As a retired audio consultant, recommending and selling very expensive gear to folks who had money in every pocket, I always put some of the money into the room design. This included vibration and resonance control of the walls, floors and ceiling; the electrical system wiring ( dedicated outlets, upgraded wiring and distribution box ); minimization of noise inducing artifacts ( dimmers and such ). Putting expensive gear in a room that is below average is a total waste, ime. I have experienced 5-11K speakers in a proper room sound more realistic and musically honest that 40-90K speakers when the room was not considered. Do not feel the listening environment has little to do with the outcome. d2girls, if this was money you earned, you should feel very proud of yourself. BTW, I like what horn speakers do too. Enjoy ! MrD.
Best speakers in the 50-60k range ?
Some context: I’ve recently had to downsize my speakers. However since I got inot this hobby 2 years ago I’ve always been looking ahead, to see what my next big item purchase is. I’ve got a budget of about $60k for the speakers.
I have a superate budget for amp, dac, but regardless of the type of speaker I wind up with, I will get a electronic front end that makes sense for the speaker. I think it’s a bit backwards to be considering amp before I’ve selected the right speakers.
I like pop, rock, metal, grunge like Rush, Metallica, Cranberries and Taylor Swift as much as I like better mastered music like Diana Krall.
Oh. And I like horns.
Here are the options I’ve been considering so far;
Purchasing another pair of JBL 4367. This option makes a lot of sense if I wanted to spend 100k on electronics instead. I was thinking Mcintosh (MC611) or Spectral (DMA360) amplification, or Pass Labs (XA200.8) as for preamps I could go with the Mcintosh C1100, the matching Spectral preamp, or the Pass Labs XP-30 or XS preamp.
But I want to try Wilsons, or Avantgardes... see below.
Sasha DAW or Alexia Series 2. The former allows me to budget for a matching high power amp, the latter would require purchasing a lower end power amp until I’ve saved enough for a better one. Another option would be to wait until early 2020 before purchasing anything. The dealer I wanted to do business with carries both Mcintosh and Wilson... an audition for the aforementioned speakers is of course mandatory, and upcoming this summer. I’ve no doubt in my mind I’ll be impressed with what I hear but if im not I always have the JBL or other options.
Avantgarde Acoustics Duo XD or possibly Duo Mezzo. Yes I love horns. I am almost certain I would greatly enjoy these. I just love love horns. Another advantage is that these are self powered bass section speakers so I could use a low powered 2a3 tube amp with them. (I love 2a3 amps) which is significantly less expensive cost wise compared to the solid state beasts I’d need for the Wilsons...
Anyway that’s what I’ve got so far. I’ve asked around on another forum called audiosciencereview and the advice the few people I spoke with so far was that I’m better off getting another pair of JBL. It does seem logical. And I’d have a huge budget to play with for all manner of electronics... but the audiophile in me wants to get Wilson, or AG...
Ill also be auditioning the Magico S5MKII but based on my research so far I don’t think I would like the sound of those speakers.
I have a superate budget for amp, dac, but regardless of the type of speaker I wind up with, I will get a electronic front end that makes sense for the speaker. I think it’s a bit backwards to be considering amp before I’ve selected the right speakers.
I like pop, rock, metal, grunge like Rush, Metallica, Cranberries and Taylor Swift as much as I like better mastered music like Diana Krall.
Oh. And I like horns.
Here are the options I’ve been considering so far;
Purchasing another pair of JBL 4367. This option makes a lot of sense if I wanted to spend 100k on electronics instead. I was thinking Mcintosh (MC611) or Spectral (DMA360) amplification, or Pass Labs (XA200.8) as for preamps I could go with the Mcintosh C1100, the matching Spectral preamp, or the Pass Labs XP-30 or XS preamp.
But I want to try Wilsons, or Avantgardes... see below.
Sasha DAW or Alexia Series 2. The former allows me to budget for a matching high power amp, the latter would require purchasing a lower end power amp until I’ve saved enough for a better one. Another option would be to wait until early 2020 before purchasing anything. The dealer I wanted to do business with carries both Mcintosh and Wilson... an audition for the aforementioned speakers is of course mandatory, and upcoming this summer. I’ve no doubt in my mind I’ll be impressed with what I hear but if im not I always have the JBL or other options.
Avantgarde Acoustics Duo XD or possibly Duo Mezzo. Yes I love horns. I am almost certain I would greatly enjoy these. I just love love horns. Another advantage is that these are self powered bass section speakers so I could use a low powered 2a3 tube amp with them. (I love 2a3 amps) which is significantly less expensive cost wise compared to the solid state beasts I’d need for the Wilsons...
Anyway that’s what I’ve got so far. I’ve asked around on another forum called audiosciencereview and the advice the few people I spoke with so far was that I’m better off getting another pair of JBL. It does seem logical. And I’d have a huge budget to play with for all manner of electronics... but the audiophile in me wants to get Wilson, or AG...
Ill also be auditioning the Magico S5MKII but based on my research so far I don’t think I would like the sound of those speakers.
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- 66 posts total
@gawdbless thanks for circling back @dseltz I also had a huge crush on the looks of those Rethm speakers, but could never find a place to hear them. Does anyone have any experience with the upper echelons of active speakers? Anything competitive there? Anything ready for prime time at this price range? I’ve only demoed the B&O 90 and 50. All I can say is B&O needs to do a better job setting up this $90k+ package in their stores. I’ve heard more impressive demos of the Kii Threes. |
http://www.rethm.com/ Nearest dealer to me is Santa Fe, NM.......could be well worth a visit as i also like the vibe of the town. They look lovely, but only in black for me. |
A few recommendations for Vivid. I love the line but I think the Vivid Kaya 90 will get you very close to the Vivid Giya line for a ton less cash. I have heard both I preferred the Giya but the Kaya is very good. Not sure you need to speed the $50Cdn to get an incredible speaker. BTW - RUSH would sound great on a Vivid. |
I listen same type music as you do and after long search and spending a lot of $$ I got 4367s and my journey ended! Im biamping them with 2 thresholds s500 and if I could do any change I would change one of the threshold fron series two to series one with optical bias. It works the best for high dynamics and crisp thrash metal highs. I found on my way of long trial and error that your preamplifier will do a lot of fine tuning. The JBLs are the best speakers for the money and I did compare them to a lot of speakers much more expensive and to me 4367 destroys everything in class and above. Word of advise, do not buy warm sounding amps they will never produce sound you looking for... |
- 66 posts total