What do you consider the most musical speakers—$15000 & under

When Jim Thiel passed, the company was never the same.  They aren't making the speakers the way he did. It's just the same name basically.  I know a dealer who owned them, sold them, loved them etc....  He has now dropped the line. YMMV

Agreed. That was a sad day when Jim passed. Then the vultures swooped in for the dregs under the guise of a "new company," but they cared not one iota for Jim's designs or his approach.  There must be someone from the original Thiel that knows something about the "secret sauce" and pure science that Thiel put into his love for engineering.

I'd say brands associated with tone include Sonus Faber, Harbeth, Devore Fidelity, Dynaudio, Tannoy, and Zu Audio.

Room Size19'x19' with vaulted ceiling to 18'
Gear — Vac PA90 Power Amps, Melos 333 PreAmp modified,
Moon Equinox CD Player Nottingham Spacedck turntable, 

keithr914 posts11-12-2017 1:05amI'd say brands associated with tone include Sonus Faber, Harbeth, Devore Fidelity, Dynaudio, Tannoy, and Zu Audio.

I sold my Proacs after many years to get Vandersteen's.  Tonality was the number one reason for that.  I'd put them in that group also.  I also feel that Tidal has to be in that same group of speakers.  

I heard the 2ce-ci? years ago There was a fairly new owner in the shop just looking for others to bask in the joy of listening to them, according to the new satisfied owner the rest of speaker manufacturers were wasting time. they sounded more like speakers than music to me so even vandy's need careful component matching. I lost count of the number of speakers i've owned, forget about the home demos! For me they come in bunches. I get a pair I like and they stay 10-15 years it's the time between that costs so much and the turnover builds up. It seems speakers are a compromise and if done correctly the more  money the less compromise, so personal priority becomes a factor. n the last 5 years i've bought 4 pair of speakers hoping to get the bass, imaging, resolution and dynamics I enjoy so much out of a single box and about the time I start to think the salon2 is incompatible with my room I reposition them sit back and think, maybe i'm good for another 10-15 years.

I have liked some of the Revel's I've heard in the past.  I know they just redid the line if I recall. 

I feel musical & accurate are one in the same—if it is dry or analytical it is neither accurate or musical.
But I would like to raise another question sometimes musical could also be unattractive or old fashion.
I think some very musical speakers fall into this category.
We sit in front of our music listening and also looking at our gear.Besides the sound of a speaker there is also the aesthetic of the speaker. If you had a choice between musical & unattractive or handsome and maybe not quite as musical which would you choose?

This will be a unpopular opinion, but for me it's the JBL 4367

I think you either like horns or you don't.  I loved them as a kid, but most of them I've heard (and even liked) are a bit colored tonally.  I think that's why many of us aren't into them. Fun to listen to?  Can be adn if you like them, that's awesome.  It's why they make so many different speakers.

Accurate measurement should mean the speaker doesn't add or subtract anything from the signal being fed right? so if you have a room that adds or subtracts different fq's speakers that compensate for it will in fact more accurate right? If it's a known quantity that typical room reflections add 3-5 db at 3-5khz (pulling these figures out of the air for my argument) a designer that accounts for the typical room would be more accurate/musical than the razor flat measuring speaker.

Steve, very interesting.  I had this discussion with Richard Vandersteen a few weeks ago.  He uses his normal listening room to audition his gear/speakers.  He wants a real life room since that's what folks use to listen to their systems.  Some rooms sound better than others of course, but I want my system to sound good in my room. I don't care how it sounds in a chamber, lol.  Seems to work as he's sold tons of speakers since 78 or so.

I have heard the same thing from a few other designers over the years.  The irony is that I've heard many products that were voiced in specially designed chambers, not sound that great in a real room.  

Let me add to the debate of musicality Vs accuracy. We may not agree whether the speakers are Musical or not, but we will agree on whether the speakers are Accurate or not - assuming our testing methodology is agreed in advance. This is because musicality is quite subjective while Accuracy is objectively measured.

Hear me out, when I listen to some music, I may find the speakers musical without knowing it's technical parameters. It may very well happen that one may like the Phantom of Opera on  Klipsch or B&W but on a Vandersteen one may find it boring (I do). Mind you, Vandersteen are regarded as one of the most accurate speakers - so when I find something musical, it's  not necessarily about it's technical accuracies but the sound signature that appeals to me. It's also true that in order to provide a better musicality - "Presence" as I like to call it- it's necessary that a speaker should exhibit high technical accuracies. What I mean is that high Accuracy is a Necessary condition for sound to be musical, but it's Not a Sufficient condition for the sound to be musical. So, in essence, Musicality and Accuracy are different. 

Holt got it right.