$16K new/used speaker question?

Also Sonus Faber Elipsa are very musical and I ve seen them BRAND NEW for about the same price. Just make sure the sound is not too warm , and too sweet. These and the Stradivardis are about the best in their line up.... The Bowers Wilkins have a deeper and better imaging and soundstage thou, but Sonuses sound sweeter and with certain rightness to them ....

If your preference is new you can't go wrong with the Acoustic Zens. I heard them at RMAF a few years back and for the $ the best I heard there. Good luck in your search!

Try the new Ryan speakers top ,of the line. I heard them One of the best I have heard

After reading the comments from your original post, a brand that has not been mentioned and that I have had complete success with are Usher BE 10's. I have had numerous Wilson products starting with the 3/2 up to the 8's and has out performed them in every way. I have a pair of Carrie 211 FE if I'm not mistaken are close to the wattage output of your gear. They are rated at 91 DB and 8 ohm load with no huge impedance swings. I suggest taking a serious look at them and note their driver selection.
Happy listening,,,!

Hi Tom, you are definitely on the right track to meet your goals. I previously owned the Devore 9 (5 years) and now own the O/96 and they are very responsive to quality tube amplifcation. I got a chance to audition the 0/96 and the Gibbon X side by side, and I actually preferred the 0/96, but I think it would come down to personal tastes. Both are full range (at least enough for me), coherent and have that hard-to-describe sense of "humanity" to their presentation. The Devore 9 is not full range, but the 0/96 and the X both have terrific slam, depth and definition in the bottom octaves. Now, I have not heard Acoustic Zen speakers but I have always wanted to, and I suspect the Crescendo would also be a great choice. I have not heard the Daedalus line either, but they have many fans among tube users. I have owned at least 20 different brands of speakers through the years and until the Devores, my favorites were ProAc and Verity. I am convinced that for a tube lover, speaker choice should be guided as much by the speaker's impedance characteristics as much as anything, and the Devore speakers are ideal in this regard. Best of luck, I don't think you can go wrong with either of your top choices.