Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Heard the Goldmund in the city. Sounds best with Goldmund amps. Very good but not for me. That store had Kaiser, Raidho, Magico and Goldmund. I really liked the Kawero the best but they have 2 issues for me. First is that on certain tracks they get very bright. Like through my head bright. Where you frantically grab for the remote to turn it down bright. When that isn't happening they are truly stunning speakers. I don't know if I'm more sensitive to it then others, but I have now heard them in 4 different rooms including that store and 3 different shows. The same thing happened in all rooms with different equipment. The second issue is regarding design. They have a multi rear driver array which gives them incredible base extension. BUT, they need a LOT of room to really breath or they get flubby and lose. The manufacturer admitted that any closer then 4-5 feet from the front wall to rear of speaker is not ideal. My room doesn't afford me the luxury of getting the speaker out more home 3-4 feet off the front wall. So that and the brightness removed them from my list.

Acoustic zen are great speakers. I heard them at Axpona. They sounded great with tube gear, but nothing that took my breath away or caught my attention. Many speakers did that- very good but nothing that really set them apart from the rest.

Franco Serblin - nope. Never heard of them.

I heard the Boenicke W8SE+ At THE Newport with all Allnic amp/pre/front. About $150k worth of gear all said. They shined! I really enjoyed them. Like really. They caught my attention! And the fact that they are diminutive and gorgeous didn't hurt the lust factor. I actually went home and am trying to get one of my smaller local dealers to start carying them. With a variation in price from $8k-$18k depending on internal/external upgrades they are a wide approval factor dream speaker and worth the investment. All that said, they certainly are not in the same category as some of the $40-$100k contenders I was looking at. But I'd buy a pair for my family room in a heartbeat if I had the extra scratch!!!

Polymer - amazing above the two 6" drivers. They would be a top contender if the base was better. Slightly lose, lack true impact, and just not up to the rest of that amazing speaker. A shame, because if they had a larger low end driver cabinet with more punch and extension they would be world class!!! The top 3 drivers ok that narrow baffle design are just magic though. So if your not looking for that low extension punch and imaging and proper tonality are of utmost importance then the MKs-X is a huge performer!!

Zellaton - wonderful speaker but same low frequency weaknesses in my opinion. For jazz, small orchestral, vocals, quartet, etc they are fast fast fast, accurate, musical and accurate. I was not engaged once during my listening session and the low frequency paucity turned me off. Again, more a matter of taste then quality.

Vivid - another great speaker but just never grabbed me in the right way. The non-nautilus design has a lot of rear firing drivers and needs a ton of space out into the room, and the nautilus design did everything well but never really wisped me away, to that lost in the music moment.

YG - truly a masterful creation. They do everything really well and nothing lacking. If my room were longer it would be in my top contenders. Imaging, impact, tone, dynamics, subtlety, engaging? All there. But if you look at the actual design of the speaker, they require you to sit far enough away to allow those drivers to properly integrate. And I felt that I couldn't get that distance in my room. More a decision of practicality then performance. That Sonja is a true statement product though. No doubt.

If the Kawero didn't have that brightness issue and I had a bigger room they would be an absolute top contender. Vivid & Zellaton no thanks, personal opinion. Polymer would be a joke run with better low end and YG are awesome but, I think, needed a longer room then I have.

Damn typos:
the top 3 drivers ON that narrow baffle.
Polymer would be a HOME run with better low end

Matt

I curious why you eliminated the Vandy Sevens. Seems like the three you have chosen are not in the same league as the Sevens.

If your prepared to spend the kinda of money the Sevens are and it sounds like you are, You would make the biggest mistake of your life if you don't give them your highest consideration in this decision. Just last night I was in MD at a dealer where Peter Mcgraff was using his hard drive to play tunes on a $500+k system including the Wilson XLF's, DCS Vilvaldi stack, Boulder latest amps and preamp and high end Nordost cabeling. I came home after the show and listenened to some of the same cuts of music albeit not on his HD and the Sevens are some much more dynamic,rich, full bodied with better timbre its not even close IMHO. If the only way you have heard them is in a hotel room at a show that is not properly set up. Come to Pa to my house and listen you will not be disapointed. Only a two hour drive from Newark.