Oh brother, am I in desperate need of help! 8)


OK, I've been addicted to audio equipment since I was 15 years old.  Marantz receivers and ESS speakers were my first foray into high end.  Suffice it to say, I've been at this for over 40 years.  I've been to the CES show more times than I can count, and listened to more equipment that I can count.  I've owned everything from Magenepan's, to Martin Logan's, to Thiels, to Von Schweikert's to, well, you get the picture. And I've powered them with everything from from tubes to solid state.

So, here's my quandary.  I just sold what was my dream speaker, a custom Altec 604 system that I spent a fortune building.  They were simply too big for my current home, and I know I'll regret selling them for the rest of my life.  I think my favorite pair of speakers that I've ever owned was a pair of Altec Model 19's.  I believe (I think) that I've moved beyond needing/wanting a system that can play at concert level volumes, but I do want something with a little "get-up-and-go" for those occasions I might want to let the system breathe.  I'm considering going back to a pair of panels.  Today I listened to a pair of Magnapan 1.7's.  I was mightily impressed, but I'm afraid they'll lack the visceral impact and "potency" of a more conventional, high efficiency, cone design.

I really haven't had my head in the game for the last 10 years, so there's a lot of new stuff out there.  I read about a company called Teckton, and despite the positive reviews, I'm hesitant.  There's also the Zu's in the same price range (around $2K/pr.), but I'm torn.  I don't need subterranean bass, as Both Altec systems rolled off at 40hz, and I wasn't really wanting for much.

What are some real stand-out's in the $2,000-$2,500 range (new or used) that I might look out for?  I want a floor standing speaker, not a monitor.  I was actually surprised at the presentation/impact of drums with the Magenepan 1.7's, and the timber of cymbals was eerily realistic, but they definitely compressed when the volume was turned up.  I did make the mistake of listening to a pair of B&W 802's, which were quite impressive, but way out of my price range.

As you can see, I'm in a blender, so any direction would be most appreciated...I'll likely be powering the system with a 150wpc solid state amplifier.

Thanks!
seadweller
Thanks gang!  What about the Dynaudio Focus 260?  Seems to have gotten rave reviews at it's original $5K price point, and now they can be had for under $3K/pr. new, which is over my planned budget.  My only concern is their diminutive size.
You may want to sell in future?  You need to factor that in the equation also.
Get a finish that is not blah....
I'd go with Speaker Art. The engineer is Bob Groose,
Bob has been a speaker builder for 
40 years, his specialty is. 4th. order
crossovers where lows frequencies are
not compromised.
Speaker Art
(805) 772-8405
fax: (805). 772-8671

Best of luck,

Xavier
Excellent suggestion Xavier I have a pair myself and would of suggested them but was not sure if Bob is making speakers these days.