My Gamut 5s were quite a bit less than $15,000. There are just too many choices at that price. I would go for some main stream speakers at a good price so I could change without a big loss if you change your mind. Most of these I have never heard of even after 50 years in audio. There is a great morality rate in speakers and you may be left with an orphan Once I saw some speakers listed in the Audio equipment issue. They were close so I went past. I did this several times and there was never anyone there.
Need Suggestions for speakers up to $15K new/used
I am a relative newb when it comes to this high-end world of audio. I purchased most of my equipment last year and then got involved in a home renovation project that zapped much of my funds ($500K...ouch). The renovation is concluding and I should have about $15K to throw at speakers to complete my system.
Here is what I have purchased so far:
*Contstellation Audio Inspiration Amp/Preamp
*PS Audio Direct Stream DAC with board
*PS Audio Power Station
*Oppo 105D
*Parasound JC3+ phono preamp
*Pro-ject Xpression Turntable with unknown cartridge
*Blinn Super Wide Audio Rack
I was all set to buy Raidho D1.1 last years and then had to cancel the order at the last minute due to the funding requirements of our renovation :/. I attended RMAF in 2014 and heard the Raidho’s and couldn’t get their sound out of my head. It was the best system I heard at the show. They were using Constellation electronics so hence the reason I bought the same brand. I didn’t have the funds to buy the expensive Constellation stuff but I was hoping for a similar sound. I also chose the JC3+ because I read that John Curl designed the preamp. He also designs for Constellation. Expectation is some trickle down in the technology and sound. Who knows but so far so good.
My room is 14’ x 22’ with 6’8" ceilings (crappy, i know). The room is in the basement and is all new drywall with new carpet over hardwoods. I like to listen to all kinds of great music including jazz, classical, industrial, pop to country.
So that leaves me with my dilemma, what speakers to buy? I plan to attend RMAF in October to listen to other speakers but would like a list of suggestions based on my requirements/restrictions. RMAF is overwhelming with all the choices and I don’t have time to listen to everything.
The brands I have heard that I have enjoyed include:
*Raidho
*Wilson Audio
*Nola
*There are others but these come to mind first.
Please let me know your recommendations on new or used speakers within my budget.
Here is what I have purchased so far:
*Contstellation Audio Inspiration Amp/Preamp
*PS Audio Direct Stream DAC with board
*PS Audio Power Station
*Oppo 105D
*Parasound JC3+ phono preamp
*Pro-ject Xpression Turntable with unknown cartridge
*Blinn Super Wide Audio Rack
I was all set to buy Raidho D1.1 last years and then had to cancel the order at the last minute due to the funding requirements of our renovation :/. I attended RMAF in 2014 and heard the Raidho’s and couldn’t get their sound out of my head. It was the best system I heard at the show. They were using Constellation electronics so hence the reason I bought the same brand. I didn’t have the funds to buy the expensive Constellation stuff but I was hoping for a similar sound. I also chose the JC3+ because I read that John Curl designed the preamp. He also designs for Constellation. Expectation is some trickle down in the technology and sound. Who knows but so far so good.
My room is 14’ x 22’ with 6’8" ceilings (crappy, i know). The room is in the basement and is all new drywall with new carpet over hardwoods. I like to listen to all kinds of great music including jazz, classical, industrial, pop to country.
So that leaves me with my dilemma, what speakers to buy? I plan to attend RMAF in October to listen to other speakers but would like a list of suggestions based on my requirements/restrictions. RMAF is overwhelming with all the choices and I don’t have time to listen to everything.
The brands I have heard that I have enjoyed include:
*Raidho
*Wilson Audio
*Nola
*There are others but these come to mind first.
Please let me know your recommendations on new or used speakers within my budget.
80 responses Add your response
I should clarify... when I mention the GamuT's... I mean the RS series with the "guitar strings" - their design makes a huge improvement over the other GamuT's. But... way, way too expensive - you'd never recover the investment, if you ever decide to sell them. Regarding the "value proposition" - the Linkwitz LX521's are a "kit," from Madisound, which is a "huge bargain" - not much to recover, if you decide to sell them. Same for the PureAudio Project speakers. You'll always be able to find "informed" buyers... eventually. |
Raidho ribbon loudspeakers are great and quite musical but only from the C4.1 Series and D5 are superb! I have auditioned both of them over the years at Munich Hifi Show as well as many other ultra expensive loudspeakers and finally found a brand of loudspeakers that delivers unbelievable musical performance that US and European manufacturers are usually charges 3-4X the price. It is Aurum Cantus Genesis top of the line model ($25K New) which also an OEM ribbon drivers for other famous company such as Nola Loudspeakers, Von Schweikert, Evolution Acoustics, Verity Audio, Burmester Audio, Aerial Acoustics, Lawrence Audio etc...I have purchased a pair of AC Genesis after audition them and they are easily on par with the $220K Raidho D5 or even a tad better!!! http://www.aurumcantus.com/aurumcantu-loudspeaker/loudspeaker_GENESIS.html https://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=zh-TW&u=http://review.u-audio.com.tw/reviewde... |
Since subs may not be an option, check out Devore Fidelity. Fantastic speaker, clean sound through and through, well sourced components. The silverbacks if you can find a pair frequency response - 21hz -40khz or The gibbon X frequency response - 23hz- 40khz. I have also heard of Bache Audio. Very impressive, clean sounding. The 002AB frequency response - 22hz - 40khz Both within your Budget |
As someone that seriously got in to audio 3 1/2 years ago, I'd like to offer a perspective that I've found invaluable. I made quite a few mistakes in my early purchases, especially in speakers, and I have to strongly urge that you either seek out a local shop that will allow you to seriously audition any speakers you're considering or consider internet based speaker companies with generous return policies. HiFi sound is so subjective that you simply cannot rely on reviews or suggestions from others other than to narrow or expand the models you're considering. Additionally, don't rely on a relatively brief listening session in an environment that doesn't match where you'll be setting them up, or where the rest of the equipment doesn't match what you'll be playing through them. As an example, my own decision on my current speakers came after I had settled a couple years ago on B&W 804 Diamond speakers and was contemplating an upgrade to the B&W 803 D3 speakers when they came out last year. I went to my local dealer that I'd been working with, and listened to them through the same equipment I had at home for about an hour. My dealer also recommended that I listen to the Wilson Audio Sabrina and I gave them a quick listen as well. I'd heard Wilson speakers at shows before, and had frankly never been overly impressed with them. I wasn't ready to make a decision that day, and started thinking about the speakers and doing some independent research. When I had the funds to make the purchase, I decided I really needed to give the Sabrina a fairer shake, so I arranged for another audition compared to the 803D3. I brought along a couple of my audio friends, and we spent about three hours with several records I'd brought along (my serious listening is all vinyl), and hooked up to the exact same turntable, cartridge, preamp (with on-board phono preamp) and amplifier. I was surprised that after 3 hours, I'd come to the conclusion that I overwhelmingly preferred the Sabrina for jazz and classical, and very slightly preferred the 803D3 for rock. Final step was an in-home audition of the Sabrina. My room, my exact equipment and my listening habits. The dealer brought them to me, set them up and left them for a long weekend. I had to pay about $200 for delivery and pickup, but for $16,000 speakers I considered it money well spent. |
While I think you should consider the Wilson Audio Sabrina, there are a LOT of excellent speakers at this price. The point is that everyone's ears and tastes are different, and you have to find what you like and what works in your environment. If necessary, considering the amount you're spending, take a trip to somewhere with a lot more options (the Bay area in particular has a TON of HiFi shops). I also like to support my local dealer, and I took a quick look and Crescendo in Wheatridge carries Wilson Audio, as well as Harbeth, Dynaudio and Paradigm speakers. You should look at the web sites of other speakers you're considering to see if there's a local dealer. Good luck! Personally, I almost regret being more or less done with my upgrades (only my turntable and phono preamp are left), as I thoroughly enjoy the process of giving serious audition to new equipment. Now I volunteer to help my friends when they want new equipment, mostly so I can tag along for the auditioning experience. |
I would second the Revel Ultima Salon......incredible value though a little hard to drive..shud be no problem driving them with PS audio electronics imo. rockport atria used might be in the ball park as well though they will not go down as deep as the revels. But incredible speakers nonetheless. I can vouch for them as I currently have the aviors! i saw a kef blade for 17.5k in audiogon.....another good contender and cutting edge technology hope this helps sujay |
"I am a relative newb when it comes to this high-end world of audio." Fix the room first. Take each system home and compare brands in that room. You will hear a difference and be able to decide. Any reputable dealer will allow you to hold a credit card for a few days and let you compare. I am not a person with a huge income, but love listening to high end systems and comparing the difference between different levels of cost verses performance. Everyone hears differently, and there is no "Golden" set of ears that can dictate "The best" What is boils down to are two things. 1. The "High End" Audio system is no better than the room you set it up in. You can have a $30,000 High end audio system in a crummy acoustical room, and a cheap system in a neutral good room and it will sound better than all that expensive gear. There is a fine line between how much better a $5,000 system is when compared in the same room to a $10,000 system. Is it worth the sound difference? With unlimited funds, why not get the Bugatti. 2. What do you like to hear in your music? It does not matter you impress your buddies, what do you like? Specifications will not tell you how the system sounds. Get the detail, impact, sweetness, timber, bass you like. That is what matters. |
I spent the day at RMAF listening to a number of speakers suggested where I could find them. Not all are listed in the guide so it is a bit of hit or miss. I found the Voxativ room and was blown away. I went back three separate times. The music sounded so natural coming out of the 9.87 setup compared to the others I auditioned. One thing my friend noticed was they had NO room corrections. There wasn't a single acoustic panel or pillow shoved in a corner anywhere, yet it sounded amazing. I did listen to the Raidho D 4.1, however, they were in a small room and it didn't do them justice. I spoke to MB and inquired about the display of and D1.1 or D2.1 speakers and they didn't bring anything that small. Very disappointing. The Magico S1's sounded very clean, although a little bright for my tastes and they definitely lacked the bottom end. I then spent 30 minutes listening to S3's in the Synergistic Room. Again the room was not ideal for the speakers IMO. They sounded a little muffled in the low-end and that was with all the fancy multi-thousand dollar Synergistic aids applied. Two of the best sounding rooms to me were the Dynaudio with a small pair of monitors. Appropriate speaker for the space with good music that truly highlighted their capabilities. The other is the Elac room with Andrew Jones. Those guys are doing amazing stuff for pennies on the dollar. They have a new integrated amp for $700 (if memory serves) that offers DSP, Blutooth, phono, and they powered their new floor standers with amazing authority. Granted this was a $2,250 system plus the source so it was just amazing at the quality for the price. They are rumored to be coming out with some higher quality and priced speakers at CES. So where does this leave me with a decision? I am strongly considering buying the 9.87 system from Voxativ. The problem is my Constellation Amp/preamp are not well suited so i will need to change to a tube. I realize these are way over my original budget but the sound is emotional, natural and it sounds like I am listening to the original instruments. I am going back today to listen to others and see if I can find anything else that moves me more than the Voxativ setup. |
I neglected to mention the others so here are my impressions: -Focal Sopra 2 - I did an extensive session when they first came out and didn't care for them. Too bright and unnatural for my tastes -Harbeth - I did listen to these yesterday and found them to muddy and full at the bottom end for my liking. Again, I realize the room acoustics are terrible at RMAF so first impression -Wilson Sophia 2 - hard to find fault other than I find them ugly and a little to warm in the lower range for my tastes. -Gamut monitors (not sure of the model) - they had some terrible German music playing yesterday that made me want to attack someone. It definitely didn't highlight the speakers but for what they cost it was a non-starter. -Tidal (model unknown) - Very nice speakers with a great soundstage. Still not as natural and authoritative as the Voxativ room. -Salk - very nice value speaker. They were playing their $2,800 per pair IMS and they had a nice sound to them. I did find the ribbon to be a bit unnatural. Again, these are MY impressions and I am not intending to offend anyone that owns any of these speakers. I also know the environments were not ideal. |
We currently have our mint condition demo Paradigm Signature S8's, C5 Center, and ADP3 Surrounds available for a package deal of $12,670 - 30% off the retail $18,100 - With full manufacturers warranty. If anyone is interested, shoot me a message. You can check out our website at www.audioartne.com as well. We're located in Sudbury, MA. We rarely have used gear though so this is a smokin' deal. They discontinued the Signature line, and we have to make room for the new Paradigm Persona line. We will have the 9H's on demo and a couple of the other pairs in the line. |
@ mmporsche, I am happy to see that you found a speaker and integrated that speaks to you musically. I have always enjoyed listening to the Voxative gear at audio shows. Very natural and expressive. Now you see why we tell people to select your speakers and source first! Find the speaker and source that recreates music the way you prefer to listen to it ......, then worry about selecting the equipment and cables to drive them. Enjoy! |
I need instruction on how to post pictures please. I am very pleased with the sound of the new system so far. I definitely need to place some acoustic panels in the room and am speaking to someone that is going to perform an analysis and guidance. My turntable is definitely my weak leak at this point so I am looking hard for a new one to complement the rest of my system. |
I personally found the new Magico S1 Mk2’s to be better sounding than the old S5. They are remarkable speakers for the money; great sound stage width and depth, imaging, deep tight bass & very coherent sounding. There is a mint pair for sale atm on USA Audio Mart asking $10.5k - http://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649305631-magico-s1-mkii-speakers-pewter-mcast-finish/. Regarding amps, if you already have PS audio gear, I would lean toward moving on your Constellation pre & go for either the BHK300 mono’s & pre, or BHK stereo amp/pre, and roll the stock tubes with some nice NOS matched tubes. I think that combo would sound great. |
I run Dyn C4 Signatures, with BHK300 mono's, it sounded good. I contacted GIK Acoustics and spoke with Nick. Working with Nick, he designed a treatment specific to my room size and various soffits through out. As I'm sure you will discover, it will be night and day. I had never invested in room treatment, though knew it would have an impact. How much, I didn't think much, I was wrong. |