Searching for the most "accurate" speaker (below 15K)
Could the data from this site be used to determine the most accurate speaker? http://www.soundstagenetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16&Itemid=... |
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I'm done with seakers for some years (the Paradigm Persona are really something), but the new A Series from Magico may be game changing. Very interesting ...http://magico.net/Marketing/Press_Release_A3.php |
Hi vermeer - late to the game here, and I confess I haven’t read many of the responses. But I’ve been searching for a new reference speaker in the $5k - $15k range (my budget is rather flexible) so thought I’d chime in. I’m coming from Merlin TSM-MXe’s with a REL T-9 subwoofer. I’ve heard the Paradigm Personas, I believe the 3F - they’re $10k? To be frank, I couldn’t listen to them at all. The associated gear wasn’t great but I found them to be very hard-sounding and lacking insight and nuance. They do wide dynamics well but subtle dynamic contrasts were obliterated and spatial cues were scrambled. If I had to guess, they are using a high-order crossover network, and in my experience the circuit complexity tends to kill the subtlety and life of the music. The same dealer also had the Wilson Sabrinas, which is at the very upper end of your price range, but I didn’t get a chance to listen to them. They look promising and I’ve been told Wilson has changed their sound over the last few years (I never thought the WATT/Puppies etc. were very musical a decade ago). My biggest concern with Wilsons is they tend to present a tough load for amps - the Sabrina drops to something like 2.7 ohms? I prefer speakers which are designed to be less reactive, as it’s easier to get good sound out of them and shows a certain care by the designer. One speaker that recently impressed me was the Audiovector SR 1 Avantgarde Arreté. It’s a $5k bookshelf but I’d put its speed, transparency and overall level of musical insight up there with speakers up to $15k. They make a larger 2.5-way version that should have more bass and dynamics. You can read more of my impressions of the SR 1 on my blog: http://taww.co/post/168738759687/quick-take-audiovector-sr1-avantgarde-arrete The Focal Sopras are often mentioned but I haven’t heard it yet. FWIW, ears I trust said they are more for hi-fi fireworks and not at the same level of naturalness and musicality of stuff like the Audiovector, or Dynaudios for that matter. I’ve owned JM Lab/Focal products in the past and they were good values, but it’s a somewhat different school of design/sound than what I’ve gravitated towards over the years. That all said, Silverline should not be overlooked. They get little to no press, and they don’t introduce a latest-and-greatest model every year. But Alan Yun makes some of the most musically accurate speakers I’ve heard well beyond their respective price points. I currently have the SR17 Supreme in-house ($7500) and it is mind-blowingly good. Alan tells me his $15k Bolero Supreme is at an even higher level. I’m planning to audition it soon, but the SR17 may be all that I need. It’s that good. My .02! I’ll browse through some of the other recommendations here, also curious and open to suggestions. Let me know if there’s a speaker you’re really anxious for me to hear and I can see if I can get it for review. Cheers, MIY http://taww.co |
