I currently have psb imagine t2 speakers. I am interested in replacing them with US manufactured speakers 10-12 k being the maximum price....perhaps aerial acoustics, vandersteen,,,,,any thoughts? My hearing at age 70 diminishes at 8,000 hz so a good midrange is probably good.
Ah, another Whisper owner - congrats! These are some SERIOUSLY kick ass speakers! I have spent a lot of time tuning these babies in, and they are formidable. They make smallish towers seem like child's play.
A tip for you, my friend; if you are sitting about 10' away from them, I presume they are toed in, but do you have the baffle slightly tipped forward? I place a pair of about a 1/4" wooden drink coasters under each speaker to tilt the baffle forward a bit. When the speakers are aimed at my respective ears, or slightly wider, AND tipped forward slightly OH, YEAH, the speakers are even more coherent, powerful, bass tighter, etc. etc. It's such a cheap tweak and quite efficacious! I hope you try and enjoy! :)
Imo, both Legacy and Salk are among the best made, best value dynamic speakers made in U.S.A. Vandersteen and Magnepan are also value to performance leaders. I could build a superb system with any of these. Oh, I already have!
I have reviewed Legacy, Salk and Magnepan products for Dagogo.com
There are nice used pairs of Joseph Audio Perspectives available for around $6k. Have them sent to Jeff Joseph for latest Graphene upgrade and you’ll have some awesome speaks for around $10k.
Another option that could save you $$$ is the LSA 20 Statement available new here discounted by the manufacturer for $4500/pr (retail $7k) that includes some nice speaker cables as a bonus. It’s said they targeted the Perspectives as their performance bogey, and they reach down to a very respectable 25Hz. Initial reviews of the new LSA models have been stellar, and they offer a 30-day trial, which is really nice. Hope this helps, and best of luck.
Charney Audio Companions would be a good fit. Depending on your choice of driver they should fit right into your budget. They are hand crafted in the great state of NJ USA!!
If you're lucky enough to find them Emerald Physics (open baffle) either 3.4s (which I have) or 2.8s, which I hope to have soon. The 3.4s are crazy good and super efficient, but in my 20 x 40 x 12ft room some music needs more bass, which the 2.8s should provide
I understand. I just wanted to point out, in case you are very particular about the subject, that many speakers may have many parts from elsewhere.
For example, Aerial states that drivers, other parts, and some cabinets are largely not manufactured in the U.S.A. Assembly of the final speaker is fully in the U.S.A. while most of the parts seem to be from all over the world.
I should mention I have two pair of Steens and his made in USA amplifiers, and Apogee, Quad (UK ), ADS, Dynaco, and Klipsch speakers.... oh and quasi Kentucky Thiels...
Welllll the reality is there are few if any 100% made in USA speakers.... however there are some designed here , assy and testing here, cabinets Made here ( many fewer ) .. Vandersteen scour the world for custom drivers with many cones made in USA by them in Hanford, CA, caps and coils made here... But ya, there are a few parts not made here...
of course, there are no export jobs IF everyone has the buy local mindset..
glubson, Indeed USA built speakers use drivers from other countries. I prefer to spend the money that I can to firms in this country, even if a bit more costlier....a bit...For instance my new hvac is a Carrier. The drivers are not the main expense in the cost of speakers. and I like supporting USA craftsmen.
Jacobsen, I do own Aerial 7t’s. I don’t have as much experience as a lot of other folks on this site, but I did audition several speakers in the 6-10k price range and liked the Aerials the best. They are also easy on the eyes.
I'm partial to Omega Speakers. Hand made in Connecticut. They use their own proprietary drivers which are also made here in the States. The owner, Louis, It's also great to deal with.
If that is what will make it or break it. I cannot say it for a fact, but some of the drivers (from the companies from above mentioned American made audio website) may not be Made in U.S.A.
Would you consider horns? I use to have Sonus Faber Amati Tradition Homage speakers. After selling them I went on a mission to find new speakers and never would have considered horn speakers. However, when comparing horn to other non horn speakers including Vandersteen, I was blown away on how good horns sounds. I ended up purchasing Viking Acoustic Grande Voix that are made in Sante Fe, NM. They have a Berlin speakers that is awesome sounding in your price point. The owner /designer is David Counsel. Check our tge website and give him a call/
Jacobsen, Audiokinesis has a very valid point and hificrazed has tripped over one answer. You will be better served with very directional loudspeakers. You will perceive more detail and better imaging. The two types that fit the prescription best are horns and Electrostatics. The Klipsch Cornwall IV at $6000/pr are very hard to beat https://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2020/04/13/klipsch-cornwall-iv-speaker-review-the-gentle-giant/ The Sound Labs Majestic 545 would be another excellent choice but they are $14K, over your price range. With your subwoofers they will give you detail and transient response that can not be bettered regardless of price. They will give you a larger sound stage than you are use to. Both speakers are special in that they do not throw any acoustic energy at the side walls, ceiling or floor limiting reflections and reverberation. The Klipsch speakers have the additional benefit of being highly efficient. 50 watts will blow you out of the room. In addition, if you were to get a preamp like the Anthem STR you could program it to correct for your hearing deficit.You can switch back to a normal curve when others are present. Just a thought:)
I have a bit of a hearing issue. May I recommend the Klipsch Heritage line. The clarity has helped me better follow notes and voices better. I run the Forte 3 and rarely miss a note or discern a vocal.
audiokinesis.....While I listen to quite a bit of stereo music, the speakers would be used as a part of a multi channel system. The center channel is important. The room is about 18' wide and 15' deep and is open to an eating area and kitchen. I sit about 11' from lt and rt speakers which are 30 inches from the front wall and about 8' apart. The back of the couch upon which I sit faces the open area to the eating area and kitchen The ceiling is 10' high. A wide sweet spot is not essential.
audiokinesis2....no problem with live conversation
.Even though I am not the same age I’ve always had trouble listening to two conversations at once. It's not my ears it's my brain or mind or both.I'm with Lowrider57. Devore
Orangutan looks and sounds great and is easy to drive.
Devore. Characteristics of the Gibbon line are very good detail and realism in the mids, highs are extended and super smooth. Deep, layered imaging. Orangutan speakers have high sensitivity and present a more immediate sound. Very lively and realistic, compared to Harbeth and Audio Note. Made in Brooklyn.
One of the things that declines as we get older is the ability to easily follow voices and instruments in the presence of a lot of reflections. If you have noticed increased difficulty in carrying on a conversation at a party where a lot of people are talking at once, that’s it. The same thing happens when listening to music: Too many reflections will reduce clarity and intelligibility. What was a nice, rich, enveloping reverberant field of yesteryear is now tiring to try to listen through.
Imo something that makes sense in this situation would be highly directional loudspeakers, such that the direct sound dominates over the reflections. I can get more specific if you’d like, but it starts to become self-serving because this is the sort of stuff I do.
Also, you may still be able to hear high frequencies, but the volume level just has to be louder than before. So don’t necessarily stop your search at 8 kHz! I do agree with you that your situation places a premium on treble and midrange quality south of 8 kHz.
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