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Do I have to spend $4000 plus to get a better sounding speaker than GET model 7 ?

I have owned a pair of Golden Ear Technology 7's speaker for almost 3 years. I think they sound very good in my current set-up.  I bought them unheard based on the rave reviews they received at CES 2012. My concern is that if I was to invest in a speaker that is $3500-$4000, it may prove to be only marginally or fairly better. I am not saying that the GET's 7's are the best bargain in audio at $1395.  My experience with them is they are  very accurate with low distortion, but don't throw a particularly wide or deep soundstage. 

I have considered( not necessarily auditioned) Revel F-206;  Focal Aria 936;  Paradign F85;  PSB T-2';  Ryan 630;  B&W CM9S   Dynaudio X-34;  Duevel "Venus"  Audio Physic Sitara 25 and Tempo 25  All of the indicated speakers (except AP and Duevel) fall in the $3000-$4500 retail price range 

ProAc floor standers are off the scope in price, (often, even used)   Anything I buy will be used, because California sales tax is 8.5%,  and I can stretch my dollars buying used. 

Any recommendations are welcomed especially if based on you own experience with a particular speaker or brand.


Thank you, S.J     

sunnyjim

Showing 8 responses by kosst_amojan

kosst_amojan
2,095 posts
 
@sunnyjim 
That would be my rub with ML's. That's basically my rub with the varieties of ribbons out there, too, including the AMT types. Aside from that, I think you can buy better speakers in your price range than the bottom rung ML's. 
kosst_amojan
2,095 posts
 
I think the Focal 936 is a better speaker which is why I own a pair instead of GE's. I think it looks better, is better built, and sounds better. If you don't want or need the muscular bass response of the 936, try the 926. The 936 wouldn't be a marginal improvement over the 7's in my opinion. It would be major, especially if you've got quality equipment to drive them. Unlike GE's, the 936's will reward you for using the best gear you can afford. I built a Pass F5 for mine and it's taken them new places. I think even the Focal 726 would be an improvement. 
kosst_amojan
2,095 posts
 
Since you're not using a stack of crap, give the Focal 900 series a listen. 100 watts is plenty for them. Mine are being served well by a 40 watt Pass F5 clone. I'm sure a lot of people have paid more for lesser sound. 
kosst_amojan
2,095 posts
 
There was a member here who was debating between and auditioned both the Sierra and Focal 936 in his home. He chose the Sierra, but by a slim margin. The 936's are only about 64 pounds. The 926 is 5 inches shorter and 9 pounds lighter with the exact same foot print. It's a small room speaker best suited to a room where stand mounts almost get the job done. The 936 is a marked improvement with virtual the same performance of the bigger 948's, just better suited for a less than huge room. They're definitely the best deal in the 900 series. Moving them around isn't hard since you can fully withdraw the spikes easily. Personally, I wouldn't make the sound sacrifice for over 9 pounds. 
kosst_amojan
2,095 posts
 
@sunnyjim 
Yes, it did have the RAAL. This wasn't all that long ago. As you've seen above folks make very bold statements about the RAAL tweeter making it sound like it's leaps and bounds beyond anything else. The fellow who actually heard both in his own room side by side gave the impression the difference was much more subtle than he'd been led to believe it was. The Focals did some things better, the Sierra's other things. Let me see if I can find the thread and link it. 
kosst_amojan
2,095 posts
 
I couldn’t find it.
The one truth about the 936 pretty much nobody familiar with them will debate is they reveal gear in a rather brutal way. Cables, amps, sources... That’s a bonus to a guy like me who’s not entrenched in a stack of gear, but a drawback to someone who’s already got a good stack. As I’ve mentioned, mine are powered by a beefed up Pass F5 clone; a pure class A push-pull, ultra-high bandwidth amp operating with a class A envelope up over 80 watts. These speakers are revealing of small changes to the input source pin balance of .2 ohm either way. If that kind of transparency is concerning, definitely listen on your own gear first.
kosst_amojan
2,095 posts
 
No. I didn't listen to Revels. I didn't exactly go out on a structured mission to listen and meticulously evaluate speakers. I spent years just listening to stuff when I came across a shop and Focals always had something I didn't hear in other speakers. Mostly it was the well articulated soundstage followed closely by a certain smoothness. 
I'm not a big fan of the factory direct sales model and I don't waste my time considering products made by companies that can't be bothered by distribution. 
kosst_amojan
2,095 posts
 
I'd be hard pressed to tell someone to buy 900 series Focals if they can swing landing 1000 series. At the same time, I could own Electra 1008's instead of 936's for the same money. 
I'm with you Mofojo on the Focal sound. It has a physicality to it that I think a lot of other speakers avoid in the interest of being polite with less than polite music. The F cone can give a W cone a run for it's money. It's no mystery to me why they found their way into a speaker superior to the Electra line. 
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