Getting a Divorce and can now buy floor standing speakers
So, I am getting rid of the wife (divorce, I am not burying her in the backyard!) and can now get big floor standing speakers. I currently have a Luxman integrated and model 30 Harbeth speakers, and a very good sub. Very neutral/natural sound, can listen for long sessions. But I don't get a very good image, and it seems a little too laid back. I listen mainly to singer-song writers, both male and female. Lots of acoustic/piano.
There are so many floor standers now, I'd like to shorten the list. Any suggestions to start my search? I am located in southern CA, so I can listen to almost any brand. Price should be under $100K.
I may lose a wife, but so far the freedom/cash is worth it.
I have the Luxman 590 - love it! I didn't want to mess with tubes and class A brings me a nice warm/rich sound. Now if I can only find a woman like that.....
Great idea! Thanks to everyone who responded. I will try placement first, as they were not set up that well. Adding another sub is also great as even if I do buy new speakers, the subs won't go to waste.
I’m curious about this one. I’ve read reviews that stated that those who have disliked Martin Logan conventional speakers should hear the XL f-200, about $5500 for the pair:
Yamaha NS-5000. Made by a piano company. You will need more power than the Luxman though, at least 400 watts at 8 ohms. All the drivers are the same material for unmatched tonal accuracy.
This masterpiece should be at the top of the playlist for any audiophile going through divorce..
Forget Diana Krall boys... Jimmy Nail is your boy during these trying times...The rest of us can pretend that we are the cheerleading brass for the dude whose alimony payments are due shortly. Bwaahahaha
I have always believed that good audio gear is on balance a lot less trouble that any woman I have known including my current wife. Somebody once pointed out to me that audio gear doesn’t keep you warm at night, but I beg to differ, especially if you have class A amps or tube equipment. Warmth, both audibly and literally, is easily derived from tube equipment. :)
This is not my preferred method for staying warm... :)
Yeah whatever, she and her attorney will be looking at this thread on the internet, identify him to be deadhead100, etc like Stephen Hawking started doing ballet one fine morning.
I am not sure where you are in the process, but if it is not already over, then calculations of Alimony Pendente Lite, spousal support, etc may be affected by what you post here, The gist of her attorney's argument would typically be "look at what he is considering buying, so he can afford to give her [fill in the blank] per month". For a man getting divorced I recmmend that they take a "slug approach" - stay low and keep moving!
I am not sure where you are in the process, but if it is not already over, then calculations of Alimony Pendente Lite, spousal support, etc may be affected by what you post here, The gist of her attorney's argument would typically be "look at what he is considering buying, so he can afford to give her [fill in the blank] per month". For a man getting divorced I recmmend that they take a "slug approach" - stay low and keep moving!
Well I'm divorced twice .I have a house full of audio equipment, lps,cds....no wife but 2 girls friends who are great So....at 73 I'm having the time of my life....good luck my man..
High Efficiency if you want to try some cool tube flea amps: Avantgarde--definitely a statement speaker i've always wanted to hear
Low Efficiency: I'm with the Rockport crowd--heard some Cygnus at a high end shop in Phoenix and didn't want to leave the store--i could have bought them if i also wanted a divorce....
take the advice to spend some of it on plane tickets to listen to as many as you can
I remember when I got divorced the last thing I was thinking about was buying speakers. I was lucky to have enough cash to buy my headphone amp and a new pair of Grados.
I packed up my system and put it in storage until the dust settled. Fortunately I did not get "taken to the cleaners" but a lot of guys do.... OP's priorities out of whack maybe????
So...I have to ask if upgrading your audio system is a catalyst for divorce? It was never a factor in any of mine and with being down for the count 3 times, you would think it would rear its ugly head. Never happened. Just wondering what you guys think? :)
Hey fellow Deadhead! I live in Dallas but I do business with Sunil at Sunny Components in Covina. He's a great guy and has both Rockport and Stenheim (plus others). IMO you couldn't go wrong with either of those lines. Personally, I have the Stenheim 5SE's. I'm extremely happy. Someone said- at that price point how could you be unhappy with any of the speakers? I tend to agree. But ultimately it comes down to your taste and what you think sounds good. There is no best. Working with a quality individual like Sunil can certainly aid in helping you get the most out of your system- he's certainly helped me build a system that has exceeded my wildest expectations.
I am sorry to hear that you are getting divorced. It sounds like it was a long time in the making and that you are enjoying your freedom. Outside of AV publishing, I work with a high net worth divorce attorney in CT. It is amazing what goes down in big dollar divorces.
Although I am exiled from my audiophile system because of the fire in Pacific Palisades - I would suggest to you that you likely can be happy with speakers that are under $100,000. Like really happy.
Here is my recommendation to you...
1. Look in to Bowers & Wilkins 802s for $28,000. I use them. Skywalker Ranch, Abbey Road Studio. Easy to power. 102 engineers. 3000 grit robot sanders on a better than a McLaren paint job. NOT BRIGHT like in the past.
2. I loved the Stenheim Alumine Two.Five although you could go up in their product line with your budget and still have plenty left over. These were like $23,000 but they make bigger ones for more money. Least boxy sounding "box" (made of aluminum) speaker EVER - sorry Magico (I like those too)
3. The Estelon Aura speakers from Estonia are a HOT TICKET. Great form factor. Great imaging. Better bass than you might expect even from the $20,000 pair that I reviewed.
There are MANY MANY MORE than you could consider. Email me at FutureAudiophile.com OR DM me here (email would be better) if I can help you more.
Last bit of advice (I gave this to Kobe and he loved the place via our travel agent) is to take your NEW GIRLFRIEND to Las Ventanas in Cabo. Four days. During the winter. Best resort that I've ever been too worldwide. Very few rooms. Very private. Incredible food. A ceviche and tequila bar (I stopped drinking but this is such a great little spot).
Best of luck to you. If I can help you more (make some introductions or more advice) please feel free to find me.
I own Dynaudio Confidence speakers, and I can’t recommend them highly enough. And I know Harbeth. I’ve had monitor 40.2’s, Compact 7 ES3’s, and P3ESR’s. I loved the Monitor 30’s, but they just didn’t move enough air (that’s why I got the 40.2”s). Harbeth makes FANTASTIC speakers, but I think they work best in more intimate listening areas. It seems that your budget allows for just about anything in the Dynaudio lineup, so I strongly recommend you go to a top-tier Dynaudio dealer that has the full range of Confidence speakers so you can judge for yourself. As I always say, you can pay more money if you want, but expensive and flashy are not always better. Dynaudio is a speaker you can listen to and enjoy for a long time. Cheers.
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