Best used speakers under $10000


All
Here is the type of sound I like:

1. A tad bit warm while still having a lot of punch (nothing muddled about it)
2. Vocals (Diana Krall, John Mayer etc) have a level of cleanliness to it
3. Guitar (Gipsy kings, Jesse cook) sound airy without being lean
4. Speakers can fill a medium to large room (16’x16’x9’) even at modest volume and sitting on my sofa (9 ft away from speakers), I feel engulfed by the sound. Key is even at moderate volume.
5. It may be related to my first point above; forgiving of average source (eg high quality Spotify streaming, which isn’t that high quality after all )

Based on reading a lot of threads on Audiogon I have selected the following
1. Dynaudio Contour 60 - I haven’t listened to Contour 60 but 8 years ago had one of the best listening sessions on C1
2. Focal Sopra 2
3. Vandersteen Quattro Wood CT - though their size won’t pass WAF
4. PMC Twenty5.26
5. ATC SCM40
6. Proac Response D48R
7. Wilson Audio Sabrina
8. KEF Reference 3

From a WAF I want to keep height < 45” and width < 12”.

While outside my budget, I am wondering if I also include Joseph Audio Pearl3 (though very rarely available) and Vandersteen Carbon 5A (size is too large). 


I am currently in an assignment in Sydney and back in NY in Nov. So will be able to audition many of these then. Meanwhile I wanted to get opinions here.
marrduk24
I listen to similar music and my goals have always been warm and musical yet I also wanted all the detail and basic audiophile checklist...great soundstage, separation, layering, imaging etc.  My room is slightly smaller than yours and I'm using McIntosh 601 mono's, C2300 tube pre and Sonus Faber Guarneri Evolutions paired with REL G2 subs.  SF has made recent changes that I'm not sure are for the better, but if you could find a way to audition the Evolutions might be worth the effort.  I also had a pair of SF Cremona Auditor M's that were crazy good in that room especially considering they were 1/3 the cost!  A real sleeper.
I just got a demo pair of Revel Salon 2's in this price range and they are spectacular. For my money, room and taste in music they beat out anything from Focal, ATC and Wilson anywhere near this price range. Seek out a pair and have a listen. 


I got to listen to the focal Kanta 3 yesterday they list for $12k new but sound better than anything else i've heard. obviously different rooms will make a big difference in sound and they appear to need a LOT of room around them. 
Hey guys

sorry for going silent. Between the move to NYC and settling in here, last couple of months have been very hectic. So finally resumed the auditioning and tried Kanta 2 and Sabrina. 

To to recap what all I have tried so far

In AU
1. Focal Sopra 2 felt tight and precise. However lacked the soundstage of B&W 802

2. B&W 802 D3: awesome wide soundstage. However didn’t quite have the separation of Focal

I also found focal to be a bit boomy, but that could just be the room. 

3. PMC Twenty5.26 - British seems to do Mid really well. My fav mid, but didn’t like the overal package. 

4. Dynaudio Controur 60: Great bass. However didn’t feel it had the musical accuracy that I like. 

5. Paradigm 3F : it did not feel very clean. Plus my hearing is really sensitive to high notes and I feel I can’t tolerate any level of brightness.

6.  KEF Reference 3:  there was nothing obvious missing but somehow it didn’t feel like I got the three elements I was looking for: heft in the bass at low volume, clean & sweet mids and airy top notes

7. PMC MB2. Exactly the sound I wanted - punch in low notes at low volume, really clean mid-range and very smooth highs. However it is never going to pass WAF.

Speaker no 1 & 2 were with the same gear and 3-7 were with the same gear. 

In NY: given multiple months have passed. Plus electronics have changed. So really hard to make a comparison. 

8. Focal Kanta 2: I tried it with Naim Atom and overall was probably the third most satisfying combo I hve tried. I also tried it with Moon 240i but I think I liked Naim pairing better. 

9. Wilson Sabrina : tried it with Moon 240i. Great soundstage, much larger than Focal Kanta 2. Overall my second favorite package. Only hesitation I have is whether the combo might be a tad with too forward (recall my hearing is too sensitive and can get irritated even with what others might consider neutral). I switched the Amp to McIntosh MC252 but that took away from the soundstage. So I am keen to see how these sound with Naim.  

Magico and Rockport are only two that are left. I might try Devore Super 9 or X as well. 

One small complication - not enough space in NYC apartment and 11 month old twins love to chew any cable and kick anything that’s taller than wider :)