One of the difficulties is that most dealers carry the major brands that are heavily advertised, that is what drives business. Their are many passionate companies who don't get much shelf space. Very sad.
|
Doug I suppose it does become relative to the investment and long-term goals as to traveling for research. My 1000 mile round trip cost me no more than $250 (fuel, food, and an overnight stay). What I learn from the trips I have taken for two long-term speakers was a wealth of knowledge and an ultimate listening experience which have been priceless. If you attend RMAF in Denver and extend your stay or arrive early you will find a town full of two channel quality dealers.....possibly one of the best selections in the country. Colorado Springs, Boulder, Ft. Collins and surrounding areas all contribute with some options. You don't have to buy there but the goal being to listen and seek information. My goal was to buy my last speaker and finish the ride. Now I find the shows much less interesting confirming my ride has finished. gwalt |
I have a pair of Wilson Audio Duette 2's for sale in Audiogon. If there are any Wilson dealers you should take a listen. Super speakers. Absolute Worse case try You tube.
|
With your ample budget, and based on your desire to own towers ... if it were me, and I wanted to buy new, based on reviews and a desire to get the biggest bang for the buck, I would spend $5700 for a Hegel 360 integrated (which is also a streamer), and devote 8-12 grand on a pair of speakers. GoldenEar Triton Reference would be on my short list of towers to audition. My $.02
|
@asvjerry ,
I have never had a show exhibitor refuse to play a CD I have asked them to play, unless they can't because they do not have the facility to play one.
You are correct if they can and won't. Walk.
|
If you are not opposed to buying used, there are several SF Olympica iiis for sale on this site, including one for $5800. They are both rated 10/10. For that money, you could relist if you weren't happy with them, without a loss.
|
"You should not expect much from a $10,000 pair of speakers and that they will be a modest level of performance"
First off, be sure to ignore this nugget of BS! There are splendid loudspeakers available for $5K retail.
That said, I'd take a hard look at used speakers. Next to cables, they are the most heavily discounted piece of audio gear....I see superb, late model speakers for sale here on AG regularly for 50-60% off retail. You'll be able to put yourself in a whole different class of performance given your budget. Going with an integrated is another good idea. Lets you avoid another set on interconnects, power cable, etc. The Dartzeel CTH-8550, Gryphon Diablo come straight to mind, also the Pass 60 INT or 250 INT depending on what speakers you end up with.
Consider finding loudspeakers that are somewhat sensitive, this opens up many more possibilities for amplification.
Do consider traveling to a dealer...someone has already suggested Suncoast...they have a great selection of gear. |
+1 willgolf.
There are 4 Wilson dealers in Florida (see their website). The Sabrinas are truly special, and would consume a large part of your budget. But paired with a used Audio Research integrated amplifier, a slice of heaven. You could upgrade the electronics later. They may also have used speakers in the store from customers that have upgraded. |
@actolexI
I bought my speakers and amps from Audiogon members who not only allowed me to pick up the items, but allowed me to listen to them before I bought.
There are a lot of generous people out there.
Like anything, it pays to be cautious. PM through Agon, talk to potential buyers on the phone beforehand, have a friend with you - should you need some moral support, and check feedback/references.
I never thought I would allow strangers in my house, but I now feel comfortable, as audiophiles have better things to do than steal or do you harm.
B |
Aerial Acoustics. Call and talk to Mike Kelly directly to get a feel for his wonderful products. |
Hi mobiusmu
My recommendation would be to listen to Boenicke W11's. Very open and naturally balanced speakers. Extremely well made, exclusive mid range driver made from wood veneers, imho they look stunning machined from solid wood staves in either ash, oak, walnut or cherry. They come in various tuning option grades.
|
|
Audio Video Therapy in Nashua are great guys to deal with....great headphone room, which is my next purchase .....good selection of gear to listen to also |
Mobius,
I’ve owned the Sonus Faber Olympica III. Based on your room dimensions of 12 x 17, I don’t think that will be enough room for the III’s. I was in a regular rectangular room that was 22 x16 and they worked well. They need about 2-3 from the back wall and around 2 feet from the side wall. If they are spaced too close together, you definitely lose a lot image focus and soundstage and a lot of what the Olympica IIIs can do. Maybe the the II’s or the I’s. Just one man’s opinion whose owned the Olympicas though. I don’t have any dealers either. Speakers are by far the hardest to demo and even if you can get a demo, you can’t tell how much of the sound is contributing to other components (which will more than likely be completely different than what you have) and an entire different room layout. All this can lead to the speakers sounding completely different in your home than what you heard at shows or at dealers. It is a very frustrating process. Best of luck and hope you find a pair that suits everything you are looking for. |
wolf
That is a great idea. I plan on purchasing a truck, sort of like a food truck, and park in different locations around Seattle.
|
asvjerry I had a room at the RMAF for about 10 years. When the room was not that busy I was happy to play a cut off of a guests CD. In general I preferred to play music that I knew would show just how good my system was, with high degree of transparency, great sound stage and very natural sound. As an example: " Nothing I heard at RMAF.. could touch this rig for sheer midrange purity, detail, three-dimensionality."
Chris Martens The Absolute Sound The problem with playing music that someone brings in my room is that it may sound very ordinary. I would not recommend just walking out of a room that won't play your CD for you. I would suggest that you first listen to the setup and if you like it, stay for a while and if you are still interested speak with the exhibitor and express your interest, tell him you really like the sound and wonder if he would mind play a track for you. Just a thought. |
soundsrealaudio,
That is perfectly understandable. A dealer or speaker manufacturer at a show is there to show the product in the best light possible. It's a show to benefit the manufacturer/dealer, not set up for attendees to do their shopping.
Of course, ideally attendees do get an idea of how a range of different speakers can perform. And it is certainly nice if someone is allowed to play their own CD. That's a perk. But I had paid money, and went to all the effort of transportation, set up etc, to display a speaker I'd want that speaker sounding good as much of the time, and crappy as little of the time, as possible.
|
prof
I can remember when I opened my shop. We didn't have the RMAF at that time so I went to the CES in Vegas. Did all my research and read the reviews of the speakers that were of interest. I was truly amazed. Remember how I went to visit room after room with high expectations. Many of those rooms all I did was walk in and do a U turn. You don't have to eat the whole egg to know it is rotten.
I dropped my expectations and visited rooms with brands I knew nothing about. No expectations. I found a few speakers that appealed to me, but not as many as I thought.
|
There are more pressing issues than audio in Florida right now. Best of luck to you. |
psag
There are pressing issues with climate change, the unregulated financial system, the vast amount of inequality in they USA. ( " if only those people would " work hard and play by the rules they would be rich" )
Politicians pissed away 3 trillion dollars in Iraq and Afghanistan, that is my money, my son's money, and my grandsons' money and now the politicians are on TV telling us to send money to the victims.
|
Sadly, speaker auditioning is a challenge everywhere now. We're continually told by reviewers to go hear for ourself before buying, without any acknowledgement that going to hear a pair of high end speakers is no simple matter. I ended up going to RMAF but never did get to hear some of the speakers I really wanted to listen to as potential purchases. Hello Revel? Quad? Where were you? Not there when I paid for a flight and hotel to audition your products.
I understand the problems of sustaining a dealer network but the industry keeps acting as if $20-30k speaker purchasers are everywhere and don't need to be enabled and supported in their decisions. Imagine the car industry making it that difficult to test drive. If the industry cannot make home auditions easier and more affordable for many, I don't see how many people can be encouraged to experience high end sound. |
I'd say I don't need home auditioning for relatively inexpensive set-up, I would not expect much anyway. If dealer's room is good enough I will hear whatever there is to hear. But $20k speakers - yes, definitely home audition unless the dealer's room is very close to mine, which would not be very likely.
As an additional note, I think building great speaker is very challenging so no wonder that those with excellent hearing and high expectations reject most of them. |
Mobius, I hope you come out of Irma OK. There are problems and then there are PROBLEMS. God bless.
Certain speaker brands are known for mating well with a wide range of amps and being easier to drive. Canton, Pro-Ac, and Vandersteen are among them, I think.
Also Primare amps and integrateds are not sensitive to speaker loads.
I doubt that you'll find a place to audition Cantons, though. |
Sorry about my rant, lots of stress watching 24/7 bad weather in Florida.
|
Get in touch with John at AudioConnection in NJ....He sells everything and is very willing to give advice. Look up his phone number and give him a call...you won't regret it.
|
+1 for Johnny.
He won't try to sell you something.
-Only give you good advice.
For free.
B |
If his advice is free how could it possibly be good? : )
|
No matter how many dealerships you visit, how many audio "festivals" you attend and how ever much time you spend doing it, in all likelihood you wouldn’t be able to audition even half of what the market has to offer. Moreover, many dealership rooms are setup like crap and may not have in use the other gear in your system. So even if you do have an opportunity to audition the speakers on your short list, you should only give so much credence to it.
As the Grateful Dead would say, you just have to make sure you leave no left turn unstoned. |
soundsrealaudio and gdhal - exactly.
That's why this forum can be so valuable, theoretically. Also, people should be able to write well to describe their impressions in details. |
@mobiusmu Too bad you're not close to me, otherwise you could hear my 802d3 and Olympica 3.. I agree it is difficult to demo everything that you're interested in. Been there and done that.
|
I have had good friends come to my house that were a lot stranger then anyone who has come by to listen. Stranger then strange. Of course I am in Washington state where MJ is legal which might explain my friends.
|
I would 2nd Gooses recommendation of going to Suncoast Audio in Sarasota. Mike the owner, has just opened his new store and it is filled with fantastic audio components. He is very easy to deal with and is very knowledgeable about audio products. He only sells 2 channel. You would be hard pressed to find a better place to audition items. His store should be a easy drive for you. Give him a call and tell him what you are interested in. He only does auditions by appointment. He is also the owner of the Audio Shark website. |
