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Your thoughts on best audiophile speakers in $10,000 neighborhood?

I know the best way to select a speaker is to auditioon them at a dealer or in my own home. However, living in a rather rural area in northern Michigan, there's only one reputable dealer (Sonus Faber) in town so I may end up relying on reviews and your feedback. 

I used to own Vandersteen Model 2Cs in the late 1980s, but finally want to step up my game. I currently have a legacy Nakamichi receiver / amp with 1000wpc, but will probably upgrade that once I select a new pair of speakers. Currently I'm playing mostly LPs on a Technics SL1210G. I now listen mostly with a Mark Levinson 5909 headphone connected to a small Class A pre-amp, so I treasure detail and transparency and don't lean toward "warm" speakers.

Room is good size since it encompasses living room and opens to dining room and kitchen behind it. Cathedral ceiling is about 12 feet high. 

I'm considering the following speakers: Vandersteen Treo CT, Wharfedale Elysian 4 (perhaps too big for my room), Monitor Audio Gold 300 and the Sonus Faber Sonetto VIII. These all fit within my budget. What are your thought about any of these...or do you have others to recommend?

Thanks for whatever guidance you can give me.

 

aphilc
adeep42
114 posts
 

Pure Audio Project beats all!!!!

pinwa
227 posts
 

Used Magnepan 20.7i's can be had for less than $10K and if you have the proper room and amplification I suspect they will outperform the vast majority of speakers at many multiples of that price.

mbmi's avatar
mbmi
438 posts
 

Heard the Borresen X-3's at Florida Hi Fi Expo........Many beautiful looking and beautiful sounding speakers there. .......But ONE speaker stood out for it's detail and soundstage and realism . The musicality of the Borresen X-3 along with their LOOKS was a game changer for me. Bought a pair in White with Black trim.....Absolutely Magnificent!  As mentioned above.....The ribbon technology they use in their $500,000 speakers trickles down to the $11,000 X-3's....Call Mike at Hi- Fi Loft in NYC or Next Level Hi Fi in the Chicago area before making your decision.

yesiam_a_pirate's avatar
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yesiam_a_pirate
153 posts
 

Sonus Faber Sonetto VIIIs are only $7000- you could go up to a Olympica Nova II for 10K. Sonus are "polite" warm speakers and not known for speed or detail. You could go to a Maggie 3.7i for 9K which seems to more closely match your listening preferences if I understand your post correctly (treasure detail transparency not warm) 

Your room is going to be a challenge- anti-rooms off the main room make for cave like echoes. You will need BIG speakers to fill that room.

Your amp is going to be the choke point. Old Nachs are cool but don't have the ability to reproduce the detail you indicate you are seeking.  You will need a tube amp to reveal the details in your vinyl that your speaker is capable of presenting. If you don't need to rock the docks and shake the lakes I'd look for a good used ARC Ref 160S. I have seen them for cheap lately as ARC is about to release the Ref 320M and well heeled ARC fans are trading up. 

Disclaimer:  My first good speakers were Maggie MG-1s which I bought new at Absolute Sound in Birmingham MI in 1977 with paper route money. Harry was an ARC dealer and my first exposure was to the Maggie/ARC matched stuff and I was blown away. 47 years later I still thrill at the ARC/Maggie pairing. I don' t own Maggies right now- I use Bryston Model Ts because like you I have a cavernous room to fill with sound and my set up is not for critical listening.

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