Talon Khorus - Why So Many So Cheap?

The talons recreate the music more realistically than other speaker i have heard. Now the jm labs have a very different presentation they create huge thin but still rich sound. The talon sound is creamy and buttery but still oh so clear. The soundstage is smaller and personal. I dont hear any frequency roll offs in any extreme and if i had to choose between my talon peregrine xs or the utopias it would be a hard choice. The mids on the talons are so much more real sounding but the highs lose out to the uptopias. In the bass obviously there is no contest the talons are so much better its hard to compare but really no one compares in this region to the talons so its a moot point. Anyways they are very different sounding the talons are sweet intimate and exteremely palpable while the utopias are thinner and grander but more natural and the sound flows out more easily. Still its hard to say which is better niether is perfect. The talons are easily worth their 17k retail price as honestly i cant think of one speaker better than them for less.

Wait another 6 months and get them for 2-3K

I was offered for them the price of $6500 demo-used from the respected dealer and auditioned them in relatively good and treated room and they sounded boxy and laid back like the sound would never come out these pyramids even on significantly large volume levels. The source and amplification components were solid rated class A and sure worth their ratings. I figured that they're not worth $6500... Maybe with X- crossover modification they might do the right job for the money but there the price for them dropped bellow $4k since it still need work to sound. And I would say man, I want to listen to the music, not to the Khorus indeed!

Everything there was present bass increadibly low and deep, mids, highs, dynamics except the main i.e. music and that's where the rest of speakers in this price range outperform them.

To prove my observation I'd like someone to try to get used Avantgarde Unos that can't outperform Khorus' bass, slam, and certainly volume for the same used price as Khorus. I'm not tobe here among the horn lovers but Unos let's shortly say did a bunch of things that I realy love during hm... 2 hours of auditioning comparing to fatiguing 30min of Khorus...

I've owned the Verity Parcifal Encores, Magnepan 3.6s, Usher 8871s, Khoruses (in that order), currently live with a DIY speaker called the Orion by Linkwitz and have listened extensively to at least 10 speakers retailing over $10,000. That said, I have regarded the Khoruses from their first iteration to most currrent version as among the best speakers I've ever listened to. They are musical, seamless and very dynamic. I would take issue with those who say they are overpriced above $10,000, they are not. They are fair value (relative to what is fair value in this hobby!) at their retail price and a steal in the $4,000 to $8,000 range. At this class of speakers it's like comparing Sacher Torte to Strawberry cheese cake, whether it's the Kharmas, Wilsons, Dynaudios or Talons, it boils down to taste and effective selection of associated components.

Talon was the subject of controvery from the very beginning, running up against an established line up of speaker companies. Their continued pursuit of product improvements and revisions to their lines have caused significant aftermarket price reductions. This has obviously angered alot of people (Talon owners included) and probably was not the best business decision, but does reflect Talon's dedication to excellence. For this, they should be commended and for those who want high end sound at low prices and are willing not to have the latest model, a great opportunity!

As a Khorus (non-X) owner, I also think they're a good deal at their used prices. Whether YOU like them or not is another story. I've recently owned Genesis V, Proac 3.5, Dunlavy Aletha, and I like the Khorus best. But the highs do seem a bit subdued. And the mids can be a bit thick/over-ripe. But they're very musical, to me anyway, and draw me in to the performance in a way and to a degree the others haven't. And they play all kinds of music well.
I haven't found used prices a very consistent of quality. For example, I sold the Dunlavys for more than the Genesis, but felt the Genesis to be much superior, at least in my set-up.