High value, giant killer speakers?

Another vote for Magnepan LRS.
Right room / Right electronics = true high end sound / experience.

Speaker preference is so extremely subjective that any particular choice, even ultra-expensive models, might be horrible sounding to certain listeners.  Therefore, any "giant killer" candidate must be auditioned by the buyer before being considered.  I fear that these types of inquiries are a search for a rough consensus that is then used to make a choice without actually audition.

The mention of Magnepan speakers is good because one can easily find them for an audition.  I would add lower end Audio Note speakers as decent bargains that one should be able to find a dealer.  ProAcs may be harder, but, they too deserve mention.

There are a few quite decent sounding (to me anyway) speakers that are sold mostly by direct sales from the manufacturer.  They cannot easily be heard unless one can attend audio shows.  The Tekton Double Impacts impressed me for their decent sound at a quite reasonable price.  I also like the Rethm Bhaava speakers I heard at shows.  Much higher in price, but competitive with some really expensive speakers, are the back-loaded horns from Charney Audio.

If we are talking towers, Goldenear Tritons are unbelievable for the price and have better a soundstage image and dynamics than speakers four times the price. If we are going bookshelf, and really affordable, both ELAC and PSB make some killer options that are well under $1,000/pair. Now, I am a classical and jazz musician, and I listen for clarity and a big soundstage, but also full range dynamics. I want to hear the musician's breath, nice and soft, but clear, and then be blown out of my seat by crescendos in the music with no discomfort to my ears. There are other good speakers out there, but for my picky ears, and my money, these are the three I'd go to first.

I’m also a musician, and I was pleasantly surprised after all these decades as an audio freak and live sound mixer/system designer that Klipsch Heresy IIIs sound as good as they do. Until I bought a Dennis Had SEP amp which was initially used with either 91db or 93db speakers, I hadn’t thought much about higher efficiency (wasn’t satisfied with the sound of the 93db speakers and sold ’em, and eventually sold the 91db speakers, although they, Silverline Preludes, sounded great) as it hadn’t mattered much. Heresy IIIs filled the bill amazingly, and are very revealing of anything in front of them...cables, amps, sources, my Aunt Shirley (move please, I don’t wanna see your inappropriate dance moves)...Are these USA made fat little boxes worth more than the 1500 bucks I spent? (my "Capitol Records edition" pair listed for $2500)...yeah, maybe they are...but...meh...I hear far more "precious" rigs at shops around here and think many are excellent, but I think my rig sounds better all around...especially since it’s in my house.

2nd for the Fritz speakers, matched them with a tube amp and you wont be sorry....I'm only sorry I cant buy another pair for my living room (that is my wife's room :-)

The JBL Studio 590s were amazing speakers for the money.A highly engineered and sophisticated horn design which sounded superb with low powered amplifiers. JBL seems to have stopped making them however.

If you have the ability to do simple DIY, the LX521's are really superb. I made the Orions and was disappointed. The LX521.4 are really great speakers. From a very deep and tight bass, to a sublime midrange with excellent imaging, A little odd looking, but fantastic performance.

Audiokinesis JM2.0 + Space Generators..for just below $9k..sounds fantastic and amazingly real. This is a killer deal..

Another vote for Tekton. I’m coming from 15 years of Maggie’s (1.6-20.1). The Moab’s do things they just couldn’t do. I was a skeptic. After 200 hours of break in I am a believer. 

My reference and last speaker is Philharmonic-3 fro Philharmonic Audio. Just my ears :)

PS - worked through Golden Ear Triton 7s, Triangle Celius 202, My own custom built (by me) 4-way towers, my own custom built 3-way towers, Klipsch RPFs. Was going for B&W 802s but fell in love with the Philharmonic-3. Cabinets by Jim Salk, flamed maple in rose red.

If you have a large room, especially if you listen at high levels, the ATCscm 300 tower speakers are hard to beat, 40k including matching power power amps. My system is simple high end, Jays Audio cdt3mk2 cd transport into Tidal  Preos preamp/dac. Simple, and simply stunning.

I think the Kii Three has a very competitive price since it contains an amp and a dac.

That said we as a community probably have too too many ideas of what a system should sound like to really have generic "gigant killers"

Eminent Technology LFT8 either A or B.  I prefer A cause I am a devoted dipole fan. ET's are still available new in theory but the wait is loooong. Magnepan's were my first love and the 1.7 and bigger are must audition speakers. Gee, there's that dipole thing again.  The recommendation to "save up, get what you want used and stay off the merry-go-round" is words for the wise.  Your worst problem will be getting to hear a particular speaker in your area.  

GoldenEar. Great value. Money is spent on driver and x-over tech not in expensive wooden enclosures.  Read the reviews, then take your money and music to the dealer to listen and compare....

I would vote for two speakers.
1. Tekton Design Ulfberht. Amazingly dynamic and realistic full range sound.
2. Triton Reference. Powerful and refined.

Both sell for about $9,000.

I find that the Dutch and Dutch punch well above their weight, in particular due to their acoustic design.

I wouldn't describe them as being necessarily cheap, but when you consider that they have all of the electronics already on board (amplification, dacs, dsp, room eq, and eventually roon), the value proposition starts to become very strong.

In general dipoles play nicer with your room than box speakers, hence Maggies, and my current home built Fostex 103/Eminence Alpha 15s.

Quad ESL 57.  For me the 63s and their derivatives throw too much treble and midrange energy into all but the largest rooms.

Vandersteens - all of them.  I honestly prefer the 2s to the 3s, even though the 3s are more accurate, and the 2s with a pair of the subs over the 5s, for the same reason.

Siegfried Linkwitz was a giant; it would take the price of a new car to best his Orion speaker system. Behold the dominating sound stage, my audio brothers!

I have auditioned many speakers over the years from $3k-$300k and IMHO I was blown away when I heard a little known speaker in the USA that was reasonably priced retail $6k that crushes many speakers more than 5x,10x their price. The speaker is made by Amphion in Finland. The price performance is oof the charts. I spent approximately two years auditioning speakers and amps before investing. When allocating a significant  amount of money for a high end system, after all that testing, I bought the Amphion Argon 7L on the spot. They are quite efficient at 91db. When paired with a good amp you will be delighted. I actively continue to audition speakers and amps and thus far have not found a speaker that outperforms at this price range. Worth a listen if you can find a dealer. 

Vandy 1ci

What most forget about and hardly ever take into consideration is the room you are listening in.

I have heard very expensive gear sound only so so..kind of bland and I have heard moderately priced gear set up correctly in a great sounding room sound fantastic.

Audiofool1....no joke about those Amphion speakers. They are actually somewhat popular in the pro audio world as mix and some mastering speakers in recording studios. I see them all the time at my music instrument trade shows and in some studios.

another speaker that will blow away consumer speakers is Barefoot Audio. These like the Amphion speakers are self powered and have become one of the top rated recording studio speakers. They are accurate, detailed, wide listening sweet spot.

Quad 57’s

Harbeth 40.2

Stax ear speakers

Usher DMD Mini Dancer 2 w/pr of Rel subs.
Avalon Eclipse w/Pr of Rel subs 

Vandersteens - all of them. I honestly prefer the 2s to the 3s, even though the 3s are more accurate, and the 2s with a pair of the subs over the 5s, for the same reason.

2s are a bargain classic, but I like the later larger models which have better tweeters as well as what is basically a subwoofer built in. My 4As have stood up very well and the 5s are just a refinement of them, in a sense, and should be available used now for a decent price (c. $7K)

Check out Seaton Sound and JTR Speakers.  Both offer extremely high performance speakers and subs at prices that are a tremendous value compared to many of the main-stream and boutique companies. 

Absolutely thrilled with the performance of my Tekton Double impact monitors, giant killers for sure

Absolutely without a doubt the new Sonus faber Sonetto 5's. I've owned Focals, B&W  702's and 705's (originals) and Sonus faber Venere 2.5's. For $4,999.00, these speakers far outperform their cost, and compare very favorably to others at twice the price or more. Designed and built in Italy with new woofer design and trickle-down tweeter design, the Sonetto's sing beautifully. Imaging, detail, separation, and easy placement are strong qualities. And their look speaks for itself.

I very recently heard the AudioSolutions Figuro M speakers. From Italy.

Not exactly cheap at $7500, but they sounded like they could compete with speakers at double the money.

Not to mention their finish looked like speakers costing a lot more.

I believe they’re from Lithuania.

Several reviews out there, including this one:
https://www.tonepublications.com/review/the-audiosolutions-figaro-m-speakers/ 

Pity that there only seem to be four dealers at the moment in the USA
https://www.highendbyoz.com/ 

Blues America - Keb’ Mo’

Vandersteens - all of them. I honestly prefer the 2s to the 3s, even though the 3s are more accurate, and the 2s with a pair of the subs over the 5s, for the same reason.

Funny, I prefer the 1s over the 2s.

If you don't mind getting your hands dirty, and trust your ears more than you trust reviewers, may I recommend a DIY approach?
Tremendous community of people to help guide you, places to buy drivers, custom cabinet makers, you name it.

+1 for Magnepan .7, but them new, they’re a nightmare to repair. I swapped amps but today they’re running with a mint B&K 2220 I bought for 250$. Ordered in the same color that my room’s walls to get WAF. But depends on your music and the source, mine being Bluenode 2i with Tidal straight into the amp... 

I'll throw out the Anthony Gallo Acoustics Reference 3 series (.0, .1 and .5) for discussion.

These speakers were/are highly regarded by hobbyists and the audio press alike.  The MSRP was ridiculously low given their capabilities and these speakers are an absolute steal on the used market today.  My 3.1's have been my reference since buying them more than 15 years ago.  Someday, I hope for them to be the weak link in my system holding me back from the next level of performance so that I can justify buying something else.  ;-)  I drive the second set of voice coils in the woofers with a dedicated amp which allows for the speakers to nominally reach down to 22 Hz.  I am sure there are better performers out there (and some don't care for their aesthetic), but I would love for others to chime in with a list of contenders at a similar price point.  If other such gems are out there, I'll put them on my short list and would love to hear them.

Here is a blast from the past review that is typical of the fawning elicited from the audio press back in the day: http://https//hometheaterhifi.com/volume_14_1/gallo-reference-speakers-1-2007-part-1.html

Good topic, OP.  Thanks for suggesting it.

Cerwin Vegas  CLS-215, two 15 inch woofers in a each cab, very efficient
replaced by xls-215's best 1500 you will spend
forget the exotic crap you are all chasing your tails

magnepans are a joke, no bottom end and you will need 300 plus watts per side to get them going

Piega Coax. End of story 

B&W 800d I love them. 

Helsinki Gradients and a pair of 15" sealed box Rythmik subwoofers; subwoofer integration with DSpeaker X4 (active crossover, room correction); Imaging/reproduction of space, texture, micro-detail, tonality are wonderful; voices, piano, guitar, violin - all sound life like. System is linear down to 20 Hz (and below).
No room treatment necessary, no searching for sweet spot - sounds excellent in the entire room (30' x 15', slanted ceiling). Total cost ca. $13k. 

Very few, if any, contributors to this excellent question are providing REASONS why a specific speaker is a superior VALUE for the price...IE, “a true “giant killer”. 
Here are the money reasons why this relatively little known brand IS: 
1) they are shipped in a DIY “kit” in between about 4 and 7 packages depending on the model chosen (from 4 different countries, each of which make the specifically selected components) 
2) Shipping costs are therefore substantially more cost effective. It’s cheaper to ship 7 “little” boxes that 2 gigantic ones that require a pallet and special handling and delivery requirements.
3) they are shipped from the individual manufacturers of each of the components DIRECTLY to you...not to a retail dealership, who needs to pay costs for retail premises, staff, commissions, insurance, electricity. heating and air conditioning, business taxes, inventory, etc., etc. This is a HUGE cost of buying at a retailer! Ask yourself, what’s the mark- up (wholesale to retail) by the dealer and WHY does that have to be that way? Well, it does have to be that way or the retailer will nor be in business.  
4) YOU assemble the components. It’s simple, if you know one end of a screwdriver from the other. It took me 5 hours. Therefore, I paid no one a dime for the cost to have someone else do that. 
5) the reason these speakers are so “under the radar”, is because the “manufacturer of the speaker systems”, does not spend vast sums of money advertising in trade magazines. Huge savings in his overhead, making it possible for him to pass saving on to the purchasers while still achieving his required profit. Every speaker company requires profit! 
6) So how does this speaker system “manufacturer” sell? Trade shows, and word of mouth...personal referrals, and from the most extensive and informative Web site I have ever seen... smart marketing in the money sense. AND, number one, VALUE FOR OUTSTANDING SOUND!!! Without achieving that, you are dead in the water. (Well, maybe not. It’s surprising what people will buy with such little due diligence.) 
 
As an additional bonus, you can customize them with your choice of several different (nearly) full range driver choices, including Voxative models, Tang Bang, Horns, etc. Etc. 
Additionally, those drivers are exchangeable/upgradable in the future with the easy modification to the crossovers (which you also assembled... with nothing more than that same screwdriver. Therefore, you can upgrade with out selling 80 % of your speaker system. 

SOUND: the model I selected for a rather large listening room, (PAP Quintet Horn 1 Neo 15) with 4 15” neodymium magnet (very fast) woofers, (in each speaker)  NO subs required!!!! .... exceeded IN EVERY RESPECT, the excellent sound of the Martin Logan Montis that I had enjoyed for the past 5+ years.  And I mean EVERY respect! So go through the 50 or so words we use to describe sound from speakers, and check off every one of them. 

This brand offers several models, with numerous choices for “centre” drivers to customize the sound for your preference.

One  last comment. The model I chose, besides being able to fill my large room, are about 96 dB efficient. I can blow myself out of my chair with my 8 watts, but apparently, 4.5 watts will do the same. That's what  they are demoed with at the trade shows.  You can save a LOT of $$$$ on not needing huge, expensive power amplification! 

At  double the price of new, these would likely rival many of the “best” out there, and simply blow away the vast majority! 

You want to know WHY a speaker is a “giant killer.... now you know. 

Do yourself a favour, if you know one end of a screwdriver from the other, (and can use an Allen wrench) and check this brand out  before you buy either new or used. 

I have no vested interests... just sharing some FACTS to consider, prompted by the question that was asked.  I am extremely grateful to the person that l learned about this little known brand from, thank you again, Rachel! 

PS: AI wish I could post a photo of my pair... I customized the open baffle German white oak 
in which the 15’s are mounted and these are now( I guarantee) one if a kind, in appearance. Ken

Um, did I miss it, or did you neglect to mention the name??

I just purchased a pair of Ascend Acoustics CBM340SE and TP24 stands which I filled with 60lbs of kiln dried sand and I am impressed to say the least. For $716 including shipping and $15 for 120lbs of sand I got a bargain! I own Revel, Canton,ADS, Polk, KEF,  HSU Research and Fluance as well and I have to say that these speakers are my favorites so far, and they have a terrific midrange response. If there is truth to break in I can't wait for that if they sound this good out of the box!

MAGNEPAN!

@llamalips, (dandy moniker!) If you haven't, you should hear the Ascend Sierra 2's.
Outstanding for the money.

In my opinion, the Spatial Audio speakers are the highest value speakers in the audio world.  The new M-series Sapphire speakers are likely to be a demonstrable improvement over the existing Triode Master variants.  

llamalip, the original Ascend cbm-170 was suppose to be the ultimate giant killer back in the day. I owned them in 03’-04’ (when I was 18 years old) and felt they were pretty good, but maybe too good for the equipment I had at the time. They did sound very good with a cheap Fisher turntable and Onkyo tx-8511, but fatiguing with cd’s. I’d love to hear the updated 170se now that I’m into tube amps and have a better digital source (Sangean hdt 20 and Tidal). Maybe I’ll pick up a pair just for the nostalgia.

To dave123456 and thecarpathian  Thank You for your kind response. I have a pair of the CBM170 and that is what inspired me to try the 340's. In my opinion with all things considered with customer service being one of them Ascend Acoustics delivers the best value and service I have ever seen. The products that they offer provide excellent value, and they stand behind them 100%. With a 30 day trial period and bomb proof shipping I don't see how you could go wrong.

While I recognize most of the brands mentioned, (and realize I'm way out of my league),  I got off the merry go round 13 years ago when I stumbled upon some lower end Mirage omnipolar speakers on closeout for $200 each.

They sound almost as good as Maggies... and better than any point source speaker I have heard to date.  Except for maybe Vienna.

The best thing with the Mirage Omni... is that there is no "off axis". The room becomes like a giant pair of 3D headphones.

I was going to upgrade to the OMD's, (and bi-amp)... but they are NLA.

:(