New Speakers under consideration - but I’m afraid

This reminds me of the shows where people buy homes in Alaska, on a beach or in the Bahamas and they look at three homes and then they make a decision. I would like to revisit those couples who relocated to a cabin in the middle of Alaska somewhere which has no bathroom and sometimes no running water and see if there are still married or alive. And they seemed so happy when it all began.

I think the same show set up would be great for people buying audio gear.

I’m fortunate to have been in the audio hobby for nearly 30 years and have owned tons of different speakers, electronics and tweaks. I’ve auditioned speakers and electronics in showrooms, friends homes and at audio shows and I have to say… it’s the room. More often than not the speaker will sound different in your home than a show or showroom setting. Room size, cubic feet, furnishings, acoustic treatments, open walls, ceiling height, etc. all interact with the sound.

I recently had the same dilemma as the OP and would like to share my experience.

I had a gorgeous pair of older Kharma Grand Ceramic speakers that I had for a lot of years and was totally satisfied with them, but I still yearned for more. (Aren’t we all searching for that holy grail?)

So, I decided to upgrade my electronics (from Mac, to Classe, Krell mono’s, Maker mono’s, then to T+A, then a large Vitus) and heard some improvements in sound with each step, minimal as they were. Then I had an opportunity to pull the trigger on a set of Pilium separates. It was like a light was turned on in a dark room! I am not kidding. There was huge sound coming from the Kharma’s. It was almost as if they were a different pair of speakers.

But, I still thought there was more. I was still zoned-in on the speakers. Finally, I had an opportunity to hear the 801D4 B&W’s side-by-side against the newest Focal Maestro Evo speakers in the same room. As much as I like and respect the B&W’s, the Focal’s blew me away. Not at all bright or fatiguing.

So to make a long story short, I now own a pair of piano black Focal Maestro’s in my room and couldn’t be happier. I honestly think this Focal/Pilium combo is synergistic and as close to the ‘holy grail’ as it gets... (YMMV) 😊

But just as others have said, the speaker sound is personal to the taste of the listener… and also the effects of the electronics, treatments, cabling and the room.

Finally, some notable mentions of speakers I have owned or heard are Kharma, Dynaudio, Legacy and a few others. I hope the speaker searching journey for the OP proves to be a satisfying and rewarding one.

Thanks for reading.

Just bought new Puppies today. Get them in Feb.

Congratulations!

Ex B&W owner. I was going to say the closest thing will be the Wilsons. They sound real and alive. Slightly more laid back than the B&Ws but in a good way. 
 

I highly recommend having your new Wilsons set up by your dealer. If there’s a downside to Wilson speakers it’s their sensitivity to placement and room acoustics. 
 

Good luck and enjoy!

keep us posted.