Candidates for best speakers in the $2000-5000 market

Thank you for all for the great suggestions and practical feedback. Time came to make a decision for the near to medium term at least., and I’m probably trying some posters patience!

"Next man up" is a pair of the Harbeth Super HL5 Plus XD, recently posted on Audiogon. Warm reviews, curiosity about the BBC sound, and the availability of the speakers on Audiogon drove the decision making.

Thank you again, I may be back! 😁

I've owned Yamaha NS 1000's, Focal 786's, B&W 703's, Sonus faber Venere 2.5's and now Sonus faber Sonetto V's. I cannot rave enough about my enjoyment, and appreciation of the Sonus faber line, but in the $5,000.00 range, reviewers find it hard to find a better sounding, or better value than the Sionetto V's. Listen for yourself if you haven't already, but the Sonetto V's are fabulous. Very Amp friendly and a "complete" sound from Tweeter to Mid Range to Woofers. Buy, relax  and enjoy.

I'm squarely in the single driver speaker camp after auditioning a bunch of speakers including Atohm and Davis Acoustics in a shop in Paris. 

I just think that single driver speakers sound more natural/transparent. It's a night and day difference. 2 way or 3 way speakers sound like they put all of their efforts in the bass and treble with micro-details. But the voices and midrange sound a bit veiled. Your brain and ears naturally adjusts so it's not an issue. 

Anyways I was floored by the Audax AM21 LB25 kit designed by Yves Dodeman. You can buy an assembled pair from that Paris shop for approx 2,500€. Everything is made in France so it's kind of a bargain compared to famous brands like Focal which command a higher price for the same quality. The seller kinda hinted that I needed a larger room for these speakers so I went with another model.

So I purchased the Closer Acoustics OGY last year and I'm still grinning to this day. They have the fastest, cleanest bass with some extension (but not subwoofer levels) thanks to the plywood transmission line cabinet. The midrange is scary clear. And the highs are bright but non-fatiguing (unless you push the volume too high unconsiously, which is easy to do because they sound so clear and natural). So the OGY are perfect in a smallish room at moderate volumes. I will say that they're not the most dynamic for orchestral music, you might want larger cabinets for that. On the flipside, the OGY is so easy to drive. Even the cheapest, nastiest Tripath chip amp will drive them fine. But you'll gain smoother highs and deeper bass with a decent A/B amp or tube amp. 

Compared to Atohm, Davis Acoustics and Dynaudio bookshelf speakers the OGY just sound less veiled. But the Dynaudio and similar brands have more bass (but way slower bass), sound louder and more dynamic. So it's a design tradeoff and it's tempting to have 2 pairs of speakers for different genres. 

I would love to audition the Pearl Acoustics Sibelius one day. It's funny how they use much cheaper drivers than the OGY but cost twice the money. I guess the cabinet and size have a bigger impact on price. 

Several posts here mention Sonus Faber. I’ve had the opportunity to audition the Maxima Amator, alongside their other lines, and a Magico. Sonus Faber appears to approach their products as musical instruments, resulting in a "musical" quality to their sound. At least that’s my take.

My dream speaker is the Electa Amator, however (due to cost, room dimensions, WAF.) As soon as someone with money dies,...

In the meantime, my Harbeth Super HL5+'s arrives today, along with a pair of Revel Performa3 M106's. Yippee! 

Interesting. I'd have said get those SF Electra Amators based on sound quality, and change amps if necessary. I saw the comment on 'interior designer' and cannot argue with most SF, and those for sure. (I'd also 2nd JA Pulsars, etc.) I'd base amplification on the speaker sound you ultimately desire.  

Nice to know you have two good sub options to fill out a good pair of stand mounted speakers.  Have fun and let us know on the new ones. I've totally enjoyed some Harbeths at shows. The Super HL5 should be fun.

There are a lot of good suggestions here. However, IMO the amp you will be using plays an important part as well as room and how your speakers will be arranged.

There have been references to choice of amplifier. I'm standing pat with the choice of speaker being the variable for the time being. 

That said, thoughts?

Scansonic MB2.5B or MB3.5B and you're good to go!

ProAc, but only if you love music 🎵 

I've been very happy with the Salk Silk Monitors and HSU ULS15.  I also thought that the Philharmonic BMR monitors and the Q Acoustics Concept 50s I heard at CAF were excellent. 

I have a pair of GoldenEar Triton 1’s that sound wonderful to me. 
 

They disappear in 2-channel, w a soundstage that can extend past their physical station depending on the recording. 
 

And they are perfectly at home as the LR in my modest home theater. 
 

One of the important factors to me was their sensitivity. They still sound fantastic driven by an AVR, because not much is driven- as you know they have their own low end power source built-in. 
 

good luck!
 

Update: I've acquired a pair of gently used Dynaudio Heritage. Wow. What a significant difference from the very good Special Forty. The Heritage opens up and sings.

@richardmathes that's good to hear. I did read that the Heritage was amazing. I was never too impressed with the Special Fourty. Dynaudio speakers are so musical, my next speakers would be the Contours.