Road trip to demo $10,000 speakers

Some other threads mentioned Boenicke. I looked it up and remebered that I heard the small W5 at a show and they impressed me. You might want to listen to their W11 or W8 floorstanders.

ieales,

Reading your two posts above is humbling and relieving at the same time. I would dare to say that most of us have not even close to as much understanding of technical details as you do. I, personally, can be described just as skyscraper described himself. Enough knowledge to be dangerous. That was the humbling part, accepting reality that I am clueless.

Relieving part was that, despite the black hole of ignorance, I function on the simple level. "I hear it, I like it, here is my credit card." If I knew all you do, it would drive me crazy. To understand that I am buying something so imperfect would be a torture. Like this, I walk out satisfied. Ignorance is bliss, as they say, and, apparently, there are many blessed ones here.

"However, I’m not buying furniture."

You surely are a hard-core enthusiast. Many speakers are bigger than some of the furniture in the room they are placed in so they are hard to ignore. Once you do not care about that, you have really arrived. Consider yourself lucky.

I have one suggestion. Bring paper and pen to make notes on speakers, amps, preamps, sources and your thoughts about each audition. 

I have Gamut M7 that certainly put all the anterior mentioned to shame. Including the Kantas that wasn't what I expected at all. Gamut M series was replaced with S series buy only for business purposes because the M series was to expensive to built and the profits were not high at 18k. They named RS series and double the price.
Good luck 

skyscraper,
We have somewhat similar spaces and taste. Additionally, I have a penchant for classical and opera. My room is a bit larger with bamboo flooring and several large thick wool area rugs.

Since Heyser in the early 70's my mantra has been "It's not the frequency. It's the time." Sadly the trade rags never focused much on it and once valid publications have devolved into manufacturer cheering sections. Consequently, most of the public is ignorant of phase defects and proper solutions are labor intensive and tend to be 'unconventional'

I loved Quad ESL but limited level and frequency response at both ends disqualified them. Dayton-Wrights were sonically great, of questionable longevity and ZERO WAF.

DQ-10's were my first phased speakers. I mirror-imaged them and modified the XOver to adjust low end response as I had them on stands.
In the mid-70s, 'squids were about $1k. Adjusted for inflation, about $3500 today. Admittedly, the 'squids were little more than utility build and many of today's are gorgeous. However, I'm not buying furniture. Many 3- & 4-way systems have egregiously worse phase response than a $1k 2-way. They go lower and may play louder but for fail miserably on image specificity.

If I still owned DQ-10s, I'd rebuild / have them rebuilt. See http://www.regnar.com/dahlquist-dq-10-speaker-parts.html Replacement of electrolytic and mylar caps with polypropylene will astound. I'd probably add a DQ-89w or two. See http://www.regnar.com/dq-89w-powered-subwoofer-features.html

I cannot listen to MP3s on my system due to nebulous image gallivanting. Any system where any instrument or voice moves regardless of program complexity is disqualified. Listening to uncompressed source in demos of Magico, Focal, Paradigm, KEF and others suffer these defects in multiple salons, so I conclude the defects are natal.

Reticent as I am to recommend, were I to require loudspeakers I'd hear Vandersteens, [see https://vandersteen.com/support/faqs/ and http://greenmountainaudio.com/speaker-time-phase-coherence/ for decent comments on time and phase], Wilson, some B&W, Carver ALS, Magnepan, Martin Logan. There are certainly others. Not sure I would own large planars again, but I would have to hear them. Others with varying parameter requirements will surely howl in protest.

Were I in the market, I might start here: Kii Three https://www.kiiaudio.com/for_home.php sold in the US at GTT Audio https://gttaudio.com/ and reviewed here https://www.stereophile.com/content/kii-audio-three-loudspeaker.

Be very sceptical of manufacturer claims. Many are just plain flat out wrong from an electrical perspective. For example some tout first order slopes for summing. However, that is only valid with drivers that perform identically for at least a couple of octaves above and below the xo frequency AND have physically aligned drivers. Vertical flat baffle? Fogedaboudit!

IMO, the whole small footprint, multi woofer tower on a vertical baffle is fundamentally wrong unless every driver has DSP control AND sophiticated alignment equipment. Ditto vertically mirrored drivers.


Sadly, most forum recommendations are fan-boy ravings, some even by those who don't possess, just lust.

Shkong78, Ive added the Martin Logan Impression ESL 11A’s to the spreadsheet. Thanks.for the link too.

Jafant, glad to hear you had such good results from you search and afterwards. That’s encouraging. Any audio stores in Baltimore you particularly like or have had good experiences with.

Glupson, You’re so right about how the NYC retail scene has changed,since the advent of the internet especially, Brick and mortar of all sorts has been disappearing at an alarming rate, not just audio outlets. When my wife was still alive we tried to go to the Garment District to find some drapery material, only to find most of the fabric stores had disappeared. It was shocking. I miss all the old record stores/outlets too.

Ieales. Sorry you wouldn’t presume to make recommends or at least point out some speakers you found lacking without more info. My listening room is approximately 13 feet by 22 feet with a cathedral ceilng that goes up to maybe 15 feet from the floor on a 12/12 pitch, centered on the short walls Picture how a five year old might draw a house and you got the configuration. The two side and the back walls are lined with book shelves as the room doubles as a library. The room has three dormer windows on the back wall, one centered and the others equidistant and eight feet apart with 2 foot by 7 foot long "corridor" leading to them on that wall. Have oak floors, speakers will go on the front long wall,

I like to listen to 1950’s jazz, think Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, etc, Actually everything, other than Ornette Coleman type free form, from Ellington, then Charlie Parker on through to Weather Report. Dating myself, I love late sixties rock and roll groups, and R&B artists, everything from the earliest rock and roll and doo wop up through punk. Think Stones,Joplin, Hendrix, Aretha etc., through Bowie and the Clash. I like fifties rock and roll, and blues too. I have some classical and other material and world music, though not lots. I listen to music at moderate sound levels usually, picture maybe a bit more loudly than you might typically listen to TV. I like a clean sound where I can hear all the detail and the speaker disappear. Muddy and poor source material I find irritating.

You obviously are well versed in this area, way more than me, so I’m trying to squeeze some more direction out of you or at least some speakers you’d avoid or don’t meet your parameters. And by the way what are ’squids?

Twoch, I’ve always had way to many questions for that approach, and way too little expertise to be making sound decisions. I know just about enough to be dangerous especially after a forty year layoff in stereo equipment research and purchasing.

Lancelock, Thanks for the Janzen electrostatic recommend. I’ll keep an eye out. I listed my room dimensions just above in my response to ieales. Thank you for your interest and asking.

Thanks again all.

Mike

Skyscraper.

I have Janszen zA2.1 hybrid electrostats with Linear Tube Audio amp and pre driving them. Worth a listen, trust me.

Also, what are the dimensions of your listening room?

Lance

Maybe best just going and not saying anything.   

I’d appreciate your honest recommend on exact models

skyscraper, I could not presume. I know next to nothing about your environment, level you listen, range of programme AND your particular peccadillos.

For example, minimum phase error from sub 30Hz up is ne plus ultra for yhs. Accurate sound staging, rock solid focus that does not wander, accurate hall delineation, merciless exposure of recording engineer gimcrackery, proper vertical height and location. See http://www.ieLogical.com/Audio and read the Audio pages under PASSIONS menu.

Many models recommended here fail miserably in that regard. Multiple woofer/mid drivers and mid & tweeters on a flat baffle fail impossibly on that metric. Ported systems have horrible low end phase coherence.

Since retiring, I’ve made several road trips having avoided HiFi Dens for 15 years. I have a friend with an amazing B&W 803 D3 system north of $250k. No dealer had a pair setup that came anywhere near exhibiting their potential.

One loudspeaker mentioned has a "perforated phase-aligning lens" over mid and tweet. The $12.5k model failed miserably on phase coherence, sound stage and imaging.

Another $8k 2-way had the kick image smeared along a front to back slope. The point was in front of the speakers and the heft behind and out of phase! Vocal was an indistinct cloud. I recorded and mixed ref #2 above and have listened to it for 35 years.

Many here will poo-poo my modest system. It fails not on my parameters because has been assembled with specific goals.

My recommendation would be to have the ’squids rebuilt, get some great electronics that mate them well and match your bias. Decent cables would be nice. So would a pair of good subs - NOT PORTED!!! See http://www.ielogical.com/Audio/SubTerrBlues.php for trials and tribulations of sub integration.

Bonne chance!

skyscraper,

These days, you can live smack in the middle of Manhattan and it won’t help you much when picking equipment. Hard to find a walk-in store, to begin with. In fact, it seems to me that Washington, DC area is much better in that sense.

Let us know how you progress and what you eventually settle on. All of us here are curious and virtually playing...with your money.

Charles, I am not sure if you are related to Legacy, but you did an excellent job and I will make sure not to miss their room.

skyscraper
I am looking forward in reading more about your Audio journey.Baltimore MD is a magical place for such things. I started my Audio journey in that city and it really set the pace for greater events in my life.
Happy Listening!

I also recommend Martin Logan  Impression ESL 11A at 10,000$.

It is very attractive speaker with beautiful high and good soundstage.

If you go to its homepage, you can find dealers around Washington DC

https://www.martinlogan.com/en/dealers

Prof, good point and I will be doing just that.

Googoogjoob. trust i've already squeezed out a few more thousand than I should with the $10,000 mark. 

Jeffersondavis, will do. The Aerial 7t's are high on my list for their small footprint alone, along with excellent reviews. 

Thyname, thanks for the heads up on what speakers the stores you mention carry.. That info goes on my spreadsheet.

Slimpikins5, Ill search out a location to hear the Bryston Model T and do some research on them. I've got a 16 foot high vaulted ceiling in my listening room to deal with and have to have the speakers fairly close to the walls too as a limiting factor. 

Glupson, appreciate the heads up on Evolution AV's service.

Charles, I'm very likely to go to the Capitalfest and will ask for you at the Legacy Room if I do. Thanks for the friendly invite.

Co93, good idea to bring my own amp/preamp but I will be retiring them once the speakers and my new turntable are paid off.

Ieales, I'll find those three recordings you suggest and appreciate your candor. I would prefer to listen to vinyl records,at demos, as that is what I have for the most part, although I will tote along some CD's. You seem to be a pretty forthright person. What are some $10,000 speakers would you personally recommend at that price point, and if you want to be even more candid, which of those recommended.above wouldn't make it through your listening test. $10.000 dollars is a significant sum of money for me out of my life savings so I'd appreciate your honest recommend on exact models. Please, be blunt and don't be shy with your specific recommendations. I'd like to hear what you think

I wish I could afford to spend $40,000 at one shot to get a well matched system I could demo at home and have dealers close enough to loan equipment for me to demo at home. There are trade-offs for not living near NYC anymore and not having that type of availbilty is one I have to work around. My first trip(s) will be to rule in the contenders for further listening.and rule out the others. 

I've got my turntatble/cartridge already, as aforementioned, and am trying to match speakers to them as well as possible, having to forgo the electronics to a later date. I will be researching what preamp/amps are recommended to match up well with each speaker demoed during the final cut. I thought about contacting the manufacturers for their recommends in this regard. I read were Magico liked some particular Scandanavian integrated amp to go along with their A3's for example.

I'll try to get speakers matched with equivalent valued equipment. I'm curious to how you would allot your resources if spending $40,000 total.

Ggc, the Devores you recommend are now on the list.

Hi skyscraper,

I had  Dahlquist DQ10's and ended up trading up to Vandersteen's 1C. When I secured the Vandersteens I fell into a pair of Conrad Johnson MV 52 Amps with A CJ Evolution 20 pre amp all of which I bi amped into the Vandersteen's. It was a great sound. But after a while I rolled into a pair of Sonus Faber Cremona. The originals designed by Serblin.  I still have them today and have changed my view on how I approach upgrades to my system overall. This said if I were to make a change in my speakers, for a little more - but last investment,  I would say definitely check out :

Devore Fidelity - Gibbon X for New
but highly Recommend Silverbacks - discontinued if you can fin find. 

http://www.devorefidelity.com/ 

Why is there so much used gear for sale?

Because people ask silly questions, listen to countless worthless recommendations and purchase based on them or 10 minute showroom demos in an environment totally unlike their own.

A lot of $10k speakers are a joke. Several mentioned here failed on multiple levels either due to bad design, poor setup or electronic mismatch.

The probability of assembling an SoA system schlepping a bag load of CDs all over the countryside is vanishingly small.

One needs 3 diverse tracks to evaluate a system, assuming one knows for what to listen. Mine:
1. Ruby Baby - Donald Fagan. Original CD.
2. Mornin’ - Al Jarreau. Original CD
3. Underture from Tommy. Original CD
Most don’t make it through 2.

Many newer CDs are vastly inferior to the original release. They are digitally processed copies of poor transfers or digitally processed multiple times. Ditto tracks on Tidal. Ditto some audiophile CDs.

Never forget we are building a system. All the research in the world is not worth a 30s listen.

IF the OP is serious, he should make appointments for a system in his total price and parameter range [ total DoReMi, speaker size, integrated/separates, CD/streamer, etc.]. The system should be properly setup as best the shop can make it. The room should be of similar size, layout and treatment to the OPs. If a shop is unwilling to do this for a $40k+ [assuming reasonable system dollar apportionment for $10k speaker] sale, move on. Accept no apologies as to why the sound is sh.tty. Just leave.

IF the OP finds something, he should get an in-home evaluation. Expect to pay return shipping.

Everything else is just wa…..

Mike, the time to go to DC to look at speakers would be Nov 2-4th. Capital Fest will be going on and you can look, touch, and listen to a wide range of speakers. While it may not be the ideal situation to audition a pair of speakers it will at least give you a starting point...If you do go you should definitely go and spend time in the Legacy Audio room. Meet Bill and the gang and ask any questions that you might have...If you spend anytime listening to the Legacy speakers I'm betting that you will get bitten by the "Legacy bug"...I'll be there the 2nd thru the 4th maybe I'll see you there... I'll probably be hanging out in the Legacy room, just ask for Charles.

I would like to point out that Evolution AV was an unusually low-pressure and friendly environment. They, pretty much, left me in the room with iPad (Tidal control), offered to come back once I needed them, and closed the door. It was not abandoning, it was leaving me in peace to do my own thing. I, eventually, did not buy from them (I settled on a different product) but am wholeheartedly praising them and would not think twice to give them my business.


Of note, they were one of those places that had only Tidal ready. Call ahead.

If you can find a pair of the Bryston Model T’s to audition, do it before you buy anything. Most people who have listened to them say that nothing under $25K will touch their performance.
I personally had a pair of Bryston Middle T’s for three months, then found a great deal on a used pair of Model T’s which I purchased. I didn’t think anything would be much better than the Middle T’s which are around $6K, however it was worth trying out. But when I set up the Model T’s next to them; I knew within 30 seconds that the Middle T’s were being moved out. Same exact sound and performance characteristics, however the T’s are a massive increase in dynamic output and filled the room like nothing I have experienced.

The bass is just outstanding as is all the other ranges.   Since I have a 10,000 cubic foot space, I wanted to make it even more dynamic; so I had Axiom Audio build me an EP800 dual 12 inch driver sub with a custom designed dual range (switchable 6 db boost in the middle upper mid-bass) and an EP500 single 12 driver sub.  I placed the two subs in null areas of the room (18 foot high vaulted ceiling with a mezzanine level balcony over one side of the room, meaning it is tricky) and all I can say is yes, this is it.   Axiom by the way builds Bryston speakers for Bryston.

The room sounds like a live concert hall with amazing dynamic power.

I can confirm that Command Performance AV just got the Magico A3 and you can demo it there in their showroom. At Command you can also demo Focal Kanta and Devore (among others)

Visit Evolution AV or IQ to demo the Revel F228Be. Both shops have it available for demo in their showrooms 

@Skyscraper Please give your impressions after you hear the speakers...I would love to hear your impressions of Aerial 7ts.

if this truly a 'once in a lifetime' purchase....can you squeeze a few more thousand?
i truly  l o v e  the B&W 803
additionally....the Focal Sopra 2 is tuffff to beat.

as mentioned above,  Soundscape in Bmore.
see Ed or his son Justin....

It may seem like a simple, obvious suggestion but: don’t forget to bring a lot of music that you actually listen to. I think it’s tempting for us audiophiles when grabbing music to audition a system to gravitate to the really good recordings/audiophile stuff because we want to see just how good/realistic the system can sound. But are those discs really making up the bulk of your listening?

I learned long ago to bring everything I listen to, from crap to great, to see how the speaker works with the music that I truly love and want to play. The sort of "would I play this in the car" is a sort of marker for the music I want to play just because it’s the music I like, vs sheer sound quality.

Here are a some CDs I’ve found to be good for demos. Maybe you already have a couple, but they’re all good music (at least IMHO) in addition to being very well recorded. Of course they’re only good for demo purposes if you’re already pretty familiar with them before going to audition.

Keb Mo - Slow Down. Good for dynamics, bass, guitar, and male vocals

Patricia Barber - Companion. Live recording, soundstage/imaging, and female vocals

Sera Una Noche (from MA Recordings). incredible soundstaging, percussion, woodwinds

Tony Falanga- Soul of the Bass. Acoustic bass, strings, tone, incredible imaging and soundstage

Joe Sample - Old Places, Old Faces. Piano, sax, imaging

Oscar Peterson meets Roy Hargrove and Ralph Moore. Intimate jazz, piano, trumpet

Tons of others, but hope this gives you some additional fun and useful stuff.

Proac D48R

so.......the list is ten listening days long...IF you want to get past obvious listener fatigue and louder is better speakers.....
I spent 7 hours at one dealer weeding out 4 power amps....and one was DOA after 3 minutes.. ARC class D...

IMO split this up or pare the list a bit.....

skyscraper,

I will echo others. Bring with you what you will be listening to once you take speakers home. If it is Sheffield drums, so be it. Otherwise, you seem to have quite a large collection so pick your favorites and just go with them. Who cares if speakers can pull all the obscure Japanese percussionists just right when you really like Hotel California and Barry Manilow? I will second the opinion about Steely Dan, especially on SACD. They are a nice challenge for the system. I use it to feel good about how it sounds but, I admit, it is not what I ever listen to otherwise. Nothing wrong with the music, just not my favorites.

It is probably anathema to mention Barry Manilow on an audiophile forum and he was just an example, nothing personal I promise. On the other hand, someone has bought all those records he put out.

Kalali, I do have that one, so can bring it along. Thanks.

Mike 

Regarding recording choices to audition, generally it would be good if you could listen to recordings that you are familiar with but that aside, I find early Steely Dan recordings very dynamic and quite well done. "Speed of Jack" track in particular is a great choice and has an expansive soundstage if/when rendered properly. I'm sure everyone has a favorite selection.  

I will do that Mike. And its good to hear a familiar name like McIntosh. They've been around forever it seems. 

Mike

Mike, if you happen to pass by any McIntosh authorize dealer, check out their McIntosh  XR100 Speakers, I think they sounded pretty good as well. I almost bought a used pair but someone beat me to it, and they are also retail at $10k/pair, this Speakers are capable of handling up to 600 watts.

yysantabarbara, good luck on your road trip. I’ve never heard of the Vivid Kaya. There are just so many new audio gear manufacturers out there. I am familiar with Upscale Audio though, since I ordered my VPI Classic 2 turntable and Ortofon 2M black cartridge from them just a few weeks ago. It’s still sitting on a table waiting to be put together. They recommended the Focal line of speakers as well. Have fun.

Bigman, I looked up Dr. Vinyl and its on the way to Baltimore, so I could stop there too. I’ll have to look up the Gamut M5 and the Larsen 8. Not familiar with them either. I’m going to have to make a spreadsheet of all these speakers and where to go to take a listen. Never imagined there be so many choices at the $10,000 price point.

One more question for you all. Can anyone suggest any recordings that you have found revealing to bring to a speaker demo in addition to the Sheffield Labs drum track suggested? I’ve well over a thousand jazz, rock, R&B, and blues records and CD’s, plus a smattering of classical and other stuff. With any luck maybe you’ll hit on something I have already. Thanks.

Mike

You should contact Dr Vinyl
audition the Gamut M5
also the Larsen 8

I am doing a similar trip on Sept 29th in Los Angeles. I will hear the Magico A3 and the Vivid Kaya 45 (or 90). I was hoping to go to Upscale Audio to hear the Focal Kanta but they are closed on Sat. I will likely do a second trip to hear those speakers.

Tatyana69, That’s a good suggestion about bringing my equipment along for demo. However, I will be upgrading my vintage Phase Linear 400 amp and Phase Linear 400 preamp so I really don’t have the equipment to aid in a demo. I thought I’d get the speakers first and then find a well matched integrated amp (or separates) for them. Same deal for the cables. I’v only zip cord and cheapo RCA stuff now, which was all most of us used in the 70’s. I’ve got to learn about them too along the way.

Sixsigmaguy, That might be a good idea to wait until until Nov 2 and take in the Capitol Audiofest. I’ll check out their site today and see who might be there. Maybe a two day trip to see some dealers too.

Assetmgrsc, I will endeavor to stay calm, as you suggest, in spite of the excitement. That’s good advice.

Larryi, Deja Vu sounds like it would be interesting to check out.

Shadorne, thank you for the showroom demo listening advice. I’ve already printed it out and will carry it with me on my trip. I’ll track down the Sheffied Labs drum track and bring it along. Are there any other materials like that you or anyone might suggest take along for listening to at demos? You’re right about my DQ10’s being a unsatisfactory reference point. A visit to an audio store here in Roanoke is what convinced me to upgrade them, when I heard their single demo room setup with speakers that sounded much better than my vintage DQ10’s and were not all that high end either. I forget their make.This will be a learning experience for sure which is what I’ve intended.

Glupson. thanks for your excellent advice. I will definitely as you advise. call ahead and make sure the dealers have a suitable turntable and/or cd player set up. I would like to enter the 21st century audio wise but prefer to avoid any music not on a vinyl record or CD. I love records honestly. They are like old friends. You have probably saved me a wasted trip.

Jdub071, thanks for the advice, but my smoking days were of short duration and many, many years ago. If I recall, Dark Side of the Moon sounded great even on mediocre equipment under those circumstances. I’ll look into the TAD ME-1’s.

Miketuason, I’ll listen to the Upscale Audio on the Focal. I bought my VPI Classic 2 and Ortofon 2M Black cartridge from Upscale only two weeks ago and the woman I dealt with there recommended I check out the Focal line among two or three others Thanks.

Twoleftears, I’m looking forward to checking out the Command listening rooms. Thanks again.

Thank you all again,

Mike

At Command Performance, they have three main rooms.  Heard the Dynaudio Contour 60, Devore 0/93, and Kanta 2, in each of the rooms.  I liked the Kanta best of the three, though it didn't make my shortlist.  YMMV.

Here’s a little video about the Focal Kanta 2, it’s pretty impressive for the price they’re asking for.
https://www.upscaleaudio.com/products/focal-kanta-no2-loudspeakers-pair

I would smoke a doob for the mild sedative--music always sounds better with a little bit of cannabis...providing it's legal of course--which it is on the "left coast" and Colorado.  Might try TAD ME-1's.

skyscraper,

Tidal is a music streaming service via Internet. Many people here (Audiogon) use it and seem to be satisfied with music quality. It does contain fairly large collection of music, but most of what I wanted was not there.


I mention this as, a few months ago, I went through a few shops in Washington, DC area bringing my two CDs. Wherever I went, they brought an iPad (that is how you interact with Tidal) and asked what I wanted to hear. At first, I asked for a CD player, but it happened that nobody had it already hooked up. They did offer me to come at some later time when they would set it up. You are going for a shorter trip so you may not have that much time to waste. Call ahead, that is all I can say.

@skyscraper 

The demo would be Joan Baez Diamonds and Rust - it was a demo favourite back then. 

Bring your own music. 

You may may be challenged if your reference is Dalquist DQ-10.

The best speaker will sound good with everything. Listen carefully for driver integration. If you are aware there is a tweeter or a bass woofer then simply move on. A good speaker won’t draw attention to any frequency range - it should just sound like a musical instrument playing in front of you. 

Be wary of coloration and resonances even if subjectively pleasing.

Sheffield Labs drum track is an excellent work out. If it sounds like a real drum set in the room then the speaker has passed the test. Any speaker you buy should convincingly pass this test.

Gifted Listener, Command and Deja Vu are all great places to stop and listen--very friendly and attentive, no high pressure sales tactics.  Of these, Command probably has the widest array of gear. 

But, it is Deja Vu that is the utterly unique experience.  Much of the gear they have that is really interesting is made in-house or made in Italy by a designer/builder that works exclusively for them.  They make gear to order.  Of the regular commercial brands of speakers, they probably sell more Audio Note speakers than any other brand, next would be Harbeth and then probably ProAc.  There have been quite a few buyers that have come in to audition the "regular" commercial gear that they sell, and after hearing their unique house gear, have gone crazy upgrading to these unique products.  The custom speakers are mostly built around vintage drivers and parts (crossovers are built using very old vintage parts), although recently, drivers from G.I.P. Laboratories have been used in their most expensive and exotic designs.  Many of their custom speakers are below $20 k.  

Mike;  I am late to this forum and see that you have already been overloaded with advice and, a lot of it seems pretty good too.  However, let me suggest to you one important aspect of critical listening that no one has mentioned, and that is your own state of mind. Your interpretation of what you hear is highly subjective and WILL change when nervous. So ( i am smiling when i write this ): "take a mild sedative, enjoy yourself and go with your gut.  Your judgement really is better when calm.  Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

How about waiting and going Nov 2-4 so you can hit Capital Audiofest also and really listen to many different speakers.

The dealer will hook the speakers up with their own cables and amps - so you will only be able to judge specific aspects of the speakers - and NOT how they would sound in your home or system. So many aspects are system dependent so I know it sound heavy going ... but as you are presumably going by car it would be not to much trouble to take your own amps and cables to insert in their system for comparison. It may also help you in understanding your own cables and amp better so you can plan for upgrade later on those other things .. or indeed not!

Thank you all for so many responses. I might have to make this a two-three day road trip you all have offered so many fine suggestions.

Twoleftears, Thanks for the recommend for Gifted Listener. That should be right on the way driving up from Roanoke. Evolution Audio and Command Performance are on my agenda and I’ll add Deja Vu for the Harbeths.

Mtrot, I’m sure your right about the electronics. They’re next on my upgrade list. My old well loved Phase Linear amp and preamp are going to be retired at long last.

Gdnrbob, I will look at the Vandersteens amd Will check out the Magnepans. I remember auditioning Magneplanars at the time I purchased my DQ10’s years ago. Interesting that technology is still around..
.
Elizabeth, excellent tip on remembering to bring my source material back home from each dealer. In my excitement, leaving my source material sitting at the dealer is just the thing I’d likely do. I’ll shut down any blabbermouth salesman too. Thanks.

Soix, I’ll listen to the three brands you recommend if I run across them, although I’ll Philadelphia is a little too far north for this trip to go see them there. Honestly never heard of any of them before. I am so out of touch.

Jafant, I’ll look up the Listening Room and Soundscape in Baltimore and see what they carry.

Marsrecords, I would like to track down and listen too the Goldenear References as well as they are on the low end of my price range and have gotten some good revews.

Rbstehno, I will check out the Totems. If I remember correctly one of the dealers, I called in DC mentioned he carried them, at the same time as he badmouthed the Goldenears which he didn’t carry. I didn’t care for that approach

Dodgealum, Tacoma Park, Maryland shouldn’t be too far out of the way to check out the Muse speakers you mention if he has them at Linear Tube Audio. I’ll keep them in mind when I get to look at the preamp/amps in the futre too.

Glupson, I’ll try to listen to some Revel and the models you suggested.What is the "Tidal" you said dealers like to demo with?

Rwscott1, I’ll have to add Martin Logans to my ever expanding list to audition.

Dave1980, I will definitely be listening to the Personas.

Stringreen, I agree with you on the Vandersteens. I have read several people recommending them.

Dep14, you’re right, this list is getting long. I would like to hear speakers (along with the electronics) that provide a more detailed, less muddy sound than my current setup at the least. I’ll know better after some listens. And I’d like to avoid having to use a sub-woofer. Also my loud listening days are relegated to my youth. On the other hand my late wife often told me to "turn that volume down!".

Firstnot, I’d love to see Londo again, but probably not on this road trip. The Spendor speakers D9’s are hard to find for demo’s. I emailed the American Spendor distributors who suggested I see them in Florida on a trip I mentioned I’ll be taking there soon to visit family.

MikeTuason, I will check out the Focals you suggest. Thanks. I hadn't heard of that particular Focal model.

Thanks again all for taking the time to offer your advice.

Mike

For the same price range $9,999 the Focal Kanta II is also a great candidate.

Scraper,

As you can discern, your lifetime is too short to have enough time to A/B all the great speakers in production. Your initial list of 3 all seem excellent.
The Spendor SP100 may be worth a listen if you are with a Spendor dealer. Not sure if still under the $10k max though. Another brand at 1/2 your price max, the PSB T3 has been strongly recommended to me. I too and enjoying the chase for a similar speaker. Perhaps you may wish to extend your timeline by adding a trip to London. So many options over there. Proac, ATC, Stirling, Harbeth plus others.  Enjoy the hunt!!

If you let this thread go long enough you will have every 10k or so speaker listed.

What do YOU like in a speaker.  Anything in particular?  How much power do you have?  You like a lot of thump?  Planning on using a subwoofer?  Want the ultimate in detail?  Listen loud  (if so... what do you consider loud).  soundstage size or imaging most important?

Vandersteen is a "must hear".