New Speakers up to $15k - The more I read the less I know!


I am looking to upgrade my speakers and I am in search of guidance. I presently have B&W 803S and I find that these are excellent speakers and have really responded as I have steadily upgraded my system. I am now looking to buy speakers that will disappear, image and sound as neutral as possible. The 803's are close. 

My system is: ARC REF110 w KT120s, ARC LS27, ARC PH8, VPI Aries 3 fully upgraded, Lyra Delos, Rega Saturn CD, Oppo Sonica DAC, AQ Water & Niagara IC's, REL R528se Sub and more...

Actually, the ARC REF110 and B&W's are a much better match that I would have ever thought and the amp has plenty of power to drive at very high levels. I mainly listen to analog. 

I am looking at Vandy Treo CT, Quatro Wood CT, B&W 802D (used) but I need more ideas... I would prefer to buy new but I will look at used if the right deal presents itself. I am leaning towards the Quatro Wood CT so if anyone has experience with these and a REF 110...?

Thank you.
pilrem

Showing 2 responses by mr_m

pilrem,

nonoise is correct. You really should go out and listen to various speakers in that price range. If you can get an in home demo, all the better. In regards to the speakers above, I have experience with all three. I owned a pair of B&W 802D's. Nice speaker but is a little mid bass heavy in smaller rooms. The diamond tweeter is very articulate and fast. 

I now have a pair of Vandersteen  Treo Ct's, with a Vandy 2Wq sub. This combo is excellent and has the classic neutral Vandersteen sound. I also listened to the Quattro Wood Ct. It is even better overall, but alas, I could not afford them at 14k. They would be a very good choice to put on your short list of choices.
Cheers,
Tim
Audio Perfection in Minneapolis, Minn. Carries Vandersteen, Magneplanar, Sonus Faber, Spendor, Wilson and others I can't remember.  UltraFi in Milwaukee is excellent. John Spelt is a true 2 channel set-up guy. He helped me get my Vandersteen Treo Ct's when I still lived in Wisc. There's also a place up in Green Bay called HI-Fi Heaven that carries many speaker systems and features Legacy Audio Loudspeakers which are great choices also.