Agreed @alanr123 regarding Focal.
I recently picked up a pair of the Kanta 3's (reference in the Kanta line) and they retail at $12K, but I got them for $9600. They are amazing with tube gear (Primaluna preamp and HP amp.) They are dynamic, one of the most open sounding pair of speakers I've ever heard regarding soundstage (huge!) fast, detailed, and DEEP bass response. I've never heard a pair of speakers that reproduced drums to the point of sounding scary good. Easy to drive yet take gobs of power. Beautiful midrange, detailed yet a bit less "in your face" than previous series. And no, they are NOT bright with the Berillium tweeters. The latest series has plenty of air and extension without being too bright. They've only been in the U.S. about six weeks, I'm still waiting for the reviews from major publications, but I didn't need to wait for those to know what I like.
I recently picked up a pair of the Kanta 3's (reference in the Kanta line) and they retail at $12K, but I got them for $9600. They are amazing with tube gear (Primaluna preamp and HP amp.) They are dynamic, one of the most open sounding pair of speakers I've ever heard regarding soundstage (huge!) fast, detailed, and DEEP bass response. I've never heard a pair of speakers that reproduced drums to the point of sounding scary good. Easy to drive yet take gobs of power. Beautiful midrange, detailed yet a bit less "in your face" than previous series. And no, they are NOT bright with the Berillium tweeters. The latest series has plenty of air and extension without being too bright. They've only been in the U.S. about six weeks, I'm still waiting for the reviews from major publications, but I didn't need to wait for those to know what I like.