I have three completely different recommendations, each capable of outstanding sound quality, but each approaches that very differently.
+1 for Monitor Audio. The Silver 500 7G ($3400/pr) is simply the finest speaker available under $5000 per pair. Check its presence on the Stereophile Class A List. The reviewer saw the price and thought that it was per speaker, not per pair. My first thoughts on hearing them was "This is what JBLs SHOULD sound like." Clean, tight, dynamic with good bass extension, soundfield and imaging are very good, with no muddiness, nasality or harshness on male or female vocals. Instrumental attack on piano and acoustical guitar are first rate. The dual rear ports allow easy room tuning in the bass. They do like to be 3-4 ft away from walls, as do most 2X8 floor standers. If they aren't enough, you can move up to the Gold series which steps up the basic config, swapping in a ribbon tweeter and more sophisticated driver and cabinet builds and an incredible Macassar veneer cabinet option for $7500/pr.
Of course everyone should own a pair of Magnepans at some point in their audio journey, A pair of 1.7is and a pair of REL T/9X subwoofers would fill your room nicely given an amp with 100-200W/ch that likes 4 Ohm loads. And it looks like you have that already covered. Like all dipoles they really need to be out away from the rear walls and corners. Observing that rule, the immensity of the soundfield they can generate simply can't be done with a box. Any qualms about bass are easily handled by the RELs.
Finally, KEF LS-60. A phenomenal all-in-one speaker/amp/streamer system. Just plug and play. With 700Watts of triamplified power per speaker, KEF has done a stunning job in an impossibly slim cabinet. Just stream using your favorite source using your phone as a controller, or buy an inexpensive Android tablet and dedicate it to that task. Need more bass? KEF offers the matching KC-92 twin 9" sub with 1000 Watts of power. If listening is more important than tweaking with your gear, this is the way to go.
The nicest part is any of these can be had for less than $10,000.
That is their flagship model. Depending on your room size, you may not need to go that high. All F&F's down to the 170's kick arse. Each model that goes up, kicks a little more ass and has more bass. The 570's and 670's are the sweet spot for all around kick arse and bass. If you have a bigger room, then the 770's deliver more bass.
So, it all depends on your room size which speaker would suit you the best. I'd check out the website and contact 11Stereo.com who is the N.A. distributor for F&F.
I must agree. While at first they come off as very detailed, over time one can realize the cost is in hidden harshness. Although, you can probably mitigate the issue with very warm tube equipment... there is always that, "It depends" nearby.
It is a synergy of resources from the world's largest producer of musical instruments with a world famous motor sports business.
Add a zero to the price and the single material driver technology will not be matched. Cabinets are sustainable plywood from their wood instrument business with a gloss finish from their grand piano business.
Not the most exotic or luxurious. Not huge. They are a global model for living spaces that a woman will buy. My wife bought ours.
A perfect candidate would be the PS audio Aspen FR 20 ! If you want more of a traditional woody design there’s an endless list of Sonus Fabre Amati up grades available. Having said that with the FR 20s in place the Sonus would be history. Why ware Tennis shoes with a three piece suit, you’ve the perfect mates set up already IMO.
The best all around speakers is the one that will match your system. There are so many out there, do a. Research and look at the recommendations here too.My recommendations try Borensen speakers, Cube speakers, Fyne speakers…
I currently have the same preamp and amps and went with Sonus Farber speakers. I would stay away from KEF or any other company with metal tweeters. I had KEF Reference 5’s and they hurt my ears even at lower levels. I tried a couple of other speakers with beryllium tweeters and had similar issues. With the SF use soft dome tweeters and it’s made a world of difference for me.
Another vote for Legacy Audio. I have the Signature SE's but, if I had your room size, I would have spent the (very little) additional money on the Focus. My Signatures aren't technically full range, but are close enough. And they allow plenty of detail and are not at all harsh (seems you have had issues with that before).
aigie88 & ihasaguy, FWIW, Maggies or other tall electrostatic or planar speakers might just fit the bill to overcome vertical dispersion issues the OP has due to a 6 1/2' ceiling. Problem is to maximize sonic response (3d imaging) these speakers really have to be 5+ ft from the wall behind them otherwise the back wave might just exacerbate the HF issue he has. The OP isn't wild about discussing room placement opportunities beyond his present placement of his B&W's. Yours is a good thought though. Perhaps he just has esthetic issues with speakers out in the room more, or placement of his listening seat. Who knows. It's his dime though. :-)
I see the fisher and fisher flagship speaker is 120 k and puts it around the Rockport Orion. Which model were you talking about? I’d love to hear them tho.
lhasaguy I agree about Maggies. I loved my Mag Minis for years until my 250 WPC amp blew while watching an Aggie tournament basketball game. I was using it with a Velodyne sub. Sold the Maggies, but they were so beautiful with acoustic music and vocals such as with Eva Cassidy or several of my Louis Armstrong / Ella Fitzgerald albums, etc. I don't knowif his amplifier has the current needed but it might. I miss the Maggies but I actually sold them for more than what I paid for them. I also had the Magnepan bass panel.
For ME and my system heavy components and speakers have become a no go.
The amps are an easy go lighter in weight modification.
Speakers forty pounds or less each are now the criteria.
Going with bookshelf speakers in 220²’ room.
Will have to forgo awesome bass because I simply do not want subs.
The ProAc Tablette 10 is the front runner.
+1 on Rockports if you can stretch, then you will never upgrade.
I was listening to Sonus Faber and others and there were a couple of ones of interest - I'd said $18k to $20k - when the sales guy said can you stretch to $25K. I ordered the Atria IIs after listening for an hour.
Also, I heard Dali speakers recently when I was auditioning the Esoteric K-01XD, rather nice (British for outstanding) detailed but relaxed. I was very impressed.
I have been a big fan of Audio Physic, I had Virgos for many years in my NYC & VT homes, and their more upscale offerings were out of my $$ range. My daughter now has one pair of Virgos and I have her Tempos (part of her graduation present in 1998) attached to the TV. (I don't watch disaster movies!) The Audio Physic Avantera may be a possibility if you can find a dealer.
Also +1 on Dynaudio, the only ones I have owned are the Focus 160s in my wife's system, but I plugged them into the big rig and was very impressed. I have heard their bigger models and was impressed, so, if you can find a dealer.
There are speakers and then there are music system. I dont have an answer for the first, but if you are looking to get a music system, then go for Tocaro!!
Agree with @soixrecommendation . Joseph Audio Pearl or Perspective graphene. Another brand to consider IMHO is Wilson Audio. Often available in the resale market. I recently opted for a pair of Dynaudio Contour contour legacy limited to 1000 pairs worldwide. Very balanced and natural with fantastic imaging. No regrets. Good luck !
For me, both ProAc and Audio Physic speakers are great all-rounder speakers with either tubes or solid state. I have owned various models of both brands and still own the ProAc D15 and the Audio Physic Avantera+. Love both with all kinds of music. I heard MoFi Sourcepoint 8 at a show a couple years ago and were amazed at how great they sounded for the price. They are not as aesthetically pleasing as ProAcs and Audio Physics but they played everything really well.
I have multiple pairs of Revel speakers, all floorstanding. I Have some large Ushers that worked great in my 27’x16’x15’ room. Go listen to the ps audio speakers: the fr30’s, and fr20’s. I also use ps audio equipment.
Take a trip to ps audio in Boulder to listen to their speakers. You already have some of their equipment. Ps audio has an in-house trial program but you probably won’t be sending them back. Same goes for the larger Revels or Ushers.
Or Go to some audio shows to hear many different speakers, then work with the dealer for a 30 day in house trial.
@onehorseponyI owned the Thiel CS3.7’s and I think you are being a bit hard on them. They are a very good speaker, though I think the drivers on them are surpassed by Beryllium and the even better Zylon (as detailed but not harsh).
This what I think is an all-round star speaker with tech that is hard to match by most builders. I own them and drive them with a CODA #16 amp.
These are huge speakers with a beautiful piano finish. You need some volume in the room to make them work. A Thiel CS3.7 is a good guide to the room needed for the NS5000.
I went from B&W to Dynaudio and loved the decision. Back in the day (2000) Dynaudio was my Holy Grail. Instantly fixed the fatigue I got from B&W. Nowadays I have found Dynaudio has shifted towards a more forward sound, not bright but more forward than previous lines (this was with the Excite line). I think Evoke has been a step back in the right direction. Have never heard Contour or Confidence.
Revel and Sonus Faber I would also highly recommend. I have been truly awestruck with the Revel Be line…
Listen to Maggies if you get a chance. With sufficient power they are amazing. Planars are different from box speakers. Your ears will tell you if they are for you. I love Eva Cassidy and they make her sound like ahe is in the room, ainging.
Only true high performance faithful reproduction audio speaker is Wavetouch audio Antero speaker. All other speakers in the world behave/sound like the left speaker in below. These un-natural sound speakers sound veiled, bright, and distorted. And one way to enjoy these speakers is immersive sound-stage (a trick by combi of ears, eyes, and brain). But hearing immersive sounds too long isn’t healthy for your body and brain. Only speaker behave like the right speaker (natural sound) in below (closest to the original music) is Wavetouch Anteros. Test your speakers saying "hello" (or anything) while your speaker is playing. Alex/Wavetouch
One overlooked piece of the puzzle is how well the components play with each other. Brightly voiced speakers (like your B&Ws) driven by transistor preamps and amps can be harsh and glaring. Smooth-voiced speakers like Sonus match better with transistors.
Alternatively; the McIntosh tube products are voiced much like the Sonus and together sound muted and mushy (sorry, just my opinion). However I have heard Macs driving Maggies and it was remarkably good- and I'm no fan of Macs.
So the above wasn't a direct answer to your question. Here's mine: Go to a HiFi shop or a HiFi club nearby, or to a friend's house that has good gear and give your ears the right to vote. Match strength to weakness to balance out your sound. Don't forget your listening room's demands. This will color your sound as well.
audiotroy - Legacy Audio speakers were my grail 25 years ago. I heard the Whisper speakers at a demo in Houston and they were the best sounding speakers I've ever heard.
Take your favorite one or maybe that one you still have get a crossover speaker improvement kit for that model from GR research in Texas have it done or do it yourself to the speaker and enjoy.
it will be the best it could possibly be
hard to quantify but let’s say you could make it twice as good as it was before that’d be pretty significant wouldn’t it?
Try it if you don’t like it sell it!
So far he has improved several speakers I sent him Yamaha ,Sony and they are so good now, so much improved that I would keep them and I could enjoy them and several of these were not expensive high end speakers.
So when you start out with something that's pretty good to begin with it's even more impressive when it brings a smile to your face instead of a frown or a headache
I’ve heard great things about the MOFI Sourcepoint 888 and,much more expensive, the KEF blade floorstanders.
I’ve heard the Tannoy Stirling speakers which sound incredible to me. I believe that the treble is adjustable depending on the room. They have more expensive models too, that are larger.
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