Picking speakers 3000-5000 budget

How about some Klipsch Cornwalls and a good tube integrated amp like a Rogue Cronus Magnum or a Cary SLI-80?

The speakers you say you like are literally all over the place sonically so would help if you could narrow down what specific improvements you’re looking for.  In addition to that, what sound characteristics are most important to you?  Are you looking for more immediacy and dynamics, a little more warmth or more neutrality and detail, a big 3D soundstage with lots of depth, speakers that disappear as a sound source, etc.?  Providing that info will greatly help narrow down which speakers might be more appropriate for what you’re really looking for. 

paradisecom

I would probably love the cornwalls,I’am not sure how they would fit in my space.

The end of the room where I would be placing them is 13 ft wide.

I might check them out,as I know a lot of Klipsch folks think they are the happy  middle ground.

As far as a integrated amp,I just purchased the Mac mx110,so I want to try using it for a while.

The Rogue amps have been recommended a couple times and I will check them out.

I know the 120 is kind of hard to find,and the 150 is not cheap.

soix

Yes,I know the speakers I like are not very similar,but they all sounded good to me.

I have had the same system for 25 years so I guess I don’t really know what I want more or less off.

I’am pretty sure if I could find a Sonus Faber that could do rock well,but also have detail for acoustic music,I would be happy.I also like the  Sonus Faber sonetto,again I don’t know if these can do rock music well.the closest I have heard is Dire Strait’s,and they sounded very good.

I have heard some demo’s of the olypica 3’s that sounded good to me.

I like the JBL Jubla also,but find the bass overpowering  sometimes.I guess if I could find something dynamic like the JBL,but able to convey more detail,that would be cool.

.

It will wildly depend on where you, with the tariffs now, to maximize your investment. 

Start here: decide if you want highly sensitive speakers and tube gear or the opposite or where you want to be in between. 

Best bang for the buck in general are bigger companies with a lot of sales or DIY or companies very wisely optimized. Good sound does not have to costs 10s of 1000s

Sonus Faber,Wharfedale are good value. KEF, Polk, PSB, Revel, Paradigm, Mission too. Way too many choices.

steakster

Thank you,looks like a great resource.

gano

So many choices,so many opportunities to pick the wrong one.

I'am in no hurry,something will grab me eventually.

Thanks.

Sonner Audio, no tariffs that @gano seems to worry about. 

All just cones in boxes. *yawn*

Take a look at ATC.  They can do rock/dynamics without breaking a sweat and can also do the audiophile things and nuance with other genres, but they do require a robust amp to get their best.  Best of luck. 

@texasblues1959 I am the least worried about tariffs affecting audio. I am devastated by the juvenile and dumb tariff games that killed millions of jobs already and wiped out trillions of dollars of people’s savings. You must be in the small minority living under a rock, unaffected by tariffs.

You listen to a broad range of music. Finding a speaker that's going to sound great for all that stuff is going to be a challenge. I went on that quest years back and ended up with a pair on Vandersteen IIs. Their most recent version in that line is a little over 3k if I'm not wrong. You'll find this to be a clear and uncompromising speaker without being too sparkly in the highs like many are. You made a great observation there. They do need a bit of power to drive them but a Rogue Audio Cronos Magnum would do the trick or if you wanted to step it up s notch, go with separates and get a an RP1 or Possibly the new RP3 and a pair of M180 monoblocks. If you go with separates you'll be over 10k but it will be a killer system that will play loud with uncompromising quality.

texasblues1959

I have no problem buying used if it's a good value and in very good condition.

I will also check sonner audio to see what they offer.

Thanks

soix

Yes,I was looking at ATC as someone else mentioned them.The only speakers I saw under 5000 were 2 way book shelf's.,or did I miss some?

As far as amps,I just picked up the Mac mx110 tuner/preamp so I will be using that for now.

rmdmoore

I have in fact been checking those out,there is a guy on YouTube with quite a few video’s of his 3a sig’s.they sound pretty good.

Some commenter’s said they lean more towards polite and favor classical and jazz so that kind of made me take pause.

Thanks for the info.I will keep on looking.

.

I bought my GamuT L7 speakers based on all the rave reviews I read. They sound good with any type music and with proper amplification, you can turn them up as loud as you want. Take a moment to read the reviews to see what I mean. They were about $17,000 new depending on the finish. I paid $4,000. for mine in mint condition. The bad news is, I've only seen one other pair offered in the last 3 1/2 years. Good luck.

@twangy57 

As @soix pointed out, your suggestions and examples are all over the map.  And even you admit that your experiences with the current crop of audio equipment is minimal.  You are going to get a lot of good suggestions from the group, but they are going to be all over the map as well.  And there are a lot of great speakers available in the $3000 to $5000 range.  And until you actually listen to them, you just won't know.

So, my suggestion to you is to slow down a bit.  In reading your recent posts in the different Audiogon forums, I know your are in the process of doing a full upgrade to your system.  And that is both commendable and a big scary.  

Your profile lists you being in NW Indiana.  That puts you what, < 1 hr from downtown Chicago.  I would suggest that you put together a sample of music that you know and like (CD's or on a USB drive) and make a day trip or two of visiting and listening to different speakers at the audio stores in the area.  (And the Chicago area has quite a few.) I'm sure the guy is the group here can make several store recommendations to go visit.

Take notes, and figure out what you like and don't like. Then start narrowing down your list(s).

And, please, don't rely on listening to YouTube videos for how speakers sound.  It just doesn't work that way.  Think about it.  The poster is playing music through their sytem and speakers... then recording it, maybe on a cell phone, at who knows what resolution, then it is posted to YouTube in a compressed format (256 kbs maximum AAC, I think, which is a lossy compression coding), then transmitted to you over the Internet and played back on, at best, your stereo and through YOUR speakers.  How the original speakers sound is impossible to actually tell.

...just my 2 cents... (or now I guess it is 5 cents because of a tariff... lol)

- Jeff

We like the same kind of music.  I just bought a complete vinyl system with Rogue integrated tube amp, planar 8 turntable, Rega aria phono preamp, and Totem Twin Bison floor standing speakers.   The Totem speakers take 100-200 hours to breaking but once that’s done they totally melt into the soundstage.  They retail for $4000 a pair.  They have plenty of low end unless you want to shake the walls.

i highly recommend these Totems

Almost 2 years ago I picked up a pair of Polk L600 speakers at a discounted price just over $2k for the pair. Best $$ I've spent so far on my rig. Clear, not sterile sounding and no subwoofer needed(but it does help for me).

....and, they are highly rated on You Tube  :)

Fischer & Fischer

@gano Not at all, it’s why I have American built speakers. This will pass the sky is not falling. 

I have visited the Elac room the last couple of years at AXPONA and came away impressed. Worth a look, they have several options that fit your price range. 

This will be an unpopular option since it’s a brand we’re not supposed to mention here, but a pair of Tekton Pendragons with internal and 7 tweeter upgrades would come in at around $3k leaving funds in your budget for anything else you may need/want.

Tariff free, free shipping, and you can get them in any color you desire for $50. You’d also have the option of 4ohm or 8ohm, and front or rear ported (if you’re retaining long wall placement). 

They’re efficient, do rock and high volume well , and  are not hot on the treble, despite all the tweeters. No, they don’t have the SonusFaber fit and finish, and the owner can be opinionated, but they do offer a lot of value.

@texasblues1959 tell that to the people who already lost their jobs, businesses. . But sure, "don't look up" - pretend that it's not happening and getting worse every day

@gano Send those folks who lost their jobs my way. We are hiring engineers and machinists in all our facilities globally. Guess the sky is falling for you. Lets take this discussion offline.  

Since you live in northwest Indiana I strongly agree with @jeffbij you should definitely take the time to go visit a few stores in Chicago.  I used to live there and there are several dealers like Holm, ProMusica, Saturday Audio Exchange, etc. that carry many excellent speakers for you to hear.  It sounds like you kinda know what you like but really haven’t nailed it down yet, and going to listen to several is the best way to find “the one” that really does it for you.  It’s a big expense and well worth the effort in the long run. 

All of the above recommendations are great options. Used Dynaudio Heritage and

Special 40's should be within your budget - I have a set of both and like them very much. Every speaker out there they has pros and cons. I would second the recommendation of the Tekton brand. They are a lot of bang for the buck. 

Good Luck

Tekton Double Impacts with upgrades.  Done.  Absolutely stunning sound in my opinion and well within your budget.  Find a used pass labs or high end parasound and you're done.  Until you start messing with cabling and conditioners.  Fun journey 😄 

Keep in mind how bright you want the upper registers and/or how tight or big you want your drum sounds. Your listening is pretty typical and not going to be too challenging to reproduce (40hz and up) for the most part. The MOFI Sourcepoint 888  speakers are getting plenty of good reviews and would fit the bill nicely. Absolute Sound does credible reviews on YouTube and gave those high marks. That will leave you half your budget approximately for an amplifier. There are plenty of great options out there both new and used. I'm assuming from your comments you are looking at solid state amplifiers.

I really appreciate all the feedback I’am getting.

I have been resisting going to the city to look at speakers.

I drove through and around Chicago a my whole life and have just become a homebody since retiring in 2023.

I may pick one place that has a few speakers I would consider and go check them out.

I would like to address some of the suggestions:

Spin4cards-Gamut L7 I will look to see if I can spot a pair for near 4,000,but I ’am not going to wait hoping to get lucky.

Triton 20trx-I have seen totem around and will check them out.Thanks

Muncy-bob311 PolkL600 I haven’t really thought about another pair of Polks.The M10’s have been good to me for 25 years.I guess I should check out what their upscale speakers sound like.

Phishhhh 4-Fischer.I never thought of Fischer for speakers,I will look and see what they’re about.

Zlone-Elac I have seen them around the inter-web’s .will give them a look.

Yakbob-Texton I take it the brand is troll bait around here.I have seen them and read and watched a couple reviews.will give them another look.

sj davis 1 Dynaudio I have seen these also and will look closer at them now.

I also checked out ATC.I like the scm80 and scm 100,the latter out of my price range.Most reviews were very good.Going to check these out some more.

I also was looking at the ProAc Response DT8 There is a pair used for 2500 on ebay.

Anyone have any thoughts on these.

I really appreciate all the suggestions I received so far,and will do homework on them.

Thanks.

bbillings

Ok,I have not heard of MOFI,I will have to check out the Sourcepoint 888.

I totally agree on the balance of treble and the punch of the mids.

Speaking on the treble brightness,that is one thing I love on those old JBL Jubal’s.They had a crystal tweeter and they gave a natural treble response to me.

What comes to mind is when a jazz drummer is riding the cymbal.

On a lot of these new speakers,that just doesn’t sound musical.

On the drums,if I’am listening to Lad Zeppelin Moby Dick,I should be feeling Bonham’s kickdrum in my chest,if I have it at a good volume.

I’am getting a little older so I don’t need that to be at live performance volume,but there are times I do crank it up for a song or two.

Thanks for the suggestion

jrareform

Thanks for the suggestion.

I been hearing a lot of good things about the Tekton.I will look at the double impacts.I have to admit I not crazy about the look but we will see.

As far as cables.Can you tell me how much of a improvement they make % wise over run of the mill cables.thanks

@twangy57 you just missed AXPONA audio show last weekend in Chicago with 200+ rooms of high-end audio demos and gear.  It was fantastic

For rock maybe GoldenEar Triton speakers

Tektons do seem appropriate actually

I can't believe I'm even writing this

I wish it were so simple  texasblues1959

I am an optimist, I walk across the desert and the mountains to see a sliver of light for optimism. If there is any.

 GoldenEar Triton us a good suggestion

I also checked out ATC.I like the scm80 and scm 100,the latter out of my price range.Most reviews were very good.Going to check these out some more.  I also was looking at the ProAc Response DT8 There is a pair used for 2500 on ebay.  Anyone have any thoughts on these.

Saturday Audio Exchange carries ATC and Klipsch, and while you’re there Monitor Audio, Paradigm and GoldenEar would also be worth a listen in your price range.  ProAc speakers are all-around excellent speakers (one of my personal faves actually) and ProMusica carries them along with Totem and Dynaudio that are also very much worth hearing.  Holm Audio has MoFi, Dali, Sonner, and several others.  You’re lucky to be relatively close to all these brands — take full advantage of it!
 

All excellent suggestions already, but here's my two bits..

If you like to listen at moderate to high volume, enjoy really excellent dynamics and listen to a variety of genre’s I would have you seriously consider Volti Razz. Looks and behaves somewhat like a Klipsch Forte, however in my opinion performs much better. Got to Volti’s website and take a look. Build quality is to a very high standard and you can pick the veneer from mild to wild, grill cloth also. 

Rare to see them up here or on USAM. There may be a pre-loved pair on The Music Room site for 5k. 

Golden ear and the Paradigm Founder series are also very good. 

I have 14 pairs of speakers ranging from Mirage , Klipsch.....all the way up to $11K Borresen X-3's.......If you can't spend 11K, then the best sound comes from the amazing KLH Model 5's !!!!

KLH Model 5! I heard so many good things too :)

The Mofi coaxial speakers are doing well and great value 

if you can go to $6500 retail the New Sonus Faber Sonnetto- G2 with dual 6.5 inch bass drivers down Irving port can get them under $5500 the best value per $dollar imo.

There are so many speakers that would fit your budget it’s hard for many here to advise you. I have the Tekton Double Impact SE and with grills on they look like about 90% of all the tall floor standers out there. I also have Vandersteen speakers, but the Tektons are the loud type and will rock your world.  Also look at JBL, Dynaudio, Klipsch, Volti, Zu Audio and a newer one getting alot of attention, O Audio . Good luck.

+1 on Klipsch, but would suggest Forte IV's if Cornwalls are too big for your space.  Roughly the same footprint as your Polk 10's.

My usual recommendation is to make an effort to visit as many dealers as possible.

If you don't know what sounds good for long term listening, then you are opening yourself to a possibly expensive dissapointment.

I know dealers are now located only in major cities, but if you can make, say, a late week audition to as many dealers located in an area near you, I think it would serve you well. 

Bob

kennyc

My life story,always just missed the action.lol

I will add the Golden Ear Triton to my list.

Thanks