What is the best USED Speaker Under $10,000

20 plus responses, 20 plus different answers.....Is this really useful?

It's the internet....who cares about useful...They are having fun. In the last couple of years I've been to many dealers and also homes of friends trying to find the best system that I could afford. I'm still trying to sell off much of my 3-4 systems that I've had over the years. I decided ahead of time that I wanted to find ONE dealer who I trusted and get what goes together and not just the BEST RATED product as they often times won't work well together. I figured if I could find someone with a similar ear, they'd carry what I wanted anyways. Then it became a matter of how would they respect my budget.

I write the above to share where my feelings are coming from. I'm have been a Quicksilver/Proac/MIT guy for well over 20 years. I have other systems with a couple of Onix integrated with smaller Proacs (all still available, lol). Tons of top of the line MIT cables too. I even have a Rotel TT with VdH MM cart and a Krell Stealth/Cal transport.

Again, MY ear loves emotion, but the immediacy of the music. I love a HUGE soundstage IF it's there. I love the imaging too. I had that in spades. My old systems sounded GREAT in MY room. I guess it was 'tuned' properly. I decided it was time to sell everything and fund a system for the rest of my life. I had no idea how much I wanted or could spend as so much depended what I could get for my older stuff. I knew that I wanted to upgrade the Proacs a they were just so different and evolved. I guess I was a Proac guy. I found out the closest dealer was in NJ, over 2hrs away. I had a lot of local places here in CT, but I was in Verona, NJ for a wedding over a year a go and realized that dealer for Proac was located there. I took my then 92 yo dad and brother to listen to the new Proac's before the wedding. I met a GREAT guy who I trusted quickly. He played the new D series Proacs and they blew away what I was using (as they should)...warmer, but with the same great things that make Proac great. Then he told me to sit and listen to the Vandersteen Treo's....I said thanks but no thanks. I met Richard years ago and liked his 2's, but when I went to buy them with my ex a couple of years later, I was told to listen to the demo Proac Supertowers and they absolutely blew away the Vandy's...More money, but worth it. I didn't like the Vandy sound....
What a difference 20 years makes. I was floored. My DAD was floored....brother too and he was a Proac guy himself!
I've heard the Legacys, Rockports, Magicos, Focals, Maggies, Proacs, Clearwave, Harbeths, AN's, Theils, Revels, Dynaudio, B&W, Apogees, ML and way too many more to list, but you will find the names in nearly any thread. Very few I haven't heard. I used the price range of under 20k used or new.

I now use Ayre gear in balanced mode. I use very good AQ cables and have a Basis TT with MB cart. I've heard this system with a few other speakers and it gets out of the way and lets you hear the recording IF the speaker let's you. Personally, I have LOVED the used Avalon's in the under 10k used. I have enjoyed many speakers, but for listening for long periods AND getting eventing else I love, the Vandersteens can't be beaten. You can afford a pair of nicely used 5A's for under 10k. Of you can get newer Quattro's if that fits your room best. I went with new Treo's. I may upgrade later on, but right now I love them. I've found the Vandy line (the upper end stuff we are talking about) to have the fastest mid range in the market place. it makes a HUGE difference to me. Again, MY opinion.

I'd at least put the Vandy 5A's on your short list to listen to. JMHO...

I just picked up a pair of Shlabotnik 3.5's, to replace the Yukobuvitch Rubellites (rarer than diamonds) I had previously. The Shlabotniks normally retail for over $20K but you can only buy them in Gdansk, and only if you have an FSB connction who can put you in touch with "the right people". I got mine for $9999, just under your target. When I listen to them, I not only get that toe-tapping jump-around-my-room-like-John-Travolta-on-the-bleachers-in-"Grease" feeling, but I find myself with the desire to rub strawberry preserves on my nipples - surely not what the Shlobotnik designers initially intended, but absolutely something that would fall into the PRAT category. This would be my recommendation, completely disregarding the fact that this thread is now 8+ years old and for all we know the OP is now living on an island somewhere in the Pacific catching his own fish with a stick and spending his recreational time staring at a soccer ball he's named Willie.

Now, if you really want to get picky, let's talk about those records that we used to cut out of the back of Kelloggs cereal boxes, because I just discovered that combining one of those with a Stigmata 3.0 power cord can make believe there are apparitions in the room.

Well, since someone decided to reopen this thread, maybe they thought it would be fun to post on. Why would you make such a condescending post and be such a jerk about a thread that some of us are having fun with? Are you better than all of us? Do you feel better to come and rain on everyone's party? Go listen to your Kellogg records and create your own thread that's right up to date and it will make you feel much better I'm sure.

I second the earlier mentions of the Legacy Whisper and Revel Salon 2's. I would think you would be struggling however to find a pair of Magico S3's for under $10k any time soon. Infinity IRS Beta's can be found in good shape for under $10k used, but their age and lack of replacement parts precludes me from recommending them.

Personally I vote for TSW Apogee Duetta Signatures which offer remarkable sound for the money, whilst in a smaller room or where less critical speaker placement is required, I vote for the [url=http://app.audiogon.com/listings/full-range-marten-design-coltrane-alto-low-hours-excellent-condition-2014-12-13-speakers-92868-orange-ca]Marten Coltrane Alto's[/url] on A'gon at the moment. They were $22k speakers back in 2004, and even at that price Marten weren't really making any money on them due to their extremely complex design and carbon/kevlar monocoque construction.