Best speakers in the 50-60k range ?

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.

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 .

@godbless

I do get it on the look to non mainstream makers gear to promote the industry, technology, etc.

another thing or two that is worthy of considerable thought at the OPs price range for ‘supposed’ speakers, are:

as with digital, speaker advances have been coming fast and furious just these past several years. .

meaning IF a budget for speakers is high, but it is the ONLY likely speaker buying budget for an unknown periood, say a ‘one and done’ hopefully ‘best possible ’ safari, I’m not too sure I’d want to be married to that proposition.

If the 50K circumstances may never repeat I’ve got to stay in the mainstream well established likely gonna be here speaker brands and models.
Dark Cherry, Rosewood, or black. maybe something ‘burrled’.

if the funding will recoup soon, then if something out side of the established brands intrigues me enough, then sure. I’d likely dip my toes in those waters.

Absolutely I’m all in!!! spend the bread man! spend it and dig it!! see if they come in Zebra stripes. leopard spots? or better yet, the ‘Matrix’ or Urban camo look.

always though, EXP showed me repeatedly its what’s up front that counts… and from these pages, the room matters and has to be a consideration.

big, expensive, gorgeous speakers are not all one finds at the end of the ‘audio rainbow’.

In Drag racing, if you have 6000 HP but can’t hook up with the track properly, you’ll amaze fans with perhaps an incredible looking race car and it might make huge burn outs, but you won’t win any races, and that’s where the ‘drag’ part of Dragracing comes in.