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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
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.
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hifiron
102 posts
 
I was in your boat a few years ago, then I did a complete "reset" on what my goals were. My target was a minimalistic system that excels in transparency and accuracy. My first step was low powered tube SET with full-range drivers. It was very impressive. Since then I have moved to a more powerful push-pull tube at 20WPC and hybrid radials (Decware HR-1), but my goals are still very similar.

I auditioned a few speakers that I really did enjoy and would recommend highly.

Vandersteen 1Ci $1350
Spatial M4 $1995

The Vandersteen’s I bet you can find on Craigslist for $500 without issue. That would be a steal and the reduced complexity of the crossover would be a welcomed approach (at least to my ears) compared to the golden ears.

Keeping the signal path as minimal as possible is my target.

Moral of my post: don't feel the need to buy a big brand (I know Vandersteen is big) to get good sound. Check out Decware, Spatial Audio, Vandersteen.
213runnin
562 posts
 
Sunny, in your smaller listening room, some speakers would not be suitable.  I had a pair of towers from the Paradigm Signature line, in a room that was about 11' x 17.  I had to move the system to a larger room altogether, it would quickly get congested as the room was overpowered.  

One drawback of the Sierra Towers I've read is that they do not excel in large rooms, but are best in medium sized ones instead.  I'm not sure if this helps you, perhaps it would be best to order 2 pairs of speakers, and send back the loser, it's what many do these days.  Just make sure that both sellers have some kind of trial policy.


sunnyjim OP
884 posts
 

hifiron   Thank s for your recommendation.  I owned the Vandersteen IC about 12 years ago. It was an interim purchase, though a nice sounding speaker and it served its purpose for a while until I found something.better.

Will check out the Spatials M-4's and Decware


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