Floorstanding speaker experiences/recommendations in the $12-25k range

I always suggest to guys that if they like the brand they have to stick with it and just go up the food chain. That said, Dali has some nice sounding speakers ans the epicure line is so old deals shouldn't be to difficult.

Used Focal Scala Utopia EVOs are in that range or just above it.  

Another vote for the Joseph Audio Perspectives Graphene. They are a good match to your Rega and more importantly, I have found them to be both revealing and "non-tiring" over long listening sessions. 

You should listen to used Vandersteen Quatro wood CT’s , or for slightly larger speakers the 5 CT’s. The 5 s were just replaced by the Kintos. So their price on the used 5s have gone down.  I have the quatros and they are great. 

You have a cool system, and the Octave has more guts than most tube amps, particularly with the black box.  I know one dealer who has paired it with Wilson Sabrinas and really likes the combo.  Re speakers, I heard some Rethm Trishnas at Capital Audio Fest - only $10k! - and they were shockingly good.  For your size room, you’d probably want to go up to at least to the Maargas, which are still only $13k!  Bear in mind that I find myself increasingly drawn to single driver style speakers, or variants thereto, as they seem to capture the intimacy of recordings better than inefficient designs (to my ears of course). And with tubes and vinyl? oh my!

Daedalus Audio line may be of interest. I've read only great reviews about them, however I haven't heard them. There used to be a buzz in the forums about their speakers.

It kind of depends on the flavor of sound you are looking for.  There are those more on the analytical side and others that are not.  Also, are you looking to stay with a box type of speaker or open baffle design.  I listened to about 12 different speakers before I decided to buy the Vienna Accoutics Liszt model (including some of the manufactures mentioned).  I don't need a sub since the speaker goes down to 28 hz.  I listened to older Magicos, Wilson, B&W, Rockport, Vandersteen etc.  My room size is very similar to yours and they are worth a listen.

Consider Wolf Von Langa SON speakers. THey are a two-way design with an 11' field coil woofer that specs at 25 hz and a Mundorf AMD tweeter. The field coil allows superb control of the driver. There is a pair on Audiogon now at the low end of your price range. Several awards and positive reviews. THey look small but sound big!

I was buzzing through the the RMAF years ago listening to a bunch of setups.  After the show I kept thinking the most impressive system I heard was and Octave Dynaudio Tower setup.  Dont even remember the models but of all the gear I heard that was the setup I remembered the most. 

I agree with @audiotroy  I run my Legacy Focus SEs in a room that's 16'x28'x8'.  Loads of bass to fill the room.  Sadly, I was not able to audition Magico A5s when they had just been released due to Covid and all of the audio stores were shut down.  Would love to hear those but they're 2x as much as the Focus SEs!

bgross

They look in great shape.

Very easy to change the cloth, simply staples on the back of the grille's wood frame which simply pulls off push-on retainers. I used white Irish Linen.

The old way of testing speaker cloth was to see how easy it was to blow cigarette smoke thru. (In a corner, it could stain the fabric as well as your lungs).

I would have the dealer confirm the 12" woofers are the original dual coil ones.

As I said, a new select veneer would improve their appearance quite a bit, in which case the appearance/condition of the original veneer is unimportant.

If the tweeters are blown, if it keeps the price down, that’s a good thing, put JS recommended SEAS ones in! These already have the SEAS tweeters.

@elliottbnewcombjr saw these last night while surfing around after the SB 

I guess few of you had the chance to listen to Gryphon EOS2.

I’ve heard it and I think for under $25k there is no better floorstanders. I’ve heard it driven both by Jadis I70 and Diablo 300. It sounded really good with the Jadis and more muffled with the Diablo, so I think it will sound good with the Octave. 

I wanted to recommend Tad Evolution 2 as well, then i remembered the bass is kind of lacking for those but do consider them if you don’t mind a sub. 
 

Hello,

I don’t know the specs of the Octave V80SE as I’ve never listened to it before, but it looks like a really great amp especially with the Super Black Box.
I would love to test it with Magnepan speakers.

For example, the MG20.7 will give you the deeper bass you’re looking for and you’ll be moved in the midrange by the sound and physical presence of any saxophone (e.g. Grover Washington Jr.’s version of "É preciso perdoar” in the LP “All my tomorrows”).

I would definitely recommend auditioning them with your amp.

Good luck on your quest!

Around 2015 I embarked on a similar journey. I lost a bit of money learning how much room, placement, and components affect speakers sound. 

 I decided to follow used speaker value and limited the speakers I would try to speakers I could reasonably resell for my initial outlay and with that model I was able to bring about a half a dozen speakers in the same range you're shopping.  By listening to what each brand/model excelled at I was able to figure out what I really liked and I was able to take my time doing it. I learned quite a bit tbh and the closer the speakers came to being tonally correct the longer it took me to hear their shortcomings. Sometimes the best designed speakers disagree with the room or components driving them and I didn't realize initially my speaker budget would have to include different components also, and then how do I deal with that issue?

I quit calling 1 speaker better than another because it doesn't work that way. Put in the time! Half the fun is in the hunt anyhow.

@axeis1 I heard the same thing from the dealer I got my Confidence 30's from. The Octave amps don't have enough grunt to run them , so we traded and he took his 20's back I have the 30's paired with my Sugden Mono blocks. plenty of grunt to drive them.

https://linkwitz.store/product/lx521/

The Perspectives are also a great choice, but also not a very sensitive speaker.

@moto_man  While it’s true the Perspectives are not high in sensitivity, if you read John Atkinson’s measurements they don’t drop below 6 Ohms and have very benign phase angles so can still effectively work with tubes.  Still a good point to raise though.

You are certainly in a very popular price category with a lot of choices.  I was there last year and went with the Sabrina X's.  in my system, they do everything right.  (I also have a REL s/510 in the system). You are likely to be underpowered for them though . . .  I drove them with a PrimaLuna Dialogue HP amp while my Pass 250.8 was being serviced and the PrimaLuna worked well, but not in the same league as the 250.8, which has as much power as you could need.  The Perspectives are also a great choice, but also not a very sensitive speaker.

Joseph Audio Perspective Graphene if you can find used (they go quickly), just double check power requirements. I happen to love Fyne Audio speakers, but they can get pricey pretty quickly……91 to 95 db depends on model

Looking at high priced suggestions, and the budget, perhaps my recommendation of JSE Model 2's seems out of place. I always post for both OP and any others following along.

I stand by my recommendation, today I would have my Woodworker clad them with a select wood, that would perk their appearance quite a bit.

In any case, I put this on the site to clarify their remarkable uniqueness

Verity Audio has ceased operations, that’s why the pair is priced as it is

@metaldetektor  I can’t find any info on this on their website or anywhere else. Where did you see it?

I gravitate towards speaker companies that innovate with R&D, KEF, Vivid, Yamaha. I used to have Revel in this group but had tweeter issues a few times, so I skip them now. Take a look at the Yamaha NS5000 ($10k-$15k) which is packed with uber technology. It is what I have now.

Yamaha NS-5000PNST 3-Way Bookshelf Speakers with Stands | Hi-Fi Heaven (hifiheaven.net)

@soix fyi - Verity Audio has ceased operations, that’s why the pair is priced as it is 

Another vote for Magico, in particular if you are sub averse and trying to improve bass. A3’s are an absolute bargain used. Good luck OP.

Must be nice to be able to afford to spend 25k on a speaker. 

I don’t normally agree with ANY dealers but audiotroy gives good advice here and so does soix . I have heard Legacy and Devore speakers and they are tremendous. For vocals and jazz, the Devore speaker is a beautiful speaker.

I’ll second Vuch. I have the Magico A3 and love them, and they have ample bass for me w/o sub(s). Not sure how they sound with low power. I’m pushing with 300 w Hegel 590.

I didn’t read all the posts. I also have Dynaudio HS on the stand 20. My suggestion is a pair of REL subs. They will do much more than just add the bottom end. A pair of S/510 or S/812 would do it all. I have a single S/510 but my space is much smaller than yours. Oh and I think the the Octave Research might not have enough grunt for the HS. I use an Aestheix Mimas on mine it’s about double the amount of power the Octave has. Dynaudio’s really love power!

 Lots of incite and great response.  I own the QLN P5's that you mentioned with the Devores.  Devores were one of the speakers I really wanted to hear but didn't. My Final 2 choices were the P5's and the Joseph Perspectives. The P5's are everything you'll read about them, really good. Soix had mention of your amp and I think it would be ok but suggest you call James at Choice Audio in Mpls and get his opinion , he knows the Qln like the roof of his mouth.

The Quad Electrostatics for 15k are the most transparent windows into the music hands down in that price point 

@njkrebs

Taking your time and deep research are good ideas as speaker sonic preferences are highly subjective. When I searched for speakers, I went to audio shows and audio stores to demo. Keep in mind that commonly poor hotel room sonics at audio shows may or not reflect the speaker’s performance - I love Magico, but at one audio show they sounded meh.

Often, speaker manufactures have a "brand" sonic signature. My strategy was to listen to the best speakers I could demo, then try to recreate the sonics within my budget.

Stereophile puts out recommended components here. TAS (The Absolute Sound) magazine put out a 2024 Annual Buyers Guide in their November 2023 issue#343.

After intense research, I demoed 2 speakers of interest at AXPONA 2022. One sounded with better treble, the other more balanced but somewhat muffled. The speaker I really liked was out of my price range, but after I told my trusted dealer he negotiated a lower price and I raised my budget so I now own the demoed speakers.

Good luck and wishing you the very best in your search

The Absolute Sound reviewed the Dyn Confidence 50s in a 225 SF room. And Part Time Audiophile reviewed the same C50s with your Octave amp. Just in case you're still considering them. I have the C50s, paired with Burmester 911 MK3/088 combo and they sound superb in my 250 SF room. I also had them paired with a Lyngdorf TDAI-3400 and they still sounded great. I'm using a pair of Sub6's which have presets specifically tailored for the C50s. Let us know what you end up with!

Audphile1........you don't believe in "giant slayers" Now !

@mbmi I’d love to hear a pair of X3s and will do so when opportunity arises. I just don’t believe in giant slayers. 

@audiotroy ​​​​@kmcong 

I’ve heard of Legacy and am intrigued after looking at their specs more in depth. Appreciate it! 

@soix ​​​​@audphile1 

Definitely hear you guys and better understand the limitations of my amp for sure and will find a suitable match. Despite the generalized pairing of Octave with Dynaudio those speakers love current and my amp likely struggles at times. I appreciate folks who obviously have more technical knowledge than I, which is why I try to educate myself. I can say my amp sounds a lot better than 95% of solid state amps I’ve ever heard, so I’m not excited to jump ship on it yet. I need to take my time finding the right fit, but there have been some excellent recommendations!! Again, I appreciate everyone’s time and input!

This is funny....the people that have heard or own the X-3's are the ones raving about how well they sound...The people that haven't heard them or don't own them are the ones putting them down. Interesting....

@soix agreed on the Octave being underpowered for the recommendations above. And I mentioned that as well. The only speakers it will be comfortable with is probably the Devore. 

@njkrebs 

Lots of good recommendations above. Add Rockport Atria ii to the list. Amazing speaker. Good luck!

I’ll throw in my two cents worth for your consideration. I’ve cycled through three pairs of speakers — B&W bookshelves, Usher MD2, and currently, what I think will be the last speakers I ever purchase — the Scansonic MB6-B.

Scansonic is the value line of the well regarded (but very expensive) Raidho speakers of Denmark. They are tall, sleek, and sound exquisite — detailed, amazing soundstage and depth, fast, and with incredible range. I have two REL subs in my system and haven’t bothered to turn them on — the Scans do perfectly well hitting the lower frequencies on their own. They retail for $15k.

The MB6-Bs were designed by Michael Borresen who later went on to found his own audiophile company bearing his name and producing outstanding loudspeakers including the Borresen X-3. I considered them when I purchased the Scans — to my ear it was a toss up. Both were amazing loudspeakers at an even more amazing price — between $12-$15k. They were  the best values I could find and certainly kept pace with the Sabrinas that I had longed dreamed of owning.

For context, my equipment is based on Parasound electronics including JC1 monoblocks, JC2 BP pre-amp, JC3 phono amp, and a CD-1 CD player. My primary source is vinyl played on a VPI Scout turntable with a Dynavector 20X2-L cartridge. And the two REL subs mentioned above now get used only with my home theater system.

The Scansonic aren’t well known in the states and you’ll have to dig to find reviews. But with one exception where the reviewer didn’t like the technical “measurements” of the speakers, all of the others I found came to the same conclusion I did — these are amazing loudspeakers that will give you hours of musical enjoyment. 

I first discovered and listened to the MB6-Bs at AXPONA 2023. That was it, I was hooked and purchased them by the end of the month!

Best of luck with your search — enjoy the ride! 

I auditioned the Dynaudio floor standers and Magico A3's during the same session. I don't remember the model but as I recall the woofers were a little bigger and, the cabinet was bigger than the A3's.  I went with the Magicos. The Dynaudio's were nice but I thought the A3's beat them. 

That was over three years ago. I've been extremely happy with the A3's. I've updated all of my gear to bring out their potential but it's been worth the effort.

I’d suggest before making recommendations to take into account that the OP’s amp, while excellent, is a relatively low-powered tube amplifier. As per John Atkinson’s measurements of the amp it’s not comfortable driving speakers that dip to low impedance levels. From his measurements…

”Octave specifies the maximum power into 4 ohms with KT150 tubes as 120Wpc (17.8dBW), and fig.5 reveals that, with both channels operating, the amplifier just reached this power at 3% distortion. At our usual definition of clipping (1% THD), the amplifier gave 43.3Wpc into 4 ohms (13.35dBW) and 79Wpc into 8 ohms (19dBW).”

So recommending speakers like Revel, Wilson, Magico, Vivid, Dynaudio Confidence, KEF, etc. that aren’t really tube friendly — and especially not low-powered tube friendly — are likely not a good match for this amp as they’ll push it well out of its optimal operating range and into high distortion and poorly-controlled bass. Just something to consider for future recommendations.

Please note up-front: I am not getting any financial reward from the following, or anything else, for that matter. All I want to do is sharing my everyday musical enjoyment.

To me - after decades of searching - there is only one answer to your question and your budgetary frame: Linkwitz LX521.4Mg (Magnesium Mid-Low). This is an entire package, not only the speaker, but includes an active ASP and 5 (!) amps per channel (10 total). All this fitting precisely into your price bracket. The Linkwitz 521.4 is the result of decades-long tinkering by the late Siegfried Linkwitz (of Linkwitz-Riley crossover fame) to create a sound transducer based on our scientific insights into the realm of psycho-acoustics, or simpler: how do we perceive music so that our brain can relax and not constantly has to recreate a musical event from imperfect acoustic clues. It is the latter demand on our brains that leads to listening fatigue. I will abstain to delve into a scientific description of why and how. Only so much: these are open-baffle dipole speakers; each speaker contains two subwoofers, one mid-woofer, one mid-high driver and two tweeters. The subs and the tweeters come in pairs, because one beams to the front  and the other to the rear. That makes for 5 separate drivers (the tweeters are wired in reverse series), each of which has its own amplifier (each sub has its own, i.e. 2/channel). Moreover, the ASP (analog signal processor), takes the signal coming from the preamp (or DAC) and splits it up in such a way that each driver gets only that part of the frequency spectrum where its response curves are more-or-less flat. This leads to an overall flat and well-balanced frequency response of the speaker. You can read about this in great detail on the Linkwitz Store website or on Siegfried's own Linkwitzlab site. The speakers can be bought completely assembled, turn-key, so to speak, or as a construction set, that ships like a piece of furniture from IKEA. The price difference is a whopping $10K. I built my speakers myself. There are numerous reviews on the web about this extraordinary system, and many best-in-show opinions from visitors at AXPONA or the Munich show. Most recently, Tom Martin (of Absolute Sound fame) reviewed the system on his blog site, and called it a true "breakthrough".

I myself could not think of a more enjoyable speaker, as it does bring the music venue into my room with a realism and 3D staging that is nothing short of uncanny, and does so effortlessly without any distortions of frequency shortcomings: the bass goes deep, and remains dry and superbly focused, while as loud as the recording demands. Well, two subs, each driven with 250 A, leave nothing on the table. I listen to every musical genre (except Grunge), and I have never felt that there should be more. I get great performances from intimate jazz lounge recordings and solo singers or instruments as well as from large-stage synthesizer-heavy stuff such as Dead Can Dance or the recent Blade Runner tracks, which are just mind-blowing.

I could get on and on, but I think you get my drift: for your budget there is simply nothing else out there coming even close to what the LX521 system offers. 

A final note: the Linkwitz store is direct-sale, no middle men, no mark-ups, no ad costs in magazines (besides a very small one in the recent Stereophile pages); however, if you are interested, many happy users such as myself have agreed to join the international network of Linkwitz Lounges, where we open our homes to perfect strangers and have them listening to our set-up, before they spend beaucoup-bucks on something which turns out to be a compromise. My lounge is located in our living room, meaning: a realistic setting, such as your own. There are no wall treatments or any other fancy stuff obfuscating the fact that a demo system could be far from perfect in your own setting. So, if you are serious and not too far from Silicon Valley, please shoot me a message and we go from there!

@njkrebs Wilsons have a natural tone and the Sabrinas check all the boxes, however, your amp is slightly underpowered for these speakers in that size room. Depends on how loud you like to listen. 
Magico speakers do not sound anything like Wilsons. And even the A3 are power hungry and more so than the Sabrinas. 

I own and would not hesitate to recommend the Sabrinas. 

As to your other choices, not sure. Best is to go hear these speakers especially the Devore and the Borresen. As a side note, the claim that the $11,000 X3 compete with $25,000 speakers is ambitious. May be they do sound better than some mysterious $25,000 speakers but I’ll believe it when I see/hear it. It’s way too hyped up now. 

@mbmi - with all due respect what I've heard in videos from Børresen is that it uses the same type of ribbon design as their top tweeter but is not identical in its construction details. Quoting directly from their website: "The tweeter chosen for the Børresen X-series has the same design used in all other Børresen loudspeaker series. However, there is a reduction in magnet and iron mass." So they are not the same tweeter (built to a different level as described) although they use a common design... 'nuff said.

PS. The $11K Borresen X-3's have the same tweeter as their $500,000 speakers have....'nuff said.

Subs with my current speakers. I’m more of a minimalist, and I know subs are always good (at least according to John Hunter from REL), but it’s “cleaner” to move to full-range floorstanding speakers. I wish they had more colors to choose from for the Confidence line…I know that sounds dumb but…I do love the Dynaudio sound. Lots to contemplate. 

With the confidence 30 speaker there is no need for subs. Or were you talking subs with your current speakers?

@hilroy48 

I was hoping to demo the Confidence 30s, the 50s are amazing and just won TAS speaker of the year, but obviously way too big for my room. Like several posters here have said, looking into subs is a good option too.

Thanks again to all of your replies…I have a running list of recommendations and will start to look into the various options you all suggested. I plan on attending Axpona this year just to have a quick first listen.