Sunny, good to hear you are moving forward in your speaker goals, from all accounts the Revels are an outstanding option. Pardon me if I came off as being brusk in my previous post, and best of luck in your search.
Do I have to spend $4000 plus to get a better sounding speaker than GET model 7 ?
I have owned a pair of Golden Ear Technology 7's speaker for almost 3 years. I think they sound very good in my current set-up. I bought them unheard based on the rave reviews they received at CES 2012. My concern is that if I was to invest in a speaker that is $3500-$4000, it may prove to be only marginally or fairly better. I am not saying that the GET's 7's are the best bargain in audio at $1395. My experience with them is they are very accurate with low distortion, but don't throw a particularly wide or deep soundstage.
I have considered( not necessarily auditioned) Revel F-206; Focal Aria 936; Paradign F85; PSB T-2'; Ryan 630; B&W CM9S Dynaudio X-34; Duevel "Venus" Audio Physic Sitara 25 and Tempo 25 All of the indicated speakers (except AP and Duevel) fall in the $3000-$4500 retail price range
ProAc floor standers are off the scope in price, (often, even used) Anything I buy will be used, because California sales tax is 8.5%, and I can stretch my dollars buying used.
Any recommendations are welcomed especially if based on you own experience with a particular speaker or brand.
Thank you, S.J
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To all members: I checked the other day to see if anyone responded to the "above" questions above I did not see them, knowing that AG can occasionally not post or miss posting. threads However, to my great surprise, and confirmation of approaching senility, I discovered that on November 5, member "213 runnin" was the frist to respond to those new questions, and other members followed with all good advice and valuable comments. Several confirmed that which I did not want to admit, that the lower price ML's just don't deliver the sound that other speakers in a similar price range and higher can offer and, you must graduate to the larger and more expensive models. Point well taken!! To JohnnyR: the Vandersteens are too heavy and would probably sink into my lower neighbor's living room or the center of the earth. But thanks for the recommendation. To PS and 213runnin: your advice and words of wisdom are on point even for an old geezer like me. Actually, I have more or less decided on the Revel Peforma F-206 speakers, and missed a pair about two week ago from the same member currently selling the model F-208 speakers. I also missed a second owner pair of F-206's on U.S, Audio Mart that sold very last night. To ps, I know "it is ultimately about the music". After doing this since 1971, I have not forgotten that. However, I am just always curious about hearing more music from a speaker and am aware of the importance of good electronics, and cables I will keep looking for a pair Revel F 206's, at the right price and hopefully in glossy walnut, but I am also going to wind down the quest for a while. Thank you all, and Happy Holidays, S.J. |
I am a curious why no member to my knowledge did not recommend any of the Martin Logan speakers for this thread in the $3000-$3500. I have heard a few over the years, the latest being ESL-EM Electro motion model which now retails for $2495.00 I have read, and know some of their limitations, that is a narrow and shallow soundstage, finicky placement, and often a beamy treble. They are also somewhat big and the stats need AC power. Thank you, S.J. |
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THIS! KEF LS50 Anniversary Model. If you need more bass, add a pair of powered subs. These KEF's are one of the world's great audiophile bargains- especially since they are so affordable. SJ. I hope that you somehow, someday are able to make the right choice and live happily, perhaps even resisting the insidious "upgrade" demons, and will be able to concentrate on pure listening pleasure. After all, isn't it ultimately about the music? |
SJ This pre-owned pair of Vandersteen Quatros should easily fix you up and keep you under budget. https://www.audiogon.com/listings/full-range-2017-11-07-speakers Good luck JohnnyR |
ML’s ’stats can be great if you stay clear of the cheaper models. I’d look at a used pair of Montis. Stunning clarity and not at all strident, unless, of course, your source material is terrible. ML’s play nicely with tubes, too. To some persnickety ears, panel and woofer integration (still) isn’t quite "perfect," but most folks won’t notice anything amiss. Montis won’t give you the widest soundstage or sweetspot, but for the serious listener, that’s hardly an issue. They're quite an achievement, IMHO. |
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What you need to do at this point, sunny, is make a short list. 7 or 8 pairs of speakers that you would consider buying. They would need to be suitable for the type of music you prefer. They would need to work well with your present amplifier. They would need to be suitable for the size of room you have. Simply asking people for suggestions could take years. There are probably 30 or 40 different brands of speakers that would be amazing for you, you don't need to find the needle in the haystack. Don't overthink this, it's just speakers. |
I’m a born-again audiophile. I spent a couple of hours this afternoon, listening to a pair of Tekton D1’s at the home of a friend’s daughter’s fiancee. Amazing sound with Audio Research tube separates. The only thing that would give me pause is the, to my eye, "homely" aspect of the Tektons. The basic black and the size and shape ain’t gonna win any beauty contests. Closing one’s eyes helps a great deal. |
B&Ws have been mentioned a few times as a comparison in this thread. I had the Tekton DIs sideline my B&W 804s. It isn't even close. Especially after the DIs now have a bunch of hours on them. But with just a few hours on them initially, it was obvious. And blind testing with my wife and daughter who LOVED and were rooting for the B&Ws had to admit their demise. |
To Avanti 1960, Thanks for the comments. I am not sure I hear some of the flaws you point out about the GET model 7's What you note about the dispersion of the tweeter seems on target and the soundstage goes little beyond the outer walls of the speakers. However, they are accurate and distortion is low, but as you note it may be more aimed at home theater use. I think the equipment I am using is pushing them to limits of their performance tier. To PS: I could not access the link you sent. I think you added one too many http No problem, I will check out the company's website. To audiozen, I thought there was only one Enzo model in the Tekton lineup?. I will check again BTW, do you recall what issue and year Herb Reichert's review appeared in Stereophile?? Thanks to all, S.J. |
I forgot to mention that if you go with Shahinians, make sure they don’t have the notorious French tweeter which Shahinian used to employ. That tweeter was not at all musical, and singularly, "grating" on the mind and ears. Many in the audiophile community were baffled why they were used in the first place. |
As others may have mentioned, Clayton Shaw's products: Spatial Audio's M3 TurboS, M4 TurboS and even M4 Triode Master, (which may be stretching your dollar) are all incredibly musical. Shaw's speakers present a broad and deep soundstage and provide a dynamic presentation, which I find to be emotionally involving, as opposed to "mere music in a room." While they are not capable of reproducing the lowest bass, ( at that price point, what is?) the bass they can give you is accurate and amazingly fast, with some serious "punch". The midrange is simply gorgeous-the treble likewise, with no hint of harshness. A big plus is that they're easy to set up and don't require gobs of power to drive. A real game-changer, IMHO. |
These Shahinian Acoustic Hawks will blow your mind. I had Shahinian Arcs years ago and rue the day I sold them. https://www.audiogon.com/listings/full-range-speakers-for-the-music-lover-2017-10-08-speakers-49a455... |
@sunnyjim - I would be considering these if I were in the market for $4K floorstanders: https://www.audiogon.com/listings/full-range-focal-2017-10-04-speakers That a lot of speaker for $4K. |
Another fabulous choice would be a used pair of Chapman T-7’s but only if they’ve been upgraded fairly recently, IE: within the past 7.5 years. Stuart Chapman Jones is brilliant. Audioengine powered speakers with a subwoofer are freakin’ amazing. Very small footprint and easy to position. Of course you’ll need stands. Ohm Walsh speakers are probably the easiest, most forgiving speakers in terms of placement to set up. 60 day home trial. John @ Ohm Acoustics is likely a genius. Used Dynaudio monitors are within your budget- powered with the appropriate components will likely blow your socks off. I'm not sure if they "like" Conrad Johnson, though, and you possibly, might want a subwoofer. Probably a powered sub depending on the synergy with your electronics and cables. Oh, and then there's Sonus Faber. OMG! Used, of course. |
If I were you I would buy these for $3800 right now: https://www.audiogon.com/listings/monitors-loudspeakers-2017-10-21-speakers But I am not you so YMMV but I will say I am a very happy Audio Note AN/J owner and in general AN speakers are a "get off the merry-go-round" purchase for many. Good luck and happy listening! |
This thread seems like deja vu. I've heard $400 pairs of stand mount speakers that are superior to the Triton 7s...just my honest assessment. The Revel Concerta2 F36 are in another league all together, and they are Revel's entry level tower. They are far better than Triton 5s to my ears (and even Triton 1s, sans bass loading in larger rooms). Some dealers are discounting the F36 by as much as 25%. |
Eric does provide great color options. The standard color's are available from $50.00 to $100.00. The next level up is BEHR high gloss finishes at $500.00 a pair. The top level paints are BMW high gloss auto paint at any color or the Ferrari high gloss Grigio auto paint at any color for $800.00. Eric applies 11 coats of paint to the cabinets. Once you see the Grigio high gloss colors you will forget about BMW. The Grigio high gloss metallic colors have greater depth to the paint with a richer tone and a richer gloss sheen. A pair of standard grilles are $75.00 a pair or $150.00 a pair for different colors. Eric buys his cloth from Acoustex. Go to their website to select your color. |
Go for the Tekton Enzo XL's. It is Tekton's best selling model at only $1900.00 a pair. Grills are an additional $75.00. The XL's are the junior Pendragon's, their flagship speaker for a long time. They have the same drivers and crossover as the Pendragon's and Herb Reichert review in Sterophile mentioned they came within 90% of the Wilson Alexia's which cost $50K plus. Thats damn impressive. Their slighty larger than the Electron's and weigh 72 lbs. |
A college friend of
mine who's a very, very serious audiophile, now living in Taiwan swears by
these: |
sunny j- i have heard most of the GE line including your 7s and 80% of the speakers on your wish list. as others have mentioned, the GEs are decent HT speakers but not quite optimized for simulating a live musical sound stage. they have "synthetic" sounding bass because of the smaller woofers and passive radiators which are very tough to make sound good. also your sound stage is narrow because the ribbon tweeters have a very small horizontal dispersion pattern and sweet spot. shift your head and the sound changes radically. you want a mucisal sound skip everything listed and go straight to Harbeth. The C7ES3 will sound as close to natural live music as you can get within your budget and dealers will usually give a good percentage off from list. |
To 213 runnin: Thank you for the support. However, I may be suffering from "analysis paralysis" as you suggested. The issue for me is whether how much more performance is available beyond what I hear from the Golden Ear Technology model 7. There is a lot of speakers out there, and one in particular that has help my interest only in reviews: Revel F206's. I never heard them which (I know) is not the way to buy speakers, However, I bought a pair of Acoustic Zen Adagios which I still might own if I did not downsize the system because of room dimensions restrictions after moving to L.A.. from Honolulu and also I did not want to lug around a 80 lbs speaker around the living room. To PS: I have reconsidered the Maggies, but it would have to be the Maggie 1.7i, anything else is too big, not necessarily too expensive. I think there is a 2.7i Maggies are great but a pain in the ass to set up and their speaker connectors suck. This leads to..... : SoundsReal Audio's point of avoiding sales tax. I am as patriotic as the next guy, but 8.5% sales tax prevails in Los Angeles country with only a slight deviation. For example, a new pair of Revel F206 is $3500. With a 10% discount which I could get, the tax on $3250 is $276.25 which brings me back to retail. But the main issue is less about size and price, but much better and more revealing sound because the speaker is superior across the board.. As everyone knows on this site, buying used has its risks and you must know the seller. Also, it is somewhat of an unwritten law that unless you are a victim of a bad seller or defective product, there is no returns. Thank again to all who responded, S.J..
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To hfiron. Thank you for the additional info. The HR-1's are $4895, the much smaller and less gorgeous HRRx is $2495......$2400 price difference may account for their starling performance. Regrettably, I have abandoned auditioning any of the DECWARE SPEAKERS ON HOME TRIAL. The reason is simple, potential buyers must pay round trip shipping from and back to Peoria, Illinois, and if you return the speaker of your choice there is a 10 % restocking fee. I diplomatically lodged a complaint about this policy with Steve, and decided to look elsewhere. Selah Audio has a generous home trial policy where the buyer only pay return shipping back to North Carolina if your return the speaker you choose to audition. The Selah speaker " Dicennio" is a revamped version of the former the Prestigio. and is $3495 It is an MTM design using the RAAL tweeter. Not sure if it is worth the bucks when their are other speakers in that price range, though used, that could be a better and a better value. I will have to see Thanks again to those who have responded S.J.. |
Forgot to subscribe to the thread - sorry. Decware ERRx - I haven't listened in person, but the report in comparison to the HR-1s are they are more laid back. Some people love it, Steve describes them as sitting in the 30th row back at a concern hall with perfect acoustics. The HR-1's have a blended approach with more slam, more presence, but still astonishingly impressive transparency. I gravitated to this hybrid radial approach for a few reasons: - My 11x12.5x10 room has acoustical challenges and this radial gives me a large enough sweet spot without a lot of first reflection point issues. - Minimal crossover that doesn't suck power from low watt SET amps. The HR-1 speakers are drop dead gorgeous. Bob is a master craftsman and really cares a great deal about making an amazing product. The HR-1s are not your traditional hi-fi speaker, they are more forgiving than say a single full-range driver, but not nearly as forgiving as something like the Vandersteen 1c. FWIW: I had a pair of the Vandersteen 1Ci, Spatial Audio OBs, and the HR-1s in the room. All sounded great. The HR-1s fit the bill with what I was looking for in my setup. YMMW with Radials, I think its a scary jump if you have never listened to them but I will never go back. |
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To Mofojo, Thank you for the recommendation about the Tekton "Electron" I checked it out before on their website, but will go back to take another look. BTW, I did see the pair of Focal 1028Be's on the Music Room site. I may have dismissed them because they were an older model. Will check a few reviews if still available To ka-am: Be assured, I am not in good enough health to conduct as you say a "structured mission" looking for new speakers. Unfortunately, those days are over, so I must rely on reviews and member's testimonials and recommendations I will reciprocate to anyone conducting a similar speaker quest. I tend to agree with you about direct order companies that also may offer home trials, however, at least you have the opportunity of hearing a speaker with your own equipment. You offer a strong endorsement for the Focal Aria line. There was a dealer in Florida that has (or had) a pair of 936's store demoes on sale. When I inquired if they would overwhelm my room, he curtly replied "yes" and offered instead the Focal Aria 926. In addition, the 936's would cost close to $300 to ship to sunny SoCal, so I passed on the sale. I need to decide if I want to proceed with one of the three direct sales companies. Tekton, Decware, or Spatial Audio. As you know, handing over distribution to dealers means putting the integrity of the product into their hands, and taking less profit. However, I don't believe that the argument made by direct mail manufacturers that cutting out the "middle man" saves the buyer money. I think that is bit of hogwash. Thanks to all, SJ
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BTW the music room has a pair of Focal Electra 1027be speakers for under 3k. Sounds like a pretty descent deal. I was impressed with the 1028be which is a little newer but others in some forums were saying they thought the 1027be was better but I've never heard it. Little older but imagine would outperform one of the newer model from the Aria line. I could be wrong. |
If you are interested in the Tektons you could always look into the Electron for a smaller model that appearantly is voiced exactly like the DIs with the same driver array just smaller drivers. Between Focal and Revel I would go Focal for my tastes. Never heard a Focal I didn't like. The Revels while technically excellent are a little dry IMO. |
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Another two questions: How do the Tekton "Impact" speakers rank compared to some of the other speakers above?? Some members recommended the Double Impacts, but they are too big and heavy. The Impact is one step down. Decware offers a omidirectional speaker model ERRX. It retails for $2500. Has any one auditioned them on the 30 day home trial options? HiFI ron mentioned he owned the HR-1's which are $4895 and have received excellent reviews including HiFiron's brief testimonial of their performance. Thanks, SJ. |