For $10k, find a pre-owned pair of Dynaudio Confidence 20’s.
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.
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With out any hesitation the Borresen X loudspeaker or Perlisten R7 both are much better then anything in their price class IHave heard both at audio shoot outs at audio clubs they each do things a bit differently the Borresen uses a great ribbon for ultra speed and transparancy, the Perlisten has a waveguide with both midrange and tweeter sharing both. if ultimate spl levels and bass slam is your goal then the Perlisten for huge soundstaging and ultimate resolution then the X3 , they are both big speakers around 50 inches high .8 have heard many these 2 stand out in the $10 k price range. |
As there are approximately a billion speakers in that $10K or close range you’re going to get a ton of different recommendations. Why? Because we all like what we like and we hear stuff differently from one another. On top of that we all have different rooms and systems. So before you invest $10K on speakers maybe hop in the car and visit a city, Chicago perhaps, and visit dealers and listen to stuff. Or if you have time this weekend go to Axpona!
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Out of your list in the OP, I lean towered the Vandersteen Treo CT and the Sonus Faber Sonetto VIII. But I’ve heard that series of Monitor Audio is supposed to be quite good. For something a bit different, you might want to check into Pure Audio Project, such as; the Trio 15 ($8000.00). The openness and huge soundstage is hard to beat with open baffle. Great thing is, you can choose the mid/tweeted technology: horn, coax, full range.
Or the Quintet 10 ($10,000).
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@ghdprentice Always gives good advice. To take it a step further up the chain, I would first let us know the type of music you like. In my opinion, certain speakers work better with certain music types. Based on the type of music you listen to (or maybe you are an all types kinda guy), then get advice on what speakers are voiced to bring out the best with that type of music. This dovetails with the type of sound you like - do you like a lot of micro-details, do you like a warm sound? Bass heavy or not so much. Then, the speaker list can be narrowed. Keep us updated. |
@ghdprentice covered top brands and described their house sound. Now, a good size audio show would allow you to hear the top of the line of various brands and this would give you a sense of what you like. Then make note of the electronics. Many manufacturers of electronics also have a “house sound”. You can then find a local dealer to hear speakers from that brand and others that they might A/B. |
@grislybutter - that's a great website! I've got a pair of Marten Parker Duos with the Marten stands; I bought them new in August and after a good bit of breaking in, they sound superb and just right for me. I live in an apartment so I don't need earthshaking bass, and the bass in these is quite sufficient, and the fat but detailed midrange is what really sold me on them over the Oscar Duos, which I preferred to others I auditioned like the Dynaudio Heritage Spacial and the YG Tor.... |
There are so many speakers out there. A couple questions in my mind include: (a) Do you want speakers you can move around from time to time without hiring someone? This is an important question to me, because I like to try out positioning things and also have moved my speakers a couple of times. (b) A speaker with decent efficiency (including an impedance curve without sharp slopes and big dips) will make amp matching a bit easier. The Vandersteen Treo's graph looks really good to my eye. (c) Tweeter type is critical. I have been very fond of the RAAL tweeters in my Ascend Towers. This speaker is way below $10k and punches above it’s weight. That speaker plus some Townshend platforms would come in around $7k max. They are clean and accurate without being "analytical". They make music. (d) I am super happy with my Rythmik F12 subs. Easy to dial in and much less than REL. |
The Elysian 4 is a kickass speaker (it should be priced way more for how it sounds, imo). Other considerations could be the Borresen X2, Borresen X3 for your budget. Personally, i would forget the other ’meh’ speakers on your list and also budget for a subwoofer to go with the speakers you get. Subwoofer Candidates - Elysian - Rythmik F12G - ELAC Varro RS500-SB
Subwoofer Candidates - Borresen - KEF KC62
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Check out Wavetouch audio speaker. WT is only natural sound speaker in the world. All other speakers sound un-natural like a left speaker in below video. The right speaker is modded with WT natural sound technology. Many women (& many non-audiophile men) hate audio sound because all speakers sound un-natural like the left speaker which hurts and causes problems to many ears. Your wife will love the natural sound of WT speaker. WT speaker is 92db sensitive and sounds fine in my studio (24'w x 40'L x 11'H). WT speakers sound live as if you are in live band cafe. Live recording of WT speaker. Ask your spouse if she likes the sound of below video. Compare to the original music. |
Given that I’d recommend looking at the ATC SCM40 v2. The passive version is $6k but there’s also an active version that includes individual amplification for each driver and active crossover for $11k, and all you’d need is a preamp. Best of luck. https://soundapproach.com/atc-scm40a-entry-series-6-3-way-active-tower-speakers-pair.html |
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Legacy focus offers things that very few other loudspeakers offer
Very efficient High power handling Very deep bass Plays very loud Amplifier friendly tube or solid state Hand made In the USA Multiple cabinet options State of the art heil AMT drivers Great resolution without brightness Daveand Troy Audiointellect Nj Legacy dealer |
The Yamaha NS5000 can be bought for that price (I did). Dealer is in Wisconsin, and I am in California. Search Results for “NS5000” | Hi-Fi Heaven (hifiheaven.net) This speaker can hold its own (and more) against the very best. This because no one can do the same thing with cone drivers that Yamaha has done. The coherence is incredible with all 3 drivers made from the same material. No one does that with cones. Ignore the Bookshelf designation. These need a mid to big room.
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I have to reproduce part of a post I just made on another thread:
‘Speakers come with sound characteristics that are vastly different. Vastly! So, I recommend not considering anything other than sound quality as a first cut. If at all possible go to a city and listen to some of the major categories of speakers to see what kind of sound they have, and what you are drawn to. That kind of money really is best spent after exhaustive listening. I would listen to Sonus Faber (musical and natural not un-totem like), B&W (huge punch with a bit of sizzle), Magico (really fast accurate and clean), Wilson (highly detailed… holographic), Magniplanar (ribbon, really fast and detailed). Each will be supported better by certain kinds of components. So, you are starting in the right place.” In general, with high quality speakers typically there is no better only different. Take a trip to the city. Take your wife out to dinner and prearrange some listening sessions. Worth a weekend trip to at least do a survey to see what flavor you like. While I have heard all of these… I am firmly in the Sonus Faber camp… but those are my tastes. |
