Best speakers in the 50-60k range ?

Another reason I’ve shortlisted the Wilsons and Avantgardes is the fact that audtioning them will be very straightforward: two dealers representing the brands are located within an hour from me. Angie herself from American Sound of Canada is apparently the main distributor in North America and stocks all models. I’m really grateful to be able to audition these two brands easily.

So, I’m going to save you $30k+ here. Just buy these. They’re as good or better than anything else you’ll find at $50k+ new, horns or otherwise. They’re also not horribly tough to drive, so you’ll have a wide variety of amps to choose from. Just buy them. You’ll be thrilled!
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/full-range-joseph-audio-pearl-3-2018-01-16-speakers?refsource=hifi...

In the VERY unlikely event you're not absolutely thrilled with these speakers, you can likely resell them at no loss or even a profit, as they very rarely show up used.  And for good reason.  Best of luck. 

Hi Siox thanks for the idea. I won’t be looking to purchase until late August at the earliest, unfortunately and I won’t be going to audition anything even until a bit before summer vacation starts.

Have you heard any of the speakers I talked about?

First, let me just say -- and I hope u don’t take this the wrong way -- but your taste in music and budget for audio equipment just makes me hot! You Da Bomb!!! Are you married?

Now that I got that off my chest, I think the latest Wilson speakers are incredible. Just don’t see going wrong there. BUT, if you really like to rock out and love the SLAM of hard rock sometimes, you should go hear some active ATC speakers like the SCM50s or SCM100s. Although very refined speakers, they literally have the ability to blow you out of your chair when needed (think of the Maxell poster from days gone by). Their massive dome midrange is unmatched, in my experience, by anything else in terms of dynamics, neutrality, and clarity. And if you go active, obviously you’ve got the amp situation optimized and taken care of. It’s a twofer!

Past this, and I don’t know where u are or what dealers are available to you, but in your price range I’d also take a hard look at Giya, Vandersteen, Rockport, Boenicke, Nola, KEF, and YG. But I’m gonna stay true to my original recommendation and say go hear the Joseph Audio Pearls if you can. There’s something about how their asymmetrical crossover works with those SEAS drivers that makes them sound some kinda wonderful. Anyway, best of luck in your search, and I’m SO jealous.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9a641-jbl-dd-67000-full-range

For your taste JBL dd67000 is best.

https://hometheaterreview.com/jbl-project-everest-dd66000-loudspeaker/

Around 12 years ago, I had wondered between JBL dd67000 and Lansche 4.1.

Although I chose Lansche for its pristine treble out of plasma tweeter, I also missed unlimited dynamics out of big horn JBL,

Also, you can run big JBL with tube amplifier with its high efficiency.

If that was my budget, my short list would certainly include Vandersteen 7, Vivid Giya, and TAD Ref One.

Lucky you!

you should consider the new in Fall Vandersteen- Q
at your budget you could also get the M5 solid state high pass amp
11 bands of analog room taming EQ and 600 wpc class B sub amps...

i am pretty biased as i have 2-3 pairs of Vandersteen at any given moment.....but i also have others

you should tell us more about the room, especially if you intend great sound w Avant G horns....a shoebox aint gonna work, imo....

have fun, enjoy the journey...

btw, mac and spectral is a really odd pairing....i have sold both.....

Have you thought about higher up JBL , Like the M2 

@tomic601 ,
What is the Vandersteem Q? An Amp or speaker?
Bob

I heard the speakers and was most unimpressed, even more so when the price was revealed, GULP! The dude was trying to justify to me my concerns about the non musical sound with comments like ’it’s your cd, the recording is not good’ blah blah blah.
The paragraph below is from the ’home theatre’ review as shown in a previous post. I heard some smaller JBL’s and they were really very good to my ears. Obviously OP give them a fair crack of the whip and listen for as long as possible, its an awful lot of money if they are not top notch musically to you. I love Horns to, owning 4 pairs.

That said, the JBL Project Everest DD66000 is one of those very special audio components that, given the proper recording, associated equipment, setup and room,

OP you might also consider the field coil Classic Audio horns as well as more conventional horns they make Ralph from Atmasphere holds them in high esteem.
I have heard them account themselves quite well. Not my cup of tea but I can see and hear why others laud them.....

@gdnrbob the Q will be the replacement for the out of production 5a carbon so they are speakers....might be called Quinto to differentiate
rumblings have included a pistonic carbon mid, cabinet within a cabinet construction and an evolved set of scanspeak subwoofer drivers in a unique to Vandersteen configuration....for less than the globally recognized 7....

all fun..since 1977

OP-
have you thought about new Klipschorns? I've not heard them personally.
Volti 'Vittoria' loudspeakers that I have heard are very good.
Classic Audio Loudspeakers are very good and have heard them on quite a few occasions at hi-fi shows. These are my views with my ears only, as horns are not everyone's cup of tea. 
vive la difference!!!

A good pick if you like horns

http://www.auditorium-23.de/Hommage/Cinema.html

@d2girls in a lot of ways what you hear with Magico speakers will be what they're being driven with. They're extremely transparent so I often see people characterize their opinion of them based on what they were being played with.

As an example, I'll often start with one set of electronics and the listener might say it doesn't do it for them. Then I just switch over to a different amp or DAC and suddenly it sounds a lot better and I'll see some toe tapping. With the same Magico speakers. But someone else likes it in exactly the opposite direction.

Seeing as you like horns, consider whatever Acapella with the plasma tweeter that fits your budget. 

MBL 101e, B&W 800, Magnepan MG30.7, German Physiks...

d2girls...The speakers mentioned are all very good but , IMO, don't reach the level of Tidal speakers. In your '$50-60K' range the Tidal G2 Contrivas are absolutely superb. Give Doug White a call at 'thevoicethatis.com.....USA distributor ...His room wins a lot of BIS at the audio shows ...If you live near Virginia you are more than welcome to come over and listen to my previous version...Contriva Diacera-SE...I would not trade them for any of the previously mentioned speakers..and i have heard all of them..

d2girls...The speakers mentioned are all very good but , IMO, don't reach the level of Tidal speakers. In your '$50-60K' range the Tidal G2 Contrivas are absolutely superb. Give Doug White a call at 'thevoicethatis.com.....USA distributor ...His room wins a lot of BIS at the audio shows ...If you live near Virginia you are more than welcome to come over and listen to my previous version...Contriva Diacera-SE...I would not trade them for any of the previously mentioned speakers..and i have heard all of them..

The ATC recommendation is a good one: those active SCM50 and 100s are extraordinary - and the best mid-range in the business. The Wilson rocks out well too, definitely worth an audition though do have a home demo, Wilson’s really boomed in my room.  I’m not a fan of the Magico ‘sound’ either, that super-fast and detailed sound is just not music to my ears, technically brilliant for sure but not so musical. 

I am listening to my Magico S5 mkii as I write this and enjoying the hell out of them.  Extremely detailed and transparent.  I would recommend giving them a listen.   A lot of great speakers in that price range.  The Wilson Alexias are great, as are YG, Rockport, Vivid. I have never listened to Tidals so cant comment.  At that price point, you are going to get a great pair of speakers, you just need to trust your own ears.  Best of luck.

RAIDHO D3.1 you have to audition if possible.  They are absolutely amazing.  I have the XT-2's and they are incredible.  If I had the budget, I would no doubt buy the D-3.1's.  No other speaker comes close.

+1 for used Joseph Audio Pearl3s
Vandersteen 7
YG Acoustic Hailey
Magico S7

I wouldn’t discount the Magico’s...I would be listening for tonal balance on them but I’m sure farther up the line than the A3 which is dark dark dark (that’s the only one I’ve heard), they’ve got to be more balanced tonally. I did hear in the A3 that that speaker does get timbre right and it does image but man was there ever way too much bass. I have the Paradigm Persona 9H in my listening room right now.  It is VERY impressive on all the style of music you cited but on all poorly recorded music its going to reveal that such music is, you guess it, poorly recorded.  It will both FLAT as a pancake, bright (the personas are little bright anyway) and electronic sounding.  However there is tremendous harmonic richness in the midrange on the Persona 9H and with the powered subs they will rock.  The thing is, the higher resolution you go, oftentimes some of the style of music you’ve said you listen to become problematic because they just not mastered with the idea of being played back on such a high resolution system so they become harsh and bright and clinical, one dimensional and you run screening for the volume control because you can’t stand it. Such music sounds like a giant transitor radio on a $25-$75K pair of speakers.

recently at Fla. Audio Expo I heard the Sasha DA, Classic Audio T1s, and the entry level Magico among many others.

those Wilson's IMO will need some bottom end grabbing power or they will present as being loose in the low end. a pair of aR 150/160 monos and AR pre was fronted by a DCS setup. All top shelf Trans P wires.

oddly I found it involving despite the lower end shortcomings, though that setup exceeds $100K handily.

all in all, that outfit was very, very nice, but do note the mentioned caveat for stronger bass controling amp.

I can see where the Magico crowd finds them hitting their sweet spot. the a3s were pushed by a Luxman 509x INT and all upper range AQ wiring. it was as dynamic and involving as was the Wilson show, maybe a tad more so. more rounded if anything.

the KEF Blade IIs were IMHO a show stopper as they were fueled by a 75wpc stereo tube amp from Carver, with a Bel Canto pre./DAC. it was impressive given the power amp on duty. very nice. very nice indeed!

the Blades begged for better elecs IMO

if the above note on the JA Pearls is on time, it would not suprize me at all having heard the Pulsars fronted by Doshi power. the audio was absolutely sublime.

for sheer punch and speed? that nod has to go to the Raidho d2.1 and AVM MP8.2 modular pre and MP8.2 monos. the drive and energy exuded from this setup was incredible. bass hit you right in the belly. pure rock concert fare!
truly thrilling.

the winner overall was the Classic Audio T1s & Atmashpere 60w monopowewr with PAD wiring. top end stuff I'm sure.   and a TT as the source.

they were playing something by Stevie Ray Vaughan and the sound was near tangible. liquid to be sure but still it had well defined leading edges and a load of speed and orgainic nuance. Stat sound with punch too. amazing.

If I were able to play in the range you are headed for, making a deal on that whole shooting match would have been a priority for me.

The CA T3s as has been said, and according to John W of Classic Audio said the T3s hold a huge majority of the T1s presentation but at lesser cost and they fit into more rooms. the T1s are large no matter who is holding the tape measure.

merril audio had his christine pre and 116 monos driving Muraudio Stats and that sound was so real it was scary. no embelishments or exaggerations here! items in the sound scape were tangibly and naturally presented. fascinating. really.

ever since that show I've been wondering exactly how those Wilson dAs would fare with merril power. BTW there is a review here addressing exactly that scenario, almost. its with Sasha 2s instead.

sure, I heard a number of other speakers and amp setups, but felt to post those more memorable instances only.

btw, the AG Trios and uno Finos were on hand too. I'll just withold comments on them but to say I was underwhelmed.

maybe if the aGs had been fronted by the dosi gear????

I'll vote for the classic audio speakers too. I would put my $$$ there and not look back. well, if I had them kinds of duckets.

iron fist, velvet glove, yada yada yada.

as for saving $$$ elsewhere if less expensive squeakers are bought, please bare in mind, as you likely know very well, its better to have a great signal and path to the speakers than it is to have a so so signal and great speakers.

speakers, never make up for what they are not getting. or, not getting enough of.

although I don't think it absolutely necessary, I'd put $100K in front of what $25 or 30K could get me on the preowned speaker mkt instead. everytime.

don't limit yourself going forward, the sort of $$$ you're talking about holds an immense sxeries of options
new only?
preowned?

view as many combinations and theories as your sanity allows.

Very, very good luck. hope you find a winning combo.

cessaro horns or the voxativ field coils on the Pure Audio Project horns
German Physiks if you like the coherency and tight bass
Need good amps with both for excellent sound.

Also look at used pair of Pipedreams. 

All of the above with a good amp will be fast, tight and clean, life like speed.

Check out Gamut RS-7's. $40,000. Used them in our Room 1639 2018 AXPONA. One of the best sounds at the show. Number of reviews out there, as well. So natural, dynamic, lifelike, etc.Disclaimer: I know & work with the USA Distributor, but not affiliated in any commercial way with GamuT.  Benno Meldgaard is the speaker's brilliant designer, and a great guy to boot. He's now also involved with some of the sister company Raidho speaker designs as well. Good luck with your search.

Go with horns my dude. You can go with Avant garde, or ALE if you want to break the bank. You could go full mad lad and build it out of original Western Electric drivers if you want a bit of a vintage sound. I personally own Goto's which are a lot like ALEs but a bit cheaper and are hand made by a very small family business. Doesn't add anything to the sound, I just think it makes them more interesting.

What are the magic numbers ?
25% for speakers
25 % for electronics
25%  for cables 
25 % for  power generators ( power conditionner )

Are those still relevant ?
I think I saw this on AudioGon

Check out kenrick sound jbl heaven

I second the several suggestions re: Vivid Audio Giya’s.

in fact, without meaning to be insulting to anyone whose favorite brands I am about to insult, IMnot-soHO I find pretty much every brand you mentioned on your list dated and not at the cutting edge of speaker design. In short, no longer even relevant in the $50-60k discussion in 2019. 

Magico is the exception on your list though I don’t personally like them. 

Lots of excellent suggestions have cropped up in comments. I would add Rockports to your list as well.

i am being harsh partly because I think the industry is ultimately hurt by these dinosaurs that are hard for leading-edge companies to compete against because of their marketing dollars. As consumers we should encourage real R&D and progress with our purchasing decisions.

Good lock with an awesome price point for speakers. You should be able to find something endgame in that budget.

all the best... and again sorry if I offended anyone.

...and PS... please (I humbly beg of you) think outside the (big) boxes when it comes to purchasing amps as well. So much more interesting stuff happening out there than what’s on your current list. 

Absolare, Audionet, Aavik.... and that’s just the “A”s.... 

Again, it pains me to see all the $$$ making it’s way back to the dinosaurs...

there is is an exception on this list as well, but I won’t mention the name... to at least leave a seed of doubt that hopefully causes the field of view to broaden 

IMHO, sorry again to offend...

Add Egelsteen Works Vigenati. 

@joshfilm- to quote Floyd.....'haha charade you are'..

@gawdbless Let’s not forget...”You're nearly a good laugh...”

@johnfilm- seriously, you have made such a brazen blanket statement that I hope you can substantiate what you say.  There are more than a couple of audiophiles that love quirky horn speakers. I guess horn lovers do think outside the box. I take no offense to your comments. I mean if we all liked shitty box speakers, where would the fun be? lol 

New Carver Line Arrays - $13K! Add one of his new tube amps and you'd have a killer system!

just thinking out loud here.... I guess its true about speakers ... that among all the audio gear they have the most impact and attraction in that relationship something unique happens.

my EXP says anything I deem as 'destination' level gear, is not really the end of the road. I just think it is.

I do hear the note for living outside the mainstream confines with audio gear.

there are points to consider with speakers in general.

speaker design and technology is not standing still. new materials and new ways of introducing these materials spring up readily.

generally speaking does anyone feel speakers from a dozen years ago are as good or better than the newer versions of the same model today?

how about five years? three?

another concern IMO is support. plain and simnple.

whenever I pitch money at something I need the assurance if something bad occurs, there will be someone around to repair it.

some very gifted designers make some very good to outstanding over achieving gear. sometimes these makers simply walk away and or die. thereafter owners are left high and dry.

don't tell me this is not a consideration when buying high end audio kit. when the price tag goes up so does anxiety... well, that is of course for many people it does. perhaps if the funds dwell in the unlimited area it might be different, but at point of sale and certainly thereafter, people are either emmotionally or mentally unsettled to one degree or another.

I've mentioned more than one speaker brand that is not 'mainstream' here based ONLY on performance.

perhaps its merely about the confidence level one has in the design and build, though the thought of support simply can not be set aside lightly.

personally I tend to think bad things won't ahppen to me if the kit is built really well and is brand new to boot. I've also been around long enough to know differently too.

as Bob Carver once said, "the lifetime warranty we offer is based on my life, not your's or the gear's".

warrnties are based on the makers health when eyeing a bit of this 'cottage industries finest' it do come to mind.

not trying to shoot down one man, or small business makers products what so ever, just pointing out facts associated with the human condition, on both sides of the coin.

I've bought things from exactly these kinds of makers and will again I'm sure.

add in one last bit... the bigger and heavier the things are, and with speakers there are always two of them, and most pricey speakers are pretty large and quite heavy, well.... then there's shipping worries.

being mostly optomistic I'd probably be willing to drop a large bit on what ever I felt was well built as said, but that's just me. it would not keep me from worrying .

https://www.soundandvision.com/content/mbl-101e-mk-ii-speaker-0

If I remember well , these are Elizabeth dream  speakers.

If you want the best ever , go to the website of Ilumnia magister:
www.ilumnia.be
that’s sound!!

I think that Price range includes many great speakers, it will come down to taste and what you can find. 
It was a long time since I heard the JBL K2 S9900 but they were good and horn based.

 I like Focal and the Scala Utopia Evo is in the Price range. I haven't heard them play rock but think they can handle that.

Someone mentioned Persona 9F, I have heard the 7F with sub and they seemed like a good rock speaker. Or the Kef Blade.

The Kii Three with bass towers should work great as well. Said to go down to 12 Hz.

#gawdbless

I agree I could have made my point in a much more easily digestible way, but for the record, it was far from sweeping. In fact it on covered 3 brands.

These are the speaker brands the OP mentioned:

Another pair of JBL 4367
Wilson Sasha DAW or Alexia Series 2
Avantgarde Acoustics Duo XD or possibly Duo Mezzo
Magico S5MKII

If you include amps he mentions:
McIntosh, Spectral, Pass

In terms of the sweeping statement of dinosaurs sucking up a lot of the spotlight/ visibility in the industry... it is admittedly an observation made without profound research, just a bunch of years of reading, observing and talking with stereo store owners. I feel I’ve discovered this opinion honestly argued, frequently enough, not to feel crazy in sharing it myself. YMMV. It gets compounded with a bit of venom, when, in my admittedly limited experience (I’m just an enthusiast) I have never heard a setup from these “well-established” companies that really provoked my interest musically or in terms of SQ. Again, YMMV.

In terms of McIntosh or Wilson or Avant Garde being relevant to the leading-edge conversation in their respective segments... well that’s the provocative part... in the most genuine sense of the word... I was hoping to provoke a conversation (relevant to a rare post about the $50-60k price point in speakers where much leading edge design (vs trickle down) starts to be affordable) about how we value brands, support brands, and who in the industry is doing the heavy lifting re: pushing forward SQ these days in speakers.

i look at companies like Vivid, Voxativ, deVore, Rockport, Tidal, Vandersteen versus Wilson and JBL,  or (Yes, Exactly!!) insert your favorite innovative “Quirky Horn Speaker” manufacturer here (mine is TotalDAC) versus AG.  I wanna root for the underdog brands every time because of the really interesting work they are doing.... and the passionate responses I’ve had to the musicality of their products.

I agree with @blindjim that one of the best things that the bigger players offer is (at least the appearance of) long-term value/support/reliability...

....but the only way these more fledgling companies can get to that level of stability is if we support them for their innovations, and SQ.

i argue for taking a bit of risk for the sake of a more passionate relationship to the products you use (even if you might not be able to hand them down to your grandchildren) and for supporting the brands that are pushing the envelope a bit further for all of us. Quality and longevity are often to be found in this place in spades, outside the top line industry brand names.

enjoy the music

What a nice problem to have.  Strongly consider the Vienna Acoustics "The Music". A true reproducer, it will give garbage out whit garbage in, but can often sound just like, well, the music. Solid bass, dynamics, subtlety and about $20-30k less.  Amp sensitive, but not power hungry. I drive my Mahlers, the predecessor, with as little as 60W (near class-A tho).
What about my absolute fav, the Infinity IRS or the Genesis V? 

G

Have your dealer install the latest Magnepan speakers in YOUR ROOM and them make a decision, PLEASE.  (AR or other Tube gear generally sounds best on these, but get whatever YOU want.)

Cheers,

Richard

@d2girls, sounds like you're going to lose the simplicity of your current system.

Depends what you want. I want a speaker that is transparent, so the KEF Blades and the Revel Salons are up my alley (so is some stuff from YG), and not something from Wilson or B&W. 
 
I would also recommend Vivid Audio. 
 
Now, unless your space is super treated, room modes for the bass is going to happen. I would recommend the $30,000 Vivid Audio G3’s or the $50,000 G2’s, then get 2x Rythmik G25HP’s for ~$5000 (or, if you are insane, 2x PSA S7201’s for $8000 or 2x JTR 4000ULF’s for $7000).  
  
I also recommend DSP if you are somewhat tech savvy and have a laptop. The MiniDSP SHD has Dirac and has almost a good a DAC as the Chord Qutest or Benchmark DAC3.  
 
Then, spend money on room treatment, contact GIK (or others) and ask them for advice.

d2girls

How about an all in one Mark Levinson system which will allow you to have great sound on the go?


https://www.lexus.com/models/GS/features

d2girls,

I'm in the camp that believes that you do not need to spend $60K on a set of speakers. I also believe that there are a lot of really good speaker manufacturers out there and trying to find the absolute perfect speaker would be a task that is next to impossible. I will only buy speakers that I can audition. The biggest issue you will have in this process is your room. It will be your biggest enemy and the biggest influence on your sound. Good room acoustics will make an inexpensive pair of speakers sound great and bad acoustics will make a great speaker sound like crap.

With the type of music you listen to I would highly recommend looking into pairing your speakers with a subwoofer. Especially with the Rush and Metallica not only will you be able to hear the kick drum but you will also be able to feel it. A sub will also add depth to your Taylor Swift and Diana Krall.

As for the speakers you have mentioned I am only familiar with Wilson Audio. My personal take on Wilson Audio is that they are overpriced but that hasn't stopped me from owning a pair. I have a set of the new Wilson Tune Tots coupled with REL S5 SHO subs and this rig can handle anything I throw at it from Tool to Diana Krall and then some. The weakest point in this rig is the vertical soundstage is more compact than my old Magnaplaners.

My total investment in speakers is $15K. Do they sound as good as a $60K rig? Probably not. Is there $45K improvement in sound quality between them? I highly doubt it.