Recommendation for a modern Duntech Sovereign 2001 replacement


After o.a. the Snells (Model A/II, B Minor), Vandys (2Ce sigII), Thiels (2.2, 3.6), I settled on Dunlavy (SC I, III, IV) and Duntech (Black Knight and Sovereign 2001). These all have 1st order xo and soft dome speakers (I have had plenty of other speakers).

I listen mostly to classical, Jazz and occasionally classic Rock. Must have superb mid range.

Looking for a modern version (closed box or electrostatic) which should be smaller and, very important, offers a higher WAF (which should not be difficult).

Any recommendations?



 
128x128jazzonthehudson
Pryso, we dalied with Jantzen for a while, we had the ZA 2.1 and they were great, however, they miss the scale of a much larger speaker, they were superb in terms of coherence, they were also a tad polite in the upper treble, they would not be my first choice for a big room, they are awesome speakers and are quite magical in many ways and we agree they look smashing if you like their retro 50's kind of styling. 

A Vandy Quattro is also way too small sounding, a Vandy 5 would be much closer, but still the added height of the Duntech means that you should look for a similarly large footprint speaker, taller in size.

if you are looking for a stunning looking speaker the KEF Blades look amazing and are way more transparent then the Duntechs, They also throw a huge soundstage, they also have way deeper and tighter bass.

A well setup pair of blades are awesome, we ran a set of Blades at the 2012 and 2013 New York Audio show and compared our setup vs a $107K pair of YG Sonja, and the KEF Blades were easilly just as good. 

The Legay Aeris are quite amazing, and will beat the Duntech's in every way, and as an added bonus come with a room correction processor, preamp and dac, so if the rest of your gear is older you would be gaining in essence a new preamp and dac all you would need to do would be to add your amplifier. 

One major advantage of the Aeris is the room correction feature which can work wonders if you are moving to a NYC apartment and have a less then ideal room. 

As mentioned before we are  probably  1-2 hours away from you and we have a number of speakers that would work including the Kef Blade, the Legacy Aeris and the Blade on active display. 

Contact ABF Freight they do most of our shipping and they are excellent.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ




We can also mention we were a Devialet dealer, and the form factor was amazing, the sound was a bit too mechanical for our tastes.

Today there are a number of uber integrated ampifiers that beat most high end separates, we highly recommend the T+A HV 3100 and there are a few other uber integrated amplifiers. 

The HV 3100 is a 300 watt integrated amp, based on $36,000.00 worth of separate components in one elegant box, for $23k they currently have a junior version for $18k which is very similar but not quite as good. 

https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/ta-elektroakustik-3100-hv-pdp-3000-hv-sacdcd-...

Here they compare the T+A to a $45k D'agastino integrated  and find the T+A to be its equil 

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ
I also loved the Duntech sound (had Princesses for many years, the Sovereigns were too big for my room).  For the big sound that you are used to you could try the Maggie 20 series or the Dynaudio Evidence line of speakers (I liked the Temptations a lot, would have considered them as Princess replacements had I been able to afford them), though obviously the size of your new place will present some restrictions.  The Vandy 7s and 5s might also be up your alley (the 7s might be the best I've heard recently, and their powered bass makes them comparatively easy to work in a room).  I would suggest visiting both Audio Doctor to hear the models they mention (I especially like the Blades) and Audio Connection in Verona, NJ to hear the Vandersteen 7s (not sure if John still has the big Maggies set up)--both of those dealers have excellent setups that will give you a good idea of what the speakers can do.
joth, I'm not selling any of the recommendations I offered.

I consider my room to be of medium size (20 x17 x 11) and I have no issues with image size from the Janszens.

I agree with rcprince on the Maggie 20s, a wonderful speaker when set up properly.  I didn't include those due to size and placement requirements, not much WAF. ;^)
@pryso
Thanks for your recommendations which I will look into. I have come across your comments in many other threads so I have a high regard for you.

@rcprince
Thanks for your recommendations. I almost bought the 5A (liked the sound very much) but I got a local deal on the Duntech Sovereign. The Kef Blade looks very nice indeed. I have fond memories of the 104/2 and 107s

Re Maggies: had the 1.6Q in another set up for a while (great for the price but not wow compared to the Black Knights) and am sure the bigger 20 is a completely different animal but Pryso is right about the perception of WAF.

My current buyer of the Sovereigns is based overseas, it is a pain in the neck to get them shipped, finding an economical way to have them shipped door to door (they are too heavy for me to haul them to a port and pack them in commercial shipping boxes that goes into a container. Any help greatly appreciated!). 

This prods me to set my new requirement to modern looking floorstanders under lbs 180 each and the pair must both fit into a standard SUV.

@audiotroy
I know where you guys are, please be patient. I still have my current "old" gear for a while.
FYI just gathering ideas here, will start listening to candidates late summer.