Speaker Suggestions $30K Sasha DAW competitor?

@plaw -- "... had a salesman once tell me...."

That's a great opening line for a statement!  

Actually, one of the issues with how recordings sound involves vocals.  I find vocals the most common source of harsh, spitty or forward sound on recordings.  Which microphone was used, how close the singer was to the mike (some musicians seem to want to show us their tonsils) and the gain/equalization compared to other instruments are all choices made in the recording and mixing studios.  And, don't forget to add dynamic compression and volume limiting to the equation.  

And, like a scrambled egg, not much can be done to undo those intentional recording choices once the LP, CD or music file is being played back on your system.  

@plaw 

The FR30s aren’t a bad sounding speaker. Nice and clean even cranked up. The bass wasn’t to my liking but it might be the room. I didn’t buy because I had already purchased Rockport  Avior ii before the FR30 was available to listen to. I just really wanted to hear the FR30s. That said I would of still chosen the Rockports hands down. On a side note I did listen to the DAWs before buying the Rockports and they were too bright for my taste. 

I was looking in that price range a few years ago.

Had Wilson Watt/Puppy 7's, which have the same tweeter as the Sasha 1's.

The contenders were:

Von Schweikert VR 44's and 55's, YG Haley 2's, Sasha DAW's, Rockport Avia 2's, Magico A5's, Marten's forget the model, and Joseph Audio either Perspective 2 or the top of the line.

Bottom line ended up with 2 systems, featuring the Magico A5 in one and the Joseph Audio Pulsar 2 Graphene in the other.

In short:

The Schwekert's were too pricey and not as good.

Sasha DAW's not transparent enough (the new Alex V and Alexia V use newer tweeters and midrange that the DAW does not have and are fantastic, both too expensive for me).

The Marten I like is too expensive (Coltrane 3).

Rockports are warmer in tone, I had no local dealer so they were out.

YG also no local dealer and the Haley was more expensive than the other 2 speakers I bought, combined.  

I love the A5, competitive in sound to my buddy's hot off the press Alexia V, at 1/3 the cost.  He agrees.

The Pulsar 2 is also fantastic, but a "smaller" sound which slightly favors mid and high frequencies.  I think the bigger Joseph models would give more bass in a larger room.

The PS Audio is interesting, but I haven't heard it.  The review in TAS is worthless: Cordesman as a reviewer has always written in generalities and never really describes what something sounds like.  He's been like that for 30+ years - I discount anything he says.

Hope that helps.

+1

Audition extensively the A5 against Haley 2. Was hard to accept, but the A5 were better at 1/2 the price. I skipped the Rockport, they are too soft for my taste.

New KMD Orchestralls Reference speakers $30K From South Korea

 KMD 700R

Best speakers we have ever heard

www.kmdeng.co.kr/KMD/en/elementor-1042/