5-10k budget... so many choices


So its that time of year where I get to combine my tax return and annual bonus.  I am looking at stepping into the world of hi-fi and the more I research the more questions I have.  I am mainly looking at creating a 3.2 soundstage for 50/50 home theater and music listening.  I originally started out with a budget of 5k but after listening to step ups I am open to increasing my budget to ~10k.  I have listened to the B&W 702's, 804's, 803's the GoldenEar Reference, the Focal Kanta 2's, and Martin Logan 60t's.  After listening I was quickly able to eliminate the ribbon style of the Martin Logan, as for the GoldenEar's and the lower B&W's I was impressed with the accuracy and composure of both speakers and could have otherwise been quite content but it all changed once I heard the Focal's and 803's. I truly felt them, they gave me that indescribable goosebump feeling and I dont know if I can go back.  So far if I had to pick one, I would hands down go with the Focals, but since I am starting from the ground up I want a speaker that can grow with my setup.  Initially I will be using a Marantz 7012 AVR but will eventually add either 2 channel or dual mono block amplification.  At any rate I was curious what other speakers in this range give that feeling of experience and presence, the goosebumps.  Ideally I would like to be able to incorporate a center channel and dual subs but at this point I put more priority on the quality and clarity of the towers as they are the stars of the show.  Anyway I appreciate and thank you for any feedback and ideas.

Cheers
128x128lowspark
@kalili Good advice to OP. Probably need to start with speakers as their power needs will inform other system decisions. It’s a nice budget, but to maximize that money it would be good to consider speakers of reasonable efficiency. Once this is accomplished, you can focus on a high quality integrated amp and good sources and wires. Willingness to go used will help a good deal. As ws mentioned previously, I would recommend focusing on quality main speakers. Maybe next year’s tax refund and bonus could be used for the theater gear.
Ok, at the expense of being ridiculed... Tekton DI or DI SE. Get a demo from someone in your neck of your woods. 
@mofojo beat me to it. He posted while I was finishing this up:

A few years back I heard some Legacy’s at the California Audio Show. They were my favorite among many other high-end speakers on hand. As a result of that experience, the Legacy Audio Focus SE got on my wish list … money being the only thing standing between me and them.

That said, if you can get past the looks, you might consider the Tekton Design Double Impacts (DI). There has been lots of buzz about them here on A-gon, and there are quite a few testimonials on the Tekton website. In fact, one happy owner traded in his Legacy Focus to pick up a pair. There have also been very favorable comparisons to Golden Ears as well as the DI’s holding their own against the likes of Dadelus. The DI’s go down to 20 (not quite as low as Legacy), but should work equally as well in a 3.0 configuration - like @mtrot suggested.

Now before anybody jumps on me with name calling such as “fan boy”, all I’m suggesting is the OP take a bit more time and do the research. The other great thing about the DI’s: they are efficient enough to be driven by low powered tube gear. That means one has much more flexibility in power selection.  You can truly grow into something of your liking. For example with all the options available with something like the Jolida 3502 el34/6550 tube integrated [which includes HT bypass], there would be enough budget left over for a nice front-end – digital or analog. I’ve been involved in this hobby for a while and knowing what I know now … with a $10K budget that is exactly what I would do. Just my 2 cents.


As someone who just recently had a 2 week in home demo of the Tekton DI with upgrades, I’ll say this . There is absolutely no comparison (when compared to) our newest member of the family ... Legacy Focus SE’s. Not even close. ..... They cost more....and they sound like more.