500. Very happy with the 1028be’s which can be had new for $5k now. 

Thank you all. Auditioning Focal Sopra 2 vs 802 D3 vs PMC Twenty5.26 tomorrow. It’s not the same dealer. Will see how it goes. 

I really want to like (love) one of these. After these only two I have left on my list are Wilson Sabrina and Magico A3 (unless I compromise on size and start considering Vandersteen or Legacy Aeria). 

When you get back to NY make an appointment with Charney Audio in Somerset, NJ. His Companion with the Omega RS7 drivers should fit your needs perfectly. The Companion with the RS7 will give you a slightly warm sound with loads of uncongested emotionally engaging detail. He can custom make the cabinet for you specific decor and depending on the type of wood, will cost well under your 10k budget. 

I have a pair of his original Maestro horns with the RS7 driver and like them with both solid state and SET amps.

http://charneyaudio.com/index.html

+1 for the Legacy. Don't overlook used Legacy Aeris. Here's a listing....
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis946i3-legacy-audio-aeris-full-range