Being close to NYC, I suggest you take the time and check the local stores and listen to as many speakers as you can. You may also want to focus on what aspect of your listening experience you'd like to improve, e.g., tonality, timber, accuracy, soundstaging, etc., since most speakers tend to do some things better than others. Last but not least, certain speakers tend to do a better job reproducing smaller bands with lesser number of instruments and vocals vs. some others which seem to do better with large orchestral presentations. All that been said, if I were looking for speakers in that price range, I'd expect them to do very well regardless of the musical content. If you have the room, see if Sound Lab speakers offer you what you're looking for. I've heard them paired with McIntosh MC601s and C2600 in a large room and they sounded exceptional.
Speaker Recommendation: 20K range
I’m looking for new speakers in the <20K range.
I am not looking for used, unless it’s a demo model straight from an AD.
I am hoping to find a line that clearly beats speakers in the ~10K range like Magico A3, Revel 228BE, Legacy Focus SE etc.
I will be pairing the speakers with a Lumin D2 streamer, Mcintosh C2600 pre and MC452 amp. Changing those components is not going to happen anytime soon and so system synergy with those pieces is important.
I also would like the speakers to be rated at 500W given the amp I will be using and the fact that the listening space is quite large.
While I mostly listen to jazz, rock, pop, classical and vocals, I am really looking for speakers that sound amazing with any genre. I also need them to sound great at moderate levels of volume.
I currently have Focal Kanta No 2s, and while they are quite nice, I want something much better in all respects.
I am not really up to speed on all the audiophile terms that describe the various traits of sound – I just want my jaw to drop when listening to the speakers with any genre at all volume levels, if that’s possible :)
I am close to NYC and would like to narrow down the list to ~5 candidates before I start auditioning.
Hopefully you guys can help me compile a list!
Thanks in advance for your time and suggestions.
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Well, if you like the Focal sound, there is the Sopra N3. If you like Legacy Audio, there is the Aeris. The Revel Ultima II Salon are also about that price new, but a lot of them are showing up around $11k used. The problem is, there are seemingly hundreds of speakers in that price range--Monitor Audio, B&W, Sonus Faber, Paradigm Persona, Marten, Dynaudio, just to name a few. |
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis952a1-evolution-acoustics-mm-2-speakers-mint-customer-trade-in-... If I were you, I would consider the above linked item. After reading through many reviews, this one may satisfy your need. I myself had been happy with my speaker Lansch 5.1 which I purchased around 50K 11 years ago. The overall balance is good and pristine treble out of plasma tweeters. But it is difficult to get even used one of my speaker. https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis953i3-lansche-audio-no-3-floorstanding-speaker-like-new-full-ra... This model is smaller one than mine and your need separate subwoofer to get a slam. |
Hi chandybe, The SoundLabs mentioned by Kalali are magnificent. I say that as a longtime owner and dealer. Currently I’m currently neither, but would consider it the highest compliment if someone said my speakers were "almost as good as the SoundLabs" rather than "better" than pretty much anything else. Given that you are "hoping to find a line that clearly beats [very good] speakers in the ~10K range" and that "the listening space is quite large"... You might consider straying from the beaten path and investigating small manufacturers who sell direct. Some of us little guys are pretty competent and bring a fair amount of innovation to the table. And without dealer markup, we usually offer pretty good value. Gedlee, Daedalus, and Volti come to mind. The downside is, more travel to get an audition. Note that power handling is only one part of the equation when it comes to filling a large room. Efficiency also comes into play. What an 87 dB (that’s about average) speaker can do with 500 watts, a 97 dB speaker can do with 50 watts - but in the latter scenario, speaker and amp will be not be stressed. (This is a bit of an oversimplification but the trend described is correct). "I just want my jaw to drop when listening to the speakers with any genre at all volume levels, if that’s possible :) " Given a good recording and a good room and good system matching, and not being too literal about "ALL volume levels", imo that’s possible. (There will always be a volume level at which something becomes the limiting factor.) Duke dealer/manufacturer/one of the little guys |
...but would consider it the highest compliment if someone said my speakers were "almost as good as the SoundLabs" rather than "better" than pretty much anything else. Hey Duke, at one point long ago here I actually said your Jazz Modules were better than a set of SoundLabs that I heard. Being the gracious and humble person that you are your reply was one of appreciation but giving the ultimate kudos to the SoundLabs. Personally though I never took a liking to SoundLabs, especially in comparison to Quad ESL 57 and Roger Modjeski's ESLs. On the ESL front, given the price range and the amp being used by the OP, the Sanders ESLs might be worth a listen. If you can live with the tight sweet spot they are quite amazing speakers. |
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