$40.000 speaker advise. Check out my list

take 30k and go party like its`1999...then get some used avalons when you get back.....seriously

At $40k, I would definitely add ESP Concert Grand SI's to your list. Elliot Midwood of Acoustic Image has been using these at a few audio shows (review from HE 2006)and I can't say i have ever heard anything quite like them. Simply incredible. He drove them with Wavestream Kinetics V-8 tube amplification (300 watt monoblocks, as shown, $35,000, 150 watt stereo model, $20,000), Messenger preamp($30k), and a vinyl front end to die for.

Hello,

I have heard 4 of your six in depth and describe them below. And I have also heard the Sonus Faber with to many variables present to comment on it specifically.

This is if except is from my system page here on the GON with MY PERSONAL speaker rankings. JUST MY 2 CENTS.

1. I have heard a new Speaker that
swept me away. I will list it here if I can ever get a fair deal on them, but as of yet I have not been able too. I don't want to mention it here for selfish reasons, because it appears I am going to have to wait for a pari to come up for sale on Audiogon. (Luck for me, my spare speakers kick but, ATC SCM 20's)

2. MBL 111e or 101e: The closest to live music I've ever heard. I don't know how they sound in a "real world room" because the room I heard them in is very good. (Ultimate Audio Video in Chicago, IL). These speakers have an awesome "live" presence like no other. And were not as tonal as the Rockports in the same system. But they do have very good tone. The good tone when combined with the presence makes them pretty special.
I have to admit I would like to hear them again, because I bought the Brikmann Balance Turntable after hearing it in this system that day,and not the MBL's. The Balance brought my ATC's to a whole new level. So I don't know where they may rank now. The ATC's tone may make the MBl's presence novel now. But they can stay number one, its nice to have a dream.

3. ATC Anniversary 50's (Best "real world speaker"). These do not require $30,000 worth of amps. They have awesome tone and impact the Second best midrange of all speakers. However, they are not the last word in treble or bass response. They do bring electrostatic-like cohesiveness to drivers. They have awesome "tube like", or "music like" tonality in the midrange, not lush "tube like", think Vac PHI 300 or your own personal best tube reference. Then, imagine a very good solid state amp on the bass. Basically, you get great tone from top to bottom, with great image palpability and natural image size.

By far the best sonic value for the dollar, and a damn fine speaker and amp combo regardless of value. To beat them you would need to spend an ADDITIONAL minimum $40,000 on speakers, amps, and speaker cables.

4.0 Quads 2905. I loved these alot, the BEST midrage of all speakers. However, they are only SLIGHTLY better in the mids than the ATC's. So when I factored in the lack of impact, and that they also could not capute the power of the piano, the decesion was easy for my tastes. These
make Martin Logan's and Maggies, look very bad by comparison. The image size is more accurate, and bass good. Quads are the second best value after ATC's. They should be matched to the finest electronics. They deserve $30,000 to $40,000 in front of them not $8,000-$9,000 their price might suggest was balanced. They excel at string tones and vocals.

5. Von Schweikert VR-9 gives up midrange tone to the ATCs and real life presence to the MBLs. However, it adds thunderous bass and ultimate high frequency response.

6. Verity Sarastro (Please note the auditon was in a dealer setting with all his own equipment, which was top notch Shindo, and his turntable was a Basis with my same Dynavector XV-1S cartridge, so I felt no reason to use my own equipment.) I liked many things about this speaker: its speed, transparency, and its tone is first rate. However, in the room I heard them in, which was rather live sounding they, were not "intimate" enough for me. I don't know
exactly how much was the room, and how much was the speakers.

7. Goldmund Active Speakers were very nice, but for $33,000, I expect a speaker to go deeper unless it can put a LIVE violin in my room, which it could not. However, it is a fine speaker!!!

8. Rockport ($30,000 version) sounded similar to the ATC's. They had slightly better bass; but I had $15,000 to $28,000 worth of amps in use. I have no sonic complaints, rather just value issues, as compared to the ATC's and others. If I were going to have that kind of money in a speaker and amp combo, I would go for the MBl 111e with two VAC PHI 300's; you would be much closer to live music.

8. Martin Logan Summits: are the third best value after ATC's and Quads. (But I must say QUADS ARE WAY BETTER THAN THESE.)They should be matched to the finest electronics. They deserve $30,000 to $40,000 in front of them not $8,000-$9,000 their price might suggest was balanced. Like the Quads they excel at string tones and vocals, but they falter on wood tones. However, their biggest issue is image size and palpability. They are too transparent!!!!

9. Revel Salons are a very balanced speaker. They are good at everything yet best in class at nothing. They are a very well designed speaker.

10. Avalon Diamonds: Sonics, remind me off Revel Ultimas. Which is not a bad thing. But these are way overpriced for their sonics, and their fit and finsh at their asking price is laughable.

11. Kharma 3.2 Fe At this price point $20,000 in my opinion you should get more bass. But I can live with lack of bass, but they over image everything.

12. Maggie 20.1 Great tone, but images larger than life at "real world" listening distances. But if you had a huge room and a far listeing distance they would be hard to beat, for acoustic music and classical.

13. Classic Audio Reproductions T1 (Horn Speakers).
The only speaker besides MBL's that will put a drum set in your room. They are explosive as hell. For rock and roll they are my favorite by a mile. However, on chamber music they falter, and I listen to chamber music often, so they are not a good match for my music taste.

This is my separation point. I could not live with any of the below long term.

14. Vandersteen 5A. -To Dark and Boxy)
15. Wilson Chimera -Drivers do not blend well, which should be no surprise, given the configuration.
I found myself listening to one driver at a time.
16. B & W 802 D To much like good HI-FI, not like good music.
They highlighted certain aspects of the music in an artificial, or enhanced manner and in doing so called attention to themselves.
To paint a visual, think TV's at Best Buy. They have them adjusted to make real life look more bright colored and vivid than it actually is. These speakers do the same to music.
17. Wilson 7.1's , and or Sophia's (Explosive dynamics, very Average midrange tone. Great for home theater!!!But not for the music lover.

Sorry to not directly answer your question in my long post.

1. Verity, 2. Rockport, 3. Revel, 4. Avalon, 5. Sonus Faber,
6. Lumen have not heard.

You might want to schedule a visit to a Gallo dealer and check out their latest and greatest - they MAY just wail on the speakers you listed...If they do, feel free to send me 1/2 of the $30k I just saved you [smile].

Nucleus Reference 5LS:
http://roundsound.com/reference-5-ls-speakers.html

-RW-