@shoff thanks for that. I am definitely going to try Rockport Atria.
I really hope beteen Sabrina, Rockport Atria and Magico S3/ A3 I like something.
I have also been looking at Salk song Encore but there is no way to audition them for Axpona in April. |
No Daedalus (Argos?) recommendation on the list yet?
Warmish yet detailed room filling sound, with life sized images and a realism/human factor some on your list don’t have. |
Just buy the Golden Ear Reference speakers and call it a day, and keep about $1,500 in your pocket, and that is for a new pair. I have seen them as low as $6,500 used, thus place the other $3,500 on a premium used amplifier. That is your greatest Value!!
|
how about Cerwin Vega XL-15 . Look nice, sound like there under water
|
@mardukk24, I listen to mostly vinyl now, but occasionally stream on Cocktail Audio X40, has reference Dac built in. Tidal sounds great on the X40 and you can burn CDs into it. |
I second Peter's recommendation for PBN speakers. If you buy his Liberty speakers new or pickup another model on the used market you can't go wrong. PBN speakers are the only component in my system I have not changed in the past 8 years and I have no desire to even look at anything else.
Big problem is they are hard to audition.
|
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. |
@marrduk24 how are you doing on your search? Have you zero'd in on one? |
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 :)
|
It's interesting to me how the speakers I own tend to decide what music I listen to. I did go over budget buying the salon 2 in my quest for $10k speakers. I thought NYC apt's were the entire floor?
The Kanta's have an immediate sound to them that I really like and I believe they also have some extra energy in the bass, not a bad thing imo. I also ride motorcycles and i'm drawing a parallel between the 2 hobbies that there isn't 1 do it all motorcycle there also isn't 1 do it all speaker. They all have qualities that draw us to them, but in comparison we can't have it all, eventually we have to pick a favorite as there's no wrong answer. |
Finally listened to A3 today. Will add my notes shortly.
Happy new year everyone. |
@ marrduk24
Haven't seen EgglestonWorks Andra mentioned here. Not sure if there is some reason for that. It seems they can be had well under $10k. I read some reviews, which indicate an awesome speaker. I'd be interested in your thoughts. |
I second the poster that suggested you add the Usher BE10 DMD to the list. rear ported 11" kevlar eaton woofer BE midrange, diamond tweeter I expected bright and boomy and I couldn't have been more wrong. Because speakers tend to sound bad in my room I usually buy used so if,ahem, when they fall on their face at home I can resell them and recover most of my investment, doesn't make the speakers bad because my room sucks, but do try for a home demo b4 handing over the cash.
The dac is newer in the H360 and it's coming down enough in price to make it worth the extra dough. |
I would add Aerial Acoustics 7T to your list.
I have heard the 6T and think they hit all your criteria perfectly, so assume their bigger brother would too. I preferred them to Spendor D7, Focal Kanta No. 2, Paradigm Persona 3F, and the KEF R11 I heard. Of the foregoing list, my second favorite were the Spendors, so D9 would be good to hear too. |
Your room will make a big difference in perceived bass. My room sounds lean so a rear ported speaker that I can move around for bass reinforcement offers the best balanced sound where if you have a bass heavy room a front, or bottom ported speaker, sealed like magico or get some transmission lines. |
