Listening to what we Like Instead of what we have to

Check out Legacy. They seem to work well on the music genres you mention. I'm a fan of prog and metal and punk and Legacy is the brand that works for me.

Steve Winwood, Phil Collins, Lionel Richie, Eddie Money, Neil Diamond, Kiss, Madonna, Motley Crue, Def Leppard, AC/DC, Eric Clapton, Eric Carmen, 80s Billboard, Johnny Cash, Baltimora, etc...you get the point.

Go to some dealer and throw away all his audiobool recordings.

Play this track on repeat and bust a jungle move. Whichever speaker makes you feel less like a big cat in a small cage is the right speaker for you.

Baltimora - Tarzan Boy

Within your budget, call Ty at Tyler Acoustics and describe your dilemma. 

Some years ago I acquired a pair of Vienna Acoustics Liszt's and was crestfallen from my first listen. They were supposed to be an upgrade from a pair of PSB Stratus Gold...the PSB sang circles around the VA's. 

The line falls under the radar of many of our audiophile peer, but for your budget, you would be wise to consider their reference bookshelf or the Passif 50. 

Don't have any particular advice, but having the right combo of equipment can allow you to have a high resolution/transparent system that's emotionally involving playing a wide variety of music. I play virtually every genre from every era, including the music you listen to, the unfortunate thing is most of these recordings overly compressed such that they suck the life out the performance. No system can add life to wasn't existent on the recording.

Start with the speakers that are right for your room.  That is a good space.  You just need a speaker that doesn't need immense distance from the back wall.  I would also look for something with a better impedance than those Vienna Acoustics.  That was a hard speaker to drive. 

I would probably look at Harbeth or Spendor.  Both will tonally be what you are looking for and are designed to work better near a wall.  Anything rear ported might cause you issues and get boomy.  

Full disclosure, I am a dealer but have no relationship with wither Harbeth or Spendor.  

Thanks for the help everyone!

I will give Fritz a call.

Also, I'll try to find out where I can listen to Revival Atalante 3s.

I'dl ike to check out GRs upgrade kit for my speakers. Just can't find any feedback on how they sound. I emailed them and they never responded.

I'm in Northern Virginia so I'm sure I can find some places to audition. ( Not as many as there used to be😉)

Do Ethernet cables and optical cables make a huge difference?

I purchased NX-Oticas from GR Research. They come in a kit and you have to assemble them. But, the sound quality is Outstanding! I also purchased Double Trouble subs from Danny at GR. The entire ensemble was under $3k. Imaging, bass, clarity and just over-all sound quality is great! I power the Otica's with my McIntosh MA 12000 and the subs use their own plate amps. 

My room is roughly 15x 30 feet. The speakers are all open baffle. The music fills the room and can be loud or soft as you desire and because it is an open baffle system, it doesn't pressurize the room like conventional systems. This means you feel the bass but it somehow doesn't carry through the walls like normal subwoofers. 

I actually ran into a guy at the stereo store and to my surprise, he had the same speakers as I did. We both compared ours to some $50 k Sonus Fabers and both came to the conclusion that ours are equal to or a touch better. $$$ was of little concern to the other gentleman. I got to listen to his in his 2.5 million dollar house. 

So! Check out GR Research for speakers. Best bang for the buck out there! 

@mesch + 1 - Fritz speakers are a great buy and Fritz is a great fellow to deal with. I had a pair of Carrera BE's that were about $3K at that time....

Many of you if your music is not sounding great ,or at least good your sourse and digital chain is the weak link i hav3 solved this a few years back by other members in part of the multi state Audio groups I go to ,many times just contacts for other Audio people having shoot outs or tips on their digital success. Which I hav3 learned a lot from , starting with your router- streamer combo. No one in this day and age should Ever have a separate modem ,router isf so much more added noise get rid of it . Any,all wall warts get them the heck out . Digital is not grounded

from house to house  wall warts create noise $3 piece of junk, I put in a LPS power supply from Linear Tube Audio ,$50 off for $700 on Audiogon. Best LPS under $1200 then judt put a ok power cord like a Pangea sig mk2 for 2 a major upgrade in fidelity ,I use hardwire,but even mu Roku stream more stable .

then your Ethernet cables at minimum from router $200 bare minimum ,end point much more important for a Better Ethernet cable . Then Ethernet hub 

I have a ok one not great a good one $3k  I paid $600 with decent ocxo clock,LPS power supply and regulators . LHY SW-8 also Pangea power cord not too much $$ 

but excellen5 value ,no power cords ever with Brass , it oxydizes black on to your AC  gold over copper . Putin quality AC outlets again pangea $99 high purity copper ,gold plated 3x better conductor = 3 x less resistance - noise ,Better then bright Brass .  Then your system will sound much better.

I also have 20 amp dedicated 4 wire  2 grounds 1 a common ground , the other a 

dedicated isolated ground to its own isolated buzz bar to ground outside 

a Big difference , if you are in a condo or apt  just follow above  at end point JCat ref Ethernet cable Excellent !

There are so many choices in that price range. I agree with the others that suggested some travel to hear a variety of speakers. I think you will know them when you hear them. 

@megabyyte totally agree with the jazz stuff. The freeform jazz annoys me to death. LOL! We have very similar tastes in music though. As for speakers, I would also try the Revival Atalante 3s---they're about $2700. With stands around $3100. They are amazing speakers---I recently sold my Dynaudio Special 40s for the Atalante 3s. They have a bigger sound than the S40s IMO. Much more musical, less analytical. Keep us posted!

This can be a problem. I realized my system had become a sound analysis devise highlighting the venue and details and not the music. I moved from dominantly solid state to tube equipment and Sonus Faber speakers. You can see my systems under my user ID.

You need not go as far as I have gone, but the choice of electronics is really important… and also the speakers. As an experiment, see if you can find a place to listen to an Audio Research I-50 integrated amp. Every time I hear one, I instantly forget about the system and fall into the music… like my current system.

You may not be able to do it in one step, but it is assembling a system around a completely different idea. A natural tube amp and musical speakers are a minimum requirement… but you can’t have a highly detailed lean unmusical preamp and DAC either.

Plus 1 @kennymacc

Don’t take our word. We don’t know your room and certainly don’t know your ears!

Do you have an audio store or even a Nebraska Furniture Mart anywhere near you? Go out and listen to everything you can.

All the best.

Unless my system gives me the bait - a wow moment - each time I listen, I am not convinced it’s right for me. And I’m getting the bait from both systems, after many years of mix and match. I agree this is essential for emotional and intellectual engagement with the music. Loving it and hope you find yours.

Just go out and listen to as my pairs of speakers as you possibly can, and let your ears be your guide.  Happy listening.    

If interested in a pair of stand mounts You might enjoy a pair pf Fritz Carbon 7s SEs. They are easy to drive. Known to mate well with your amp (from thread here on AG). Check out the website. The owner offers free shipping and a generous return policy. 

I often have to listen to only the most well produced and best recordings

Why?  Is someone forcing you to do that?  Of course not!  It's something you choose to do.  You have other choices.  It's not about the equipment or even the setup, it's about you and your relationship to music.  As those great musical philosophers so aptly put it way back in 1972 -- Whoa, listen to the music all the time.

I find loads of great new musicians on Youtube. I find it's far better than the discovery algorithm on Qobuz. When I find something I like, I can go put it on my favorites list to play at higher resolution on Qobuz.

BTW... the music I find on Youtube is not bad at all. In fact, it's quite enjoyable to watch the performance and sound quality quite acceptable. I run a fiber cable from TV ( PCM ) through my DAC on to my main system. I know it's not as high rez as my Qobuz but it's highly entertaining.

When I demo my system for newbies I put on a live performance on the TV instead of staring at a blank wall. Way more FUN.

@sirmelvin27 We have similar taste in music. Pat Benatar-Shadows of the Night is a good example of what a bad recording sound like even the remastered version but that is not going to stop me from listening to her music which I like. The Paradigm mini monitors I have made matter worse with music compressed recording. For that kind of music I prefer soft dome tweeters and not metallic material. For Jazz and instrumental that might be fine.

But there’s definitely something appealing about listening to great recordings that are minimally processed, and showcase very pure sounding acoustic instruments.

+1, @megabyte .  

It’s the audiophile’s dilemma. You’re not alone. Most of the music I’m most emotionally invested in sounds terrible. So I’ve developed an appreciation for well recorded jazz/blues. It sucks but it’s hard to listen to bad recordings now and 90% of the music I grew up with and love is really poorly recorded. Luckily most Pink Floyd isn’t too bad. :) The upside is, I’ve come to genuinely like jazz. Some of it I can’t listen to, the crazy, phrenetic Freeform type makes zero sense to me and I won’t listen to it no matter how well it’s recorded. :)

But there’s definitely something appealing about listening to great recordings that are minimally processed, and showcase very pure sounding acoustic instruments. Love hearing the texture, timbre, and realism of the various instruments.

In the $3000 range i’d be looking at Dynaudio special 40, or Q acoustics. Maybe some 705 S3’s or used 805 d3’s.

I no longer waste too much energy analyzing too deeply what my motives are in developing an appreciation of well recorded acoustic jazz or blues, no reason to beat myself up. To thine own self be true. If it makes you happy, to quote Sheryl Crow, it can’t be that bad. 👍🏼