Limiting choices to that list, my top picks would be the Salk and the ProAc.
Full Range under $5k-ish
So the time has finally come to upgrade my speakers. I mainly listnm
to vinyl with the occasional CD or AM/FM radio.
Here is my current setup:
Clearaudio Concept w/Concept MM
Parasound Halo P5
2 x Carver TFM-35x (bi-amp)
Definitive Technology BP-2002TL
I would like to stay under the $5k-ish mark.
to vinyl with the occasional CD or AM/FM radio.
Here is my current setup:
Clearaudio Concept w/Concept MM
Parasound Halo P5
2 x Carver TFM-35x (bi-amp)
Definitive Technology BP-2002TL
I would like to stay under the $5k-ish mark.
72 responses Add your response
Finally had a chance to audition some speakers on the list and eliminate a few. Here’s my updated list. I chose not to add anymore for now as I want to downsize this a bit before adding onto it. I also demoed a few not on the list and a few out of my price range. Here’s my updated list:
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Motorman is right . Do yourself a favor and listen to a pair of Bache audio tribeca 001. I was at the NY audio show in Nov and there were only 2 rooms that had exceptional sound. the Harbeth room auditioning the m.40.2 at $15,000 a pair / and the Bache audio room auditioning a pair of tribeca 001 at $5500 a pair. Two completely different sounding speakers of course. But wow it was nice to see/hear someone who knows how to make a full range speaker. Fostex super tweeters at $1000 a pair,who does that !! Anyway based on your stated music preference the tribeca’s will easily out perform anything else in your price range. Good Luck |
See if you can get your hands on a pair of used Anthony Gallo Acoustics Reference 3.5 or 3.1 speakers. They are remarkably "full-range", and remarkable performers, considering their price (MSRP and on the used market). Also, check out the GoldenEar Technology range of speakers. They are very well reviewed and also seem to have a goal of presenting a "complete" frequency response. My 0.02. Enjoy the search. |
lots of options in the under 5K category. Another consideration, hold on the speakers, put 3K into your source gear, arm, cartridge, phono preamp and spend 2K on speakers. Feed as much music to the last element in the chain. You can a lot of cartridge for $700-$1000 - e.g. Hana and Ortofon, I've heard really good things about the Parasound JC3 jr. phono. Also if you haven't done some room analysis and treatment, lots can be gained there as well. Great gear in a poor room never reaches it's potential. Lastly - Vandersteen's and others present some interesting biamping options - with solid state for the bass and tubes for the mid/highs. |
Do yourself a favor and check out the specs on the Bache Audio Tribeca-001.... Search for: "Bache Audio" in Audiogon and I believe they have a set of white ones for UNDER $5000. I have a custom set (different color) I have owned for a year and absolutely love them. Crystal clear and great bass with a small footprint!! Greg was wonderful to deal with and you won't be disappointed! I believe they are in Brooklyn but can ship anywhere. Container was awesome, on a pallet and everything. Brett in Tucson |
You can add Audio Solutions speakers to your list. I heard a model I think was the Figaro L at a show and it sounded great. I know it was around $5k in price and a floorstander. http://www.audiosolutions.lt/ |
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Once again I'd like to thank everyone for the valuable input. This really is a tough decision that cannot be determined overnight. A lot of factors come into play and below are just a few that help cut the list down. Full Range being my biggest need/want meaning I only want 2 speakers. I do not want to add a subwoofer. This being said we should be able to knock out a few. If the frequency response doesn’t get below 30 Hz then in my mind a subwoofer would be needed. Please correct me if I’m wrong. Another things I can’t do is something that looks hideous. Unfortunately for me looks do play a part in some of this, after all no one likes showing off their ugly beat up car and I sure and hell don’t want to show off ugly speakers. I’m not stating exactly which ones I booted for looks because some of you have your own opinions which is allowed. Now a few I knocked out just because I have no way of auditioning them, which for me is kind of a big deal. I’d hate to buy a car without a test drive. Here’s my updated list:
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Take the time to put Martin Logan Requests on your audition list. You have a room they should work in nicely. I own Focals 946 Electra's, which I run with a 100W amp and love. I'm not about to change my amp and speakers, but you have plenty of power to run electrostatics.The Requests may very well have the sound your looking for. They go for $2500-$3500 on the used market.Good luck.PS; They're particular where they're placed, so be prepared to monkey with where exactly do they sound best in a room. |
You don't even need to go up to the 1000 series in Focal's line to best some of the options suggested. 948's certainly best the Triton One. I'd be kinda interested to know what the OP's priorities are. I mean, if nobody really knows what those are, how can you really suggest anything with any reasoning? For all I know the guy needs a giant pair of horns. |
dustin I heard these at the RMAF a couple years ago and there is nothing not to love about them. Non stressful for sure, just music. http://chapmanaudiosystems.com/CurrentModels/T-5.html |
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I would say this set of DALI Euphonia MS-5 here on Agon for under $5k should sound spectacular with your vinyl! https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9c0ac-dali-euphonia-ms-5-full-range |
JM Labs Utopia, older floor standing models, maybe a little above $5k, though they would outclass everything else in your system. Match with cables would be important, more than on average, or they will sound bright and forward. Don't know how low at how high db level they go, but you could find this information. Not easy to find, I guess. Very different sound compared to Vandersteen, as an example. |
Let's try and build a list of all the suggestions into a single post.
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For around $5,000 , I would look at TEKTON speakers and a pair of Tekton subs.. and possibly upgrading your amps to a tube variety, Quicksilver, Decware, VTA, Don Sachs.. I have on order a pair of Double Impact SE’s at $4,500 (2,000 off MSRP) , These are going to be hard to beat for the $.. They are on sale right now, and since I didn’t want the mirror finish on them Eric gave another $1,000 discount.. I’m upgrading from the Tekton Seas Pendragon’s.. My system for reference : Apple TV4 (streamer) —needs upgraded— Oppo 205 (DAC-CDP) Denon DP59L (TT) Decware ZP3 (phono pre) Decware CSP3 (preamp-headphone amp) Decware ZMA (35 watt PP amp) Tekton Seas Pendragon (speakers) Tekton Cinema (18” sub) Cullencable loom (silver plated copper) |
I think in the PBN speakers you will get exceptional sound. You will also get exceptional customer service. https://libertyaudio.com/service/x-vox-loudspeaker-system/ |
At new and based on your less than 5k budget I would strongly consider and recommend you listen to Vandersteen. There is a reason the model 2 have been so popular for 40 + years. Maybe they won't fit what you are looking for but ANY recommendation of a reasonably priced "full range" speaker should include the Vandies. If you require more bass you can add subs later. 5k on a full ranger, to 20k no less, won't get you there. More important is what sounds right to your ears, room and works with your music preferences and current electronics. There is no simple right answer. As with all speakers, better electronics will yield better and more satisying results. Vandies are most forgiving but capable of true high fidelity sound that produce music at a very high level the more attention paid to realize their potential. |
I have owned Wilson Watt Puppy 6’s for 10 years and which are around £4K preowned and full range. The power amp amp needs to have excellent dynamics because the ohms can drop from 4 to 2 and even below requiring large reserves of power to be needed quickly. I have found that a tubed pre into a class A power gives excellent results. |
Dep 14 I agree with you. I heard a pair of Salk Song3 Encore's at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest last October and thought they were one of the best speakers at the show. At a cost of $6,000/pair they crushed a pair of $60,000 speakers I listened to. I also met Sim Salk and he is an incredible guy. He told me he sells direct so he can afford to buy some of the best drivers in the industry. He said a lot of speaker manufactures who sell to retailers have to cut their prices and in order for the retailers to make most of the money you have to purchase lower quality drivers and manufacturer lower quality speaker cabinets. He is not willing to sacrifice quality at the customers expense and sit back to allow the retailers to make all of the money. |
The reason the Legacy's would be far better is sheer displacement, the Signature is more electrical efficient, has much deeper bass then the Focals. How many sub $10k loudspeakers are rated to 22hz +/-3db and are 93db efficient? Most high end loudspeakers that are in this gentleman's price range will not be able to fill up such a large room with sound. So if you like rock and have a big room you need a speaker capable of playing loud and most loudspeakers from B&W, Kef, Focal, Vandy just won't handle this type of application. Bill Duddleston designs speakers that play loud and fill up big rooms, he favors displacement, hence his speakers use two large 10inch bass drivers going up to 12 inch drivers in other models. Dave and Troy Audio Doctor NJ Legacy Audio Dealers |
Op if you can go up a tad to $7k you can look at a set of Legacy Audio Signatures. These should be perfect for you: 1: They are 93db efficient so they will play loud with any amplifier 2: They have bass down to 22hz 3: They throw a huge soundstage 4: They have high power handling. 5: They are easy to drive 6: They have superb top end detail If you want to fill up a large room these can't be beat Dave and Troy Audio Doctor NJ Legacy Audio dealers |
I used to use the TFM-35’s many years ago. I Don’t know if they were the x’s or not. I then purchased a demo pair of Thiel CS2.3’s and connected it to the Carver. The sound was so shrill, that my wife refused to let my play any Music. She thought the music sounded like fingernails scratching a chalk board. I replaced the Carver, with a Plinius 8150 and my wife let me listen to music again. My wife and I I still enjoy the Plinius/Thiel combination that is decades old and now located at my mountain home. The Carver worked very well for many years in my home theater system with real M&K speakers. IMO this amp is better suited for home theater than music. Based upon this experience, I am in agreement with cedargrover that you make certain to test potential speakers with at least one of your Carver amps prior to any final purchase. |
Assuming New? I’ve been through a number of speakers the past few years. I’m a classic rock fan, I listen a bit loud also. But at your price point, for new speakers it’s pretty easy for me to narrow it down to 2 speakers. (if you can ever so slightly bump your budget a bit) Ohm Walsh 5000’s (essentially have a 4 band EQ on the back) can be placed close to the wall. They love power (which you have) plenty of bass (even for me). 6500 new, the 4900’s are a massive bargain with a bit different form factor. I have the 5000’s and love them. First speaker that I absolutely love in a long time. Added bonus - your kids can not hurt them (if you have prying fingers etc). John at Ohm a good dude to boot. Salk Song 3 Encore - will play deep, with a nice amount of bass. INCREDIBLE craftsmanship, a bit more detail than the Walsh, not quite a big of a soundstage. (I’ve demo’d them several times, very good speaker, I owned the SS8’s) Plus Jim at Salk is a good dude also. Will play deep, have some thump but won’t move as much air as the Walsh speakers (the Walshes can absolutely thump a room if you want them to) I love the OHM Walshes, you did mention you like Focal and Wilson (both with the focal tweeter I'm wondering?) The Salk might get you closer to that sound. Probably a bit more detailed speaker. The golden ears, honestly are nice but not THAT much different than your DEF Techs. (I’ve owned the Triton 2’s in the past) I also like the Vandersteen sound. That said, I think the OHM’s give more bang for the buck. I like that big, open natural sound. The Quattro CT’s I love, but well... they are 14k a pair. Personally, try as I might, using EQ and everything else I can never get a sub to totally integrate with my mains. I like a very coherent sound and a big open sound. The OHM’s give that to me. ATC’s, also nice very detailed yet uncolored midrange. A shade bright to me and you have to spend a LOT to really get that thump. But very nice stuff. USED - well that opens up a host of options. |
Be brave and get a pair of the D&S Tech Labs FM2's, around $5,000.00 and they will satisfy you for years until you upgrade to the FM4's.If you are in the Chicago area you can come over and listen for yourself.Great speakers that no one has heard of, and no they are not HT only speakers, the bass is awesome and can handle whatever power amp you can throw at them. |
Having heard them recently, taking up less than I sq. ft. of space and only 40 inches high, these ATC SCM 40 V2 are among the top of your price class. The ATC speakers are used in more mastering studios than any other for a reason--very dynamic, punchy bass, with extremely fleshed out and detailed midrange and highs that are airy and extended yet don’t call attention to themselves. They need plenty of good power and sound best away from the front wall a good 5-6 feet. They have a good soundstage when positioned properly. They have curved and very solid cabinets as they weigh 75 lbs. each. They look nice and the drivers are very rugged and should last a LONG time. The V2’s should be able to find used for around $4000-4300 in excellent shape. One can stand or sit and the highs are still there, not much change in sound between the two positions. They have no weaknesses. I own Vapor Audio Joule Black speakers with a few upgrades which are simply awesome sounding speakers, but if I didn’t or I wanted to downsize without a big drop-off in sound, the 40’s definitely would float my boat. You should at least hear them somewhere. Bob |
