Rather than replacing the speakers that I’ve really liked, I’ve simply added more systems around the house. We don’t have a “listening space”. We listen all over the house. So we have systems all over the house, including larger outdoor speakers under the eaves in front and back yards (no neighbors for half a mile). We have over a dozen pairs set up in the house, and we still rotate others in at least every few months. We have found that when the music is what’s involving, not the equipment, it’s possible to really enjoy well designed speakers at modest price points. The least expensive speakers currently set up are JBL L110, the most expensive are JBL again, the Everest DD67000. In between are Tannoys, Salon 2, Dynaudio Heritage Special, Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2EX, Altec Valencia and several others. As my dad used to say at family gatherings, “There’s not a dud in the bunch.” It’s only for particularly demanding pieces of music (Bach organ concerti or extremely dynamic orchestral works, for instance) that the Everests or 4350s might be required. At any rate, the system that gets the most use could be replaced for about $3k - Akitika preamp, Elekit 300b SET amp, Altec Valencia speakers. Bedroom system, it averages 6-8 hours per day. That system would meet most people’s requirements 95% of the time. The other 5% is what drives us to the insane level OCD behavior that we exhibit.
