I’m looking to buy a speaker in the $4000-5000 range. I was very impressed with the GoldenEar Trton 1 speaker I heard at a friend’s house, and I know the Tekton DI is very well thought of on this forum. I listen to mostly classical music, some Diana Krall and the like, and also big band music. Any other suggestions?
Imagine what sound quality one can get out of 20-30W amp for the same money one spends for 160W monster. It's very simple. Prices for components (of the same quality) go up exponentially for high power amps. So something has to give, either less power or less quality. Not to mention the planet.
Back to the speaker question. Best speakers for classical music and jazz are single driver speakers. They don't use crossovers hence avoid various kinds of distortions, maintain the full dynamic range... In addition, they "sing with a single voice" so they don't brake instruments and vocals among different drivers with different characteristics, speeds... In classical music and jazz you want piano to sound like a piano rather than an electric instrument. Even better how about hearing the difference between a Steinway and Bosendorfer?
Suggestion; First figure how much money you want to spend, this will dictate what speakers to buy. Second; Type of music you listen to majority of time. Third; Is your sweet spot of your ears with your music, Heavy Bass, Mid range, Highs. Final, room size, treatments, carpet, wood floors, etc. Beware of recommendations...sales people. Let your ears move your lips to a smile. Hope this helps.
@kenjay35 Ken, is very important for me to get response from real buyer like you , Thanks. I hope more people can listen my speakers in CAF , or anybody who close to NJ or NYC
As I’m listening to the GE’s right now, violas and oboes indeed sound exactly as they should. As a classical musician, I do know how they sound in real space.
Hi Check out Bache Audio - Tribeca 001 model My review below
5 stars ! Positive feedbackWOW ! Simply the Best speakers that I have ever owned or heard. And after 30 years in this hobby I've heard plenty. I have owned NOLA, Paradigm, Splendor, Harbeth, KEF reference 3, Salk Silks etc etc Bache speakers are simply better especially at this price point. Clarity and detail is so amazing. I am hearing detail in my music that I never thought possible. Bass to my ears extends well below the specs and closer to 30hz. Important to note that it is simply tight and detailed. no sense of softness/muddiness. Midrange/vocals are actually the best I've ever heard. so accurate and clear. Sounds as though the artist is in the room closest to live performance than any other system. Highs are detailed due to the excellent fostex tweeter perfectly integrated w/ a specific methodology that I feel will be the future of speaker design. 2 issues- 1 is I now can’t stop listening to music. 2- this speaker is revealing if recording is poor you will hear it. This of course is positive and really see no flaws in design or sound. Sound stage is expansive and deep. As far as finish; super high level and process was so cool. Greg was accessible for entire build. His passion and love for his speakers comes through not just in the finished product but throughout the process. Like everything there is a sweet spot and as far as audio reproduction this is IT. Simply I have not heard better and I am driving them easily with the Exogal 100 watt amp. Which is a perfect partnership and to my ears audio heaven on earth. So much gratitude for Greg and his innovative design, passion and implementation. Do yourself a favor and hear them today. Much Peace through happy listening, Ken
Hi again. I wasn’t recommending the B&W’s, they just happened to be the other speakers in the room with the GE’s. And yes, the GE’s would be much more authoritative in the bass. But as I said earlier, to me the viola sounded way more like a viola and an oboe way more like an oboe through the B&W’s. That being said, I’d heard before a particularly since quite a number of brands/models that I preferred quite significantly over the B&Ws, though yes, unfortunately, they do all end up being more expensive. The Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Baby Grand is a beautifully voiced speaker, but unfortunately not particularly full in the bass. The Concert Grand strangely doesn’t seem to have the same magic. And the Lizsts which are great are very expensive.
I think synergy is the big thing. In my listening, the B&W’s sounded puny in comparison to the Tritons. I’m employing them with a Conrad-Johnson tube preamp which really makes me them sing, and a 160w per channel amp driving them. The built-in subwoofer also sets them apart. Honestly, it’s some of the best sound I’ve heard anywhere.
There's a brand new pair of PSB T3's on the 'gon today that I'm pretty sure you could get for 5K, but I guess that's now moot.
We all have different ears, I guess. I auditioned the Triton 2's a while ago, against B&W 702's, and to me the B&W's sounded a lot more sophisticated and timbrally "right".
The quest is over! I’m really thrilled with the sound of these Tritons. The synergy with the rest of my equipment is terrific. I can just sit back and enjoy the music!
I auditioned several speakers today, including the Revel F208, the Focal Aria and B&W 702, but I selected the GoldenEar Triton 1 as suiting my taste the best. It had a transparency and bass fullness the others lacked. I’m trying them out in my home before I make a final decision. Again, thank everyone for you suggestions.
I had a set of B&W N803 for about 5 years, and N805 before those. I auditioned the Double Impact, and found them to be good, with nice soundstage, but not really smooth across various frequency ranges. I felt there was a bit of "suck out" in mid bass. I sent them back. They did have a nice "live" sound, and I think they are good for the price... but not the giant killers others have suggested.
Then I got a set of F208s, and I think they are extremely smooth and flat response across almost all FRs. I'm very happy with them, and have sold my B&Ws. I've had them for about a year. A few audiophile friends have listened to them, and have been very impressed. IMO, they are a step up from the B&Ws, and a solid improvement over the DIs.
Martin Logan Montis seems to be available for $5K used for even brand new. > Love the sound of them at that price.They were $10K new a few years ago. Read the reviews.
Audio magazines and audio sites are full of glowing reviews. Indeed, it's nigh on scandalous when the review isn't glowing. Reading reviews and then going out to audition the components in person has demonstrated to me repeatedly that sometimes I share the same impressions as the reviewer, but rather more frequently I don't. YMMV.
I think you should try adding a pair of subs with your speakers. (Quad's, right)? I'll PM you.
@mindlessminion, One of the reasons I like Vandy's is that I can sit and walk around the room and the sound is still dimensional. If fact my seat is practically in front of the left speaker, yet I still hear a 3D performance and the speaker is practically invisible. Bob
I just read a glowing review written in Stereophile of the Revel F208 speakers. Luckily, I’ll be able to hear them this week in locations near my house. Any knowledge or opinions of them?
I just read a glowing review written in Stereophile of the Revel F208 speakers. Luckily, I’ll be able to hear them this week in locations near my house. Any knowledge or opinions of them?
Off access they are OK. But since I build my own components they will sound much different that what you can hear form them. The music you selected is why I recommended Vandersteen. Krall sounds amazing on the old model 5's I currently own. They reproduce piano, bass, and drums very well, for big band music, you have a built in sub that provides the big band/classical experience with depth and dimension that you do not get without the sub, plus the time alignment can really benefit from the layering you get with the Vandy's. Separation of instruments is a key benefit for this music. Plus the better components you use in your system with be very noticeable with the Vandersteens. Having the ability to dial in with the cross-over options and sub options helps in different rooms. You also only technically require an amp to really drive the lower mid-range up with the build in sub. Also, resale is also pretty good if/when you decide to make a change.
There are many very good speaker recommendations that others have already posted but my reasons for my suggestion is stated above. Good luck in your search.
I’ve tentatively bought (with right of cancellation) the Focal Aria speakers new at a 30% discount under MSRP. (I couldn’t pass up the bargain.) I have a week to change my mind. The T3 is really over my budget, even at a discounted price. I am still investigating others though.
@rvpiano For classical music enthusiasts, I would normally recommend many British brands, like Spendor, Harbeth, PMC, Proac, etc., and some others, e.g. Vienna Acoustics, Audio Note, some older (used) Sonus Faber models. But at your price point, I can't think of a model that excels at strong low bass. Hence the suggestion of the T3's. T3's are in plentiful supply; several dealers regularly discount them, and they come up on sites often, some bought and never used (still sealed). Unlike a good deal of other brands/models, I don't think it would be difficult to find a pair.
I find a lot of people like Focal speakers for classical music. Big soundstage, great dynamic performance (above average efficiency), good detail retrieval, but smooth. At around your budget & room size I'd say at least an Aria 936 ($4K MSRP) or better yet : the 948 ($5K MSRP).
I'd make sure if you can to demo a pair of Arias.
Honestly a much better speaker than Tekton's. The fit & finish on Tekton's is shockingly bad. I've seen finish coming off and even surrounds starting to lift from drivers.
Golden Ear build is nothing that much to get excited about either. Nasty looking / feel plastic caps / footer. I find them somewhat lumpy in the bass as well & though smooth, frankly a bit boring.
To be honest, it's not my preferred genre. I listen to all kinds of music, at different levels. I'm not one that likes a speaker for only a couple types of music. I do have some classical albums--maybe 12-15 total. I would be amazed if classical didn't also sound very good on either. I'll be putting the Joules on my Sistrum SP-101 platforms as soon as I can get some help doing so. It will improved the sound in all ways making it more like live music. I know the Dahlquist DQ-10s very well--never heard the 20s, however. That was one of my early high end dream speakers when I was just out of college. I liked many aspects of the sound, but they don't come alive like either of these 2 speakers. Their bass is just respectable.
Thank you everyone here for your recommendations. I’ve investigated and read reviews on just about all the suggestions. Im going to audition several speakers at a local establishment, including B&W, Paradigm and Magnepan among others. Hopefully I can come to some conclusions.
I second the Vandy suggestion. Tekton is not a subtle sound. Spend some time with the ears listening. Sonus Faber is also excellent. If you want a $10,000 speaker for $5,000 consider buying used-after listening to it!!
Yes, I, too,had my Nuforce 9 amps upgraded by Bob Smith. Wonderful amps. Only ones I’ve tried that can drive my very power hungry Dahlquist speakers and make them sing. Question for you: Did you listen to much classical music on the modded DI’s? Same question regarding the Joules?
@bigkidz How do Vandersteen speakers sound off axis? I am concerned they only sound great in a specific position and I rarely sit in a specific position. I have been on the edge about Vandersteen Treo, or if the price is right 5s
I have your amps and then had them modded by Bob Smith at TDSS with his level 3 upgrades. The basic sound of the Ref 9's stayed the same which I already loved. His mods just made them much better in all ways--call it at least a 30% improvement. I've heard these amps with 5 different speakers and it was by all who heard, the best each has ever sounded.
I've heard the GE 1's, the DI SE's, and Bill Dion's (grannyring) heavily modded DI's with better drivers, wiring direct to each driver and improved crossover parts--which were better sounding than the DI SE's. My friend now owns Bill's pair of DI's. With my amps driving them, they were a speaker you could love in all ways--not as much with different amps driving them. They had it all--clarity, deep soundstage, jumping deep bass, with dynamics that didn't end. The GE's were very good, but I wouldn't have traded for them. They weren't as involving as I'd like. That pair of DI's modded were excellent and VERY involving speakers with very good bass and clarity with the right amp--one just like yours--plus upgrades.
I had a pair of VMPS RM40 BCSE MLS speakers for 5 years that are very good. They are now replaced with my speaker for life, the 2 piece Vapor Audio Joule Black with several upgrades to them. I got them for an extremely reasonable price used. The Joules are my speaker to die for and have been for a few years since I heard them at Axpona. This particular pair just seem to have NO weaknesses. They open up all the different music to being very listenable on mediocre recordings to awesome on good ones. They scale volume like no speaker like no speaker I've ever owned with these mono amps--I have to be careful with the volume control--I value my hearing.
Also, I just saw a pair of upgraded Tekton Double Impacts for about half of your stated budget. And they are close to brand new. It's not my ad nor do I know the seller, but I had the upgraded Double Impacts and thought they were excellent. Yes, the auditioning process is cumbersome, but how were you planning to audition the other speakers on your list? For long-term speakers, the process may be worth the trouble.
I think you were impressed by those powered woofers. Personally, I believe for the classical music you listen to you need a more subtle and sophisticated speaker than GE.
Have you thought about PSB T3's? Vandersteen? Revel?
I now have Dalquist DQ 20 speakers modified by Regnar. What is lacking is deep bass and precise imaging, especially front to back, which is non-existent. Otherwise, I love them. Very tonally musical. After I heard the Triton 1 I realized what I was missing.
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