What used speaker would you buy with $20,000-$35,000 and why?

What is you source and amplification?

room size?

stewart0722 writes:

"I also cast a vote for the Linkwitz 521, but the multichannel discrete aspect makes it a difficult speaker.....plus you have to build it yourself......."

I don't know what's hard about the Linkwitz being a multi-amplified speaker.  Linkwitz recommends a 12 channel ATI amp.  I use a B&K AV1260, which is 12 channels at 60wpc, the Linkwitz spec.  I paid $500 for my amp used and it's been flawless.  I see them going for even less on EBay.  You have to use a lot more speaker wire, but Linkwitz recommends 14 or 12 gauge zip cord and nobody hears my Orions and doesn't fall in love.

As for having to build it yourself, do what I did and hire a cabinet maker.  The stock Orions have a Danish Modern look to them and I live in a 1920 Craftsman bungalow.  So I had my cabinet maker do them in a Mission style and they look terrific.  

http://russbutton.com/Russ/audio/10.jpg

Consider that this discussion has a $20,000 budget.  The drivers for the LX521 are about $2000.  Add in another $2000 - $4000 or so to have a cabinet maker build your enclosures and you're still waaaaaaaaaay under budget.   And you'd have a loudspeaker to rival anything anyone here has mentioned.   They really do "disappear" and the low end on the LX521 is more than impressive.

As high up in the Vivid Audio G series as I can get G3 or G2, G1 will be out of that range.

My HI-Fi experience comes from the period 1960s to the 1980s, when I had a HI-Fi store in South London. At that time £1000 would have been considered a huge amount to spend on loudspeakers.
My pair of Tandberg Monitors have been with me for more than 50 years and have given me great satisfaction. My system is all Tandberg, including two TD20A tape machines because most of my music originates from reel to reel live recordings of symphony orchestras. 

There are one or two key points that I consider most important regarding speakers and which probably don't get the attention they deserve.

Positioning: particularly if you listen to classical music.

We should bear in mind that in a concert hall situation the bulk of sound derives from centre stage, naturally there is a spread to left and right, depending on your seat in the hall. Therefore placing the loudspeakers extreme left and right, with the bulk of sound firmly placed in the corners, could not possibly recreate the concert hall effect.

Back in my day Lowther, in the UK, manufactured what was known as the Acousta Twin, only psychology made the centre positioned, single cabinet difficult to accept for those, who had been brought up on 'ping pong balls' and 'puff puffs'!  However, for many situations, narrow room, small room, that sort of restriction, the unit was ideal. Here is a link to the the Lowther museum:

http://www.lowthervoigtmuseum.org.uk/lowtherTwinAcousta.html

As you will see the top of the range Twin Acousta cost only £90.00 in those days.

From the same manufacturer a pair of Audiovectors would have been the ultimate for a reasonably to large sized room. Not only that but the design respected the obvious, that a double bass is a large instrument constructed of wood, therefore why would we expect that small shelf speakers could come anywhere near?

The other point is the origin of the sound we use to drive our system. Take this sound sample for example:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sc3tlxveknhyt04/closing%20bars%20Leonora%20no%203%20Kurt%20Masur%20Hastings.wav?dl=0

I think that, regardless of your choice of music, when the sound is right classical can be enjoyed by all. 

For my ear that is a perfectly natural sound, which demands the very best installation but also should be heard on high quality headphones for the intimate feeling and also for the older generation. Warning, watch out for the dynamic range. The recording was made with absolutely no electronic interference, it was conducted by the conductor. Incidentally I think you will agree that the balance is perfect but will, perhaps, be surprised to hear that only two microphones were used in the recording process.

From a lifetime of living with the symphony orchestra and sound equipment, (I'm 80 by the way), I cannot help wondering if the belief that a huge investment is essential to produce the ultimate results, might be misguided. 

My own belief is that having spent a fortune, even with a custom built room, if the source of sound is not perfect then it is all a myth. Of course, I appreciate, that when it comes to high quality sound source there is very little choice.
I also appreciate that most listen to Rock, heavy metal, film sound tracks etc, which is not so demanding as classical music consequently speaker location may not be so important in such cases. 

I could ramble on but doubt that anyone is interested.

Ciao, ciao,
Geoffrey

Obviously its personal preference.  For me,  I recently bought a used pair of Von Schweikert VR7's off Audiogon with bad veneer for 13,900 and sent them to Von Schweikert Audio to upgrade to MK2 status and have sanded down and custom painted Ford multishift auto color.  I am presently waiting for them to be shipped to me know.  The upgrade was 14K so a hefty investment.  But I have owned VR5's before and they were stunning and I am just dying with anticipation to get these bad boys.  Cheers. 

Given the last several months listening to them, I vote for the Avalon speakers. ...but save some cash for a good cable to bridge your amp to the speakers. These speakers reveal every flaw upstream, so eventually the cables will demand being upgraded ;-)

Sell your amps to add that equity to your funds and buy the biggest ATC's you can afford. Rarely will you see them used since their owners never sell them, one you've reached the top.....?

Hi,  I just watched a YouTube video of the linkwitz lx521 speaker's,  and the magico s5, wow!, wasn't even close! , the lx521 was rich, organic,  extremely real,  man! , I believe these are for me,  I have a lot of questions, hope many of you can help me, instead of useing 3 pairs of speaker cable's per side,  couldn't I have long jumper speaker cable's Daisy chained so I can use my highly modified krell 700cx 2 channel amplifier? 

I will mention however that Electro-voice has been building sub-woofer's for stage use with the same woofer design in a cabinet for the last 20 year's,  it's a bass horn!, that is exactly what the bottom half of the lx521 is! , cool with me,  I was a professional musician most of my life,  cerwin-vega and JBL first invented the horn bass speaker system's decade's ago, so some of this design was borrowed from the mentioned of this post .

You really need to hear anything by Acoustic Zen. I also like Raidho, but they are rather expensive in comparison.

Audiotomb, my amps are SS 600 watt mono blocks. Suffice to say they are matched well to my current speakers and are of sufficient power to drive anything. My pre-amp is a tube. I don't want to mention a brand lest the brand critics muster themselves to take us off-topic (I'll PM if you'd like).  

It is true that listening is highly subjective and that the speaker-listener interface is perhaps the most subjective of all. Ultimately, that too is subject to all of the previous components, so it is the interaction of the parts that produce the whole (hopefully one that is synergetic). 

Today I found out that the sub-floor consists of 2 x 8's floor joists which have a span of 14 ft. Can anybody say "Ouch"!? No wonder I have perceived a lack of bass punch since I've moved my equipment into that room. It has ideal dimensions, but pitiful mass and stiffness. The minimum for that span should be 2 x 12's (preferably supported).

I will be remediating the situation with piers under the subfloor etc. I'm open to any advice you guys have on what should be done as well. The work needs to be done for the foundation of the old construction and not just for the sound. Obviously, I can't tear the entire part of the old construction down, but I plan to have concrete block supports and a beam placed under that room (and the rest of the old construction) to make it vastly stiffer. 

I like the Vandersteens. I've looked at a couple of Joseph Audio speakers (visually) and, while I haven't heard them, some of the visual cues are similar between them. I'll bet similar models sound quite different. 

Regarding the Linkwitz speakers... even after hearing the various YouTube videos of them... I was a bit of a skeptic... until... I got my Orions driven by a good set up.

Now... I'm a believer!  

There are very few speakers that can match them (Orions or LX521s) - they do it all... as well as it can be done.

Sonus Faber Stradavari. They do not come up often but when they do they are often in the mid to low 20's. They are a wide format, so you need some room for them. Glorious, from the old Sonus Faber line. But, then again, I am an old Sonus Faber junkie.

Just make SURE you buy from a reputable dealer .
There are a lot of sharks on here who sell one thing and deliver another.
 Agon will not help a screwed buyer in any way !
 A cesspool .

None, I already have the BEST; Golden Ear Triton two's, powered with a McIntosh 7270.
I would get something else like a Panamax 5400 surge protection, new turntable, Oppo 4K Blue Ray player and a few other toys.
Maybe some Audioquest Vodka HDMI cables......
I have FUN with my system.

I guess this is just the type of question that stimulates every "I-haven’t-heard-anything-like-my-last-speakers" speaker’s owner (just like me in fact).
How lucky you are to be able to ask such a question. And also to cope with the multiple answers everybody can read here.
I’d like to thank many of the gentlemen who took time to answer (and pleasure certainly), because I discovered a few names I had never hear of. Linkwitz seems to be that one I read most. I’ll pay a visit to them when I’m able to, for sure.
Let’s come to the most personal view, which is the speakers I would recommend in such a case.
Difficult choice, because, I must confess, I will mention speakers I never owned myself, unaffordable… I’ve been lucky enough to listen to them many times in my favorite hifi dealer shop in Paris (I’m French btw). I never owned them because they were (when new) and still are on the expensive side of my possibilities. But I’m only 54 so I still have some hope ;)
I’m talking about the wonderful Cello Grand Master (http://www.celloseattle.com/ctdocs/prodserve/speakers/grandmasters.html) for their ability to play anything with appropriate physical impact ; and the extraordinary Apogee acoustics Grand (http://www.stereophile.com/content/apogee-acoustics-grand#tG3tSR5EHGxwW1Wt.97) for their airy and incredible sound (the Diva can do too, and are easier to find. Depending on you room’s size).
I live presently with the babies, Apogee Stage. In a small sized european style room they are marvelous, driven by a Cello amp and Wadia CDP.
That’s an old-fashioned advice, I must admit. But your question is nice to be answered ;)
I wish you a nice way to your dream, that’s probably the funniest path in life, after the first kiss to a woman you love. Then I’m pretty sure that once you’re set up with the speakers you’ve chosen, you will start thinking about how you will ask here: « I’ve got wonderful XY speakers that actually do more than well. What would you suggest for the next step? ». Am I wrong?
;))

I would get Magnepan 3.7i and the best tight subwoofers and crossover I could find. Maybe twin server subs like REL or GR research. I would have lots of money left over.

Also I really like the Volti Audio Vittora 5 piece speaker system with a tube amp. http://voltiaudio.com/vittora/. Very, very nice.

I have attended the annual CES for about 35 years. This year my vote for the best sound goes to the Magico S5. The imaging must be heard to be believed. I have seen a few used S5s on Audiogon. I would strongly urge you to have an audition if there is a dealer near you. 

I have no qualms with the other suggestions as they are all good but Magico has my vote.

Try the JBL LC310-1 speakers if you can find a pair , I bought mine for 50 bucks

We at Sunny Components have several ideas...

Eggleston Works Andra 3
Wilson Audio Sasha Series 2
T+A Elektroakustic TCD110 S

Did you ever heard of the BIOSONIC MACH 2 (by Jean Philippe MARTIN) ?

What speaker?  Hello can of worms.  If you are spending 20k on speakers I pray that you go listen first.  That's a lot of money and there are some nice choices.  It all depend on your tastes, the way you hear, your room, gear etc.. 

My personal is Vandersteen. You can buy a new pair of Quatro CT's and get the latest updates etc...  Nearly everyone I've steered in this direction has been MORE than happy.  As you probably know it has tunable bass so it interacts with most any room extremely well.  I use the Treo's and am putting them up for sale as I want the Quatro tunable bass.  

Unless you could find a pair of used 5CT's from Richard, I'd just go get a pair of Quatro's and use the extra to buy music or upgrade your amp or music server (Melco is a wonderful server/NAS that's easy to use and sounds pretty awesome).  I'd also get a double pair or AudioQuest Castlerock speaker cables and do a true bi wired run.  You'll be very very pleased you did and you are still probably under your 20k.  

BTW, Vandersteens sound best with a zero feedback amp like all the Ayre products.  They also are awesome with anything Audio Research or Aesthetix if you are into tubes.  

Where do you live?  I'm sure there are stores near by to go audition.

I will build you a cost no object pair of speakers , any design you want for $30 k . Top of the line drivers . get back to me if interested .

I'd only spend that much if I had a very large room to justify it.  

The he ones I would consider that might cost that much I know of are mbl and avantgarde and maybe focal or a few other large hi efficiency lines like classic audio reproductions. 

If not the Linkwitz Orion's or LX521s, or the Pure Audio Project open baffle speakers - which very few speakers can match... And I could only accept a "big name" brand (though pricey)... I would consider only the Nola speakers in your price range.  A superb semi- open baffle speaker line - which very few can match.

Nola's are very nice speakers.  Bass, go check out the Vandersteen line. If you like NOLA, then you will probably like Vandersteen too.  Lot's of cross over between the two.

Map, just because you can put expensive off the shelf parts together, doesn't mean you can make a great speaker that can honestly compete with these companies that have massive R&D behind them.  If you were to say that you make one speaker in that price range that you'd worked on for years and you keep upgrading it, I think I'd have more faith in what you are saying.  Are you a manufacturer who does this as his sold living or a hobby guy just posting on the board to drum up business?  Just curious more than anything. 

I agree with bass dude when he says at that price point, I'd stick with a big name speaker as there is no way you can ever recoup your money if you are not happy.  I've bought and sold for many many years and nothing has change in regards to selling used gear.  Big name depreciate much much less and sell much easier (since folks recognize their names) than off brands or smaller companies.  That's fact and when you are using 20 to 30k, that's a lot of money to most folks.  Take the top 5 speaker designers.  They all make different sounding speakers and they make different trade offs. There is a reason that most speakers in this price range have heavily modified or house built drivers etc...  Many enclosures are made with exotic materials as they do work better than wood or MDF etc... when used correctly.  JMHO

Since hookers and coke evidently wasn't the right answer,

I'll add that a pair of MBL 101e are listed here at $20k.  They have certain strengths that are IMO just about SOTA, but they are omnis (a plus for some listeners, an issue for others) and the low end requires a large space IMO for proper tonal balance.  Personal taste is going to drive this decision, but hearing the 101e would be a useful bit of due diligence.  If you listen LOUD, I'd say that it's a "must hear".

Marty, honest question if I may.  I was speaking with a friend two weeks ago about an MBL amp.  The more we spoke I started to remember an MBL dealer telling me that the MBL's really need their own amplification in order to sound their best.  Do you know if this is true?  They are very intriguing speakers for sure.

Ctsooner,

That's a very tough question to answer. My understanding is that the 101 is power hungry and a tough load.  MBL says that MBL amplification is uniquely well suited to the speakers' demands.  (What else would you expect them to say, they're trying to sell MBL amps.)

I've heard the 101s at three different locations:

A stereophile show, where they were demoed by MBL
An MBL dealer in SoCal
A second MBL dealer in SoCal

The latter two were full line dealers who also carried MBL amps, preamps, CDPs, etc.. Guess what: all of those Demos featured MBL electronics throughout.  What a surprise!  The demos all sounded great (in many respects) so the chain certainly was appropriate.  However, it's also entirely possible that dozens of other brands might sound as good or better.  

I have no clue how other brands mate up, and I suspect that it may be tough to arrange a demo to check this idea out.  It's just not in anyone's interest (except the consumer), so I'm not sure that you can ever expect to make such an audition happen.  It's still worth a shot if you're thinking about an MBL speaker purchase, however.  Maybe you could haul your power amps to the local MBL dealer when auditioning MBL speakers, but given the weight of many high output power amps, that's probably going to be a chore.  (Hey, one more argument for class D)!

The MBL amps appear to be quality pieces, but cheap they ain't!  So, if you're up for the effort, you might want to try this one out and let all of us know how it went. I guess I'm just too old, tired, and lazy to be of help, here.  Sorry

Great answer and what I probably expected.  I have a friend who owns Vandersteen 7 mkIIs and has other great gear to go along.  He auditioned or was about to, the MBL mono blocks.  He was going to get a good deal I'm sure, but I just felt that other amps with zero feedback would work better with the Vandy's. He ended passing and is going with the Ayre MRX Twenty, which is a GREAT mate.  Again, it's all about synergy with components and we all get lost there sometimes.  Thanks

This seems like a DIY forum.  Very few folks here seem to want to build their own or have to buy three amps just to power a two channel system.  I'm not putting them down, but just like we've pointe out in other threads the cost of your system goes through the roof supplying top amplification for them.  

Example:  I have a pair of Vandersteen Treo's.  They were in the price range at the time (8K).  I also own an Ayre AX5/20 integrated amp (cost 13K)  

If I had to run the Treo's with three channels of amplification, I'd have to get amps that sound as good or better than what I'm using.  That would also mean getting rid of an integrated that I love.  I'd have to sell my integrated for a loss. Then it's off to get three Ayre mono block amps (yes, I like the zero feedback Ayre amps a ton).  Not even sure how much they would be, but then I'd also have to get matching speaker cables and that's another 2500 per channel (but since I already have an 8' run, I'd only need two more runs for a total of 5k).

The argument  that I could just run an NAD or Rotel or some other lesser amp is wrong since that would completely degrade the sound even if those amps were running world class speakers.  Same with lowering the cables (although not nearly as much degradation as the amps being lowered).  

At some point practicality has to come into play too.  I haven' heard these Linkwitz so I can't say that I like or dislike them.  I do want to give them a go one of these days. Just my opinion (and I'm not the only one as a few folks have emailed me about this thread and another one questioning the DIY thing as well as tri amping) and I'm not trying to say that I'm right and you are wrong, so try and read it in that vein.  Thanks.

Good points ct, and all true. I mention the DIY OB subs only for those already contemplating the Linkwitz loudspeakers, as they too are available only as kits.

I would suggest a used pair of Krell Resolution 2 speakers.  I prefer them over the WP 6's and B&W802D2's I owned.  Spend the extra money on cables, amplification and a great source!

I definitely agree with Almarg & rzado re. seriously auditioning (with a preference to buy) a Sound Lab ESL speaker.

whatever you do make sure that you get a time-coherent speaker (most of the speakers on your list are not time-coherent). The Sound Lab speakers are time-coherent. You mentioned Vandersteen - yes, these are time-coherent too & a very good choice.
I would also like to add to your list Green Mountain Audio - if Roy Johnson (owner) is still making their 3-way Calypso then that speaker would definitely be on my short list.
And, of course, i will highly recommend an Apogee speaker - Scintilla 1-ohm version. Nothing short of the best. You have an amp with cojones to drive a 1-ohm load so no issues there. 

In my experience time-coherent speakers sound the very best - realistic sonics, hours & hours of non-stop listening, zero listening fatigue, very long-term enjoyment, every CD/LP sounds great & as the electronics gets better, the music playback gets better. Whenever I’ve heard the Green Mountain Audio speakers in my room (when i owned a pair) & at audio shows it always sounded like a live band playing in the room.

OP's question is mildly amusing on many levels. The thing is, no matter how much one spends on speakers, how does that correlate to the basic notion of simply enjoying the music?. 

Is 20 +K some sort of arbitrary threshold?  My daily driver (aka car) cost less than 20K.

Does a "previously owned" 20K speaker do the job?  Or do you need to spend 25K?  And,  what if you expand your budget and include used 30K speakers?  What if you go the "cheap route" and buy speakers for under 2K and put the rest of your  money into a retirement account or donate it to a worthwhile charity?

Audiophiles... god bless 'em. Or not.

Here's to PS:
OK, I've been planning to respond to a bunch of the responses before this one (with mostly "thanks" and noting the good advice), but his/her last post is mildly offensive on many levels. So "thanks" to the thoughtful recommendations you folks have given - I appreciate it. I will need to go on a bit of a listening tour in the near future. 

Congrats on your 20k car. I don't know what proportion of your net income and/or wealth that amount represents but, for the sake of argument, let's say it represents less than .2 percent (that's not 2%, that's 2/10's of a percent) of my income and that I'm considering a 20k used speaker as a responsible use of my money in enabling me to be "simply enjoying the music" and to do good for other folks. More concretely that is the equivalent of an individual with a $100,000 income spending $200 on speakers.

IOW's I could go out and buy speakers costing much more because I can afford them, but I would rather buy used so I can fund an orphanage that I started.

FYI my retirement account is fully funded. I may be wrong, but I'd bet I give more to charity in one year than you have given in your entire life. The "reductio ad absurdum" argument would ask, "Why buy speakers at all?" Divest thyself of all things and help the poor (who you will have with you always). We should all become monks and chant ourselves into music bliss.

On a practical level the question revolves around getting the most amount of sound out of high end used speakers for the price. And doing so after one considers that some of those speakers hold their value more, and others depreciate more rapidly in the secondary market. The former may sound better in the original retail price range and yet later, once brands which entered the market new as more expensive price points have depreciated to extreme levels they match the price of the brands that hold value, it may be there is a "flip" in the price/value equation.

Some lessor known brands really drop in the used market and become substantially better values ($ per sound unit) than do units that really retain their value. That was the thrust of the original question. It was not meant to tout my wealth. Which is less than I've stated (but I'd still bet that I give more in one year to charity than you have in your entire life).

Heck I don't drink Starbucks coffee, but I can afford it.

Audiophiles . . . God bless 'em. Non-audiophiles . . . God bless 'em too. Stop the blessing limitations, He does.

Great answer.  I agree with value per dollar, however being audio, the real question becomes which speaker will sound BEST in your system.  When I said Vandersteen or other names speakers will keep their value, that doesn't mean they still won't be the best buy for you.  Taking into consideration that they well may be the best sounding for you to begin with.  If so, then that's the speaker for you to get I would think.  The fact that they will cost less in the long run if you need or want to ever sell them again in the future.  The bottom line is that for this kind of money there are so many good options.  You really need to drill down to see which speakers you want to audition based on what's around you to listen to and if there is one or two reviewers who seem to listen the way you do and appreciate what you like to hear.  That way you don't go crazy like I did (although I'm glad I did and it was a fun two year journey getting to Vandersteens, which I went into my search not wanting at all).  Companies change their sound greatly over time with new components to work with and new parts as well.  I listened to so many speakers from the 90's to current and most of the speakers who's parts are over 5 years old, on the whole, didn't sound as good as more recent designs etc...  JMHO.

I'd travel to CA to visit Teresonic and listen to the Ingenium. Why? Because my next stop on this quest will be a true single driver speaker system.

Personally I think what you spend DOES correlate to enjoying the music. If it didn’t, most of us would be content with the all-in-one boombox on a shelf in an ’entertainment center.’

MD, sometimes it matters.  Just depends as there are sweet spots in lines that make a ton of sense.  Then when you are able to properly mate these, that's when you get a value.   I've heard plenty of one driver systems over the years. That was the first thing that stood out to me about the Vandersteen line.  They sound like a single source speaker.  Very few do this for ME.  I am very sensitive to distorted highs and coherency.  That's why I've yet to hear sub systems that I truly love and would want to live with.  Balance is too important to music for me.  If it's not balanced, then I keep thinking while listening.  Takes away the fun for me.  Most of the lines I"ve liked in the past and present are first order cross over, true time and phase aligned.  The only built in subs I've liked are the Vandersteens since he's found a way for my main amp to keep it's 'sound' even on Richards subs/amp.  It's also nice to be able to tune the bass for the room I'm playing it in.  That's always the hard part, getting deep, tuneful bass AND loading the room properly.  I personally feel the Quatro is the best value in his line.  As I said, I'll be selling my Treo's to get the Quatro.  His speakers sound great on zero feedback SS amps and sound even better with tube gear if you want to run tubes.  Sorry to go on and on, but I"m listening now and have been for hours.  Just realized I need to head down to eat, lol.  Keep us posted on your search.  This is fun. Thanks 

MD, sometimes it matters.  Just depends as there are sweet spots in lines that make a ton of sense.  Then when you are able to properly mate these, that's when you get a value.   I've heard plenty of one driver systems over the years. That was the first thing that stood out to me about the Vandersteen line.  They sound like a single source speaker.  Very few do this for ME.  I am very sensitive to distorted highs and coherency.  That's why I've yet to hear sub systems that I truly love and would want to live with.  Balance is too important to music for me.  If it's not balanced, then I keep thinking while listening.  Takes away the fun for me.  Most of the lines I"ve liked in the past and present are first order cross over, true time and phase aligned.  The only built in subs I've liked are the Vandersteens since he's found a way for my main amp to keep it's 'sound' even on Richards subs/amp.  It's also nice to be able to tune the bass for the room I'm playing it in.  That's always the hard part, getting deep, tuneful bass AND loading the room properly.  I personally feel the Quatro is the best value in his line.  As I said, I'll be selling my Treo's to get the Quatro.  His speakers sound great on zero feedback SS amps and sound even better with tube gear if you want to run tubes.  Sorry to go on and on, but I"m listening now and have been for hours.  Just realized I need to head down to eat, lol.  Keep us posted on your search.  This is fun. Thanks 

NAB I think it would help to state your listening preferences, preferred system size and room size. I even think the desired volume is a factor as some systems can truly sound alive even at whisper levels, while other need to be full tilt to get that effect. Conversely, the latest ML Neolith and CLX I have heard as shows sounded wonderful quiet but soon fell apart at higher levels.

You’re In a great position to be able to afford SOTA speakers (used) Thanks to the obsessive nature of this hobby.

I do love soundlabs U1’s but they could be too large visually for your space. RAidho has always sounded fantastic to me. I have yet to hear Magicos latest offerings. Personally I am enjoying a smaller scale system that to me ear sounds like real music does- TAD CR1’s (used to sell them but no longer) and extended them on the high and low ends of the spectrum. I have had a singer friend sing along with tracks and it was amazing how close the recorded was to live (maybe this is an easier feat than I am thinking- has anyone else tried this? ). I rarely come back from audio shows feeling I have heard something better. But then again I don’t often listen to large scale orchestral recordings, which might be better on another system. (I’m mainly Into acoustic rock and jazz).

Another option is IRS V’s and have them rebuilt As Paul from PS audio has done. IF you’re in Colorado you could hear them. I would love to get out there someday to listen to that system and custom built room.

Hope you let us know what you eventually choose.

A broken ankle and a ruptured Achilles tendon have slowed this project to a crawl (no pun intended). So it may be awhile. I do know that I have to go to a few conventions and certain stores in Atlanta. We will see what develops out of this. Thank for all the advice folks. The room/components interaction is indeed significant. I haven't had any opportunity to listen to Vandersteen or various Planar speakers. Both deserve an audition. 

Thanks to all who have responded.  My man-shed (acoustic shed) may be the first item on the agenda!

You have all given me food for thought!

Can't go wrong as Atlanta has some great dealers.  Vandersteen has a top dealer there and they know the products well as long as others.  You should also check out the Maggies and KEF's while there.  All three are so totally different, but musical.  Hang in there and get better.

In an earlier post above, I voted for Avalon speakers on the used market. I want to amend that... I still love my Avalons, but I may have been extremely lucky in terms of the synergy between the Eidolon model I have and the Ayon amplifier I have. 

My point here is: Match the speakers to the amp ...or the other way around. Match the speaker cables to the amp, more so than to the speakers...

nab2,

  I live in the Atlanta area and would offer up a beautiful pair of YG Acoustics Anat Reference Studio III speakers for your consideration.  Retailing at $75,000 I am brokering a pair for an Atlanta area customer for $30,000.  Flawless in appearance and operation.  Knowing more about your room size, complementary equipment and listening tastes would be helpful to know if these might be the speakers that fit your needs.  Audition can be arranged in a dedicated private listening room.

Mike

I used to really like the Avalons. I noticed many of the dealers have dropped them (and the value has gone down tremendously).  One dealer told me that he had to drop them as the new owners won't advertise and he can't give them away.  It's really a shame as they had a few nice speakers, but like Thiel, they aren't what they build their reputation on.