5-10k budget... so many choices

Audiotroy: I want to respect you but you make it hard with posts like your last one.  First off, it’s Raidho, which you have misspelled numerous times on numerous posts.  Second...  I am completely taken back by your continued mention of Raidho speakers being “bright” or too detailed.  They have perhaps the most magical tweeter on the planet.  I haven’t ONCE heard them sound bright or fatiguing in any way.

If you’re going to be as outspoken as you are on this forum, make sure you know what you’re talking about when you try to go into detail on brands you have obviously little to no hands on experience with.

Wow!  After reading this thread it is clear why there are so many diversely designed loudspeakers.  In addition, the terminology used to describe what we hear could use some refinement.  Perhaps many posting on this thread prefer very similar designs, but because of unartful use of descriptors, are not accurately conveying what they hear or prefer in sound quality.

Warning to the OP, make sure you also note what (other) gears are used during the speaker demos. Those Focals may require some significant additional investment, e.g., amplifier, preamp, source, etc., to sound the way they did during the demo. It reminds me of when I had an awe inspiring experience hearing a pair of Revel Salons and looked down and took notice of the Mark Levinson monoblocks sitting right next to each one and other Levinson gear upstream. The dealers have plenty of time to experiment and in many cases know how to make the "system" sound exceptional in their showroom. Just make sure your comparisons are apple to apple. Good luck.

Come on Contuzzi, you like the Paradigm Personas so I have to respect you and your opinions somewhat.

You don't understand my classification, lets just simplify almost any uber high tech metal based driver is going to sound detailed, clean, transparent, wether or not a particular listener is going to find all that clarity to be too much is a matter of personal taste and system setup. 

Pure Ceramic drivers also tend to sound in this camp ie the Acuton's used in Kharmas original speakers. 

The only uber high tech tweeters that have mega clarity, speed, and articulation while also sounding smooth, Acuton Pure Diamond drivers.

(we have a set of Polymers which use these drivers)

If you look at all the speakers that tend to fit into this camp, almost every one of these tweeters goes up to 40-50k or above.

Vs. 

Soft domes, Heils, Electrostatics,  very rarely have I ever heard a Heil driver with the same level of uber clarity then the above camp, generally more detailed then a soft dome fabric driver, and more air. 

Electrostatics all tend to be shelved in frequency response above 16k,
and most soft dome tweeters even if they extend to the 20k and above range all tend to be smooth and musical with less "apparent" detail then the above camp.

Have you ever heard a "bright pair of Harbeths or Sonus Fabers or Quads Electrostatics? 

I rest my case.

Lets make an analogy to a coffee drinker, 

You got pure black coffee, all the detail can be a bit aserbic for many people.


You got the little bit of milk or half and half guys, a bit more toned down and slightly altered,  from the above but you can still  taste the coffee.

You got the little bit of milk and a bit of sugar, guys, another step  towards changing the taste and cutting off the aserbic nature of the unadultarated pure black coffee. 

and finally,

Coffee with a lot of cream and a lot of sugar, now you have changed the coffee into something else. 

You see my point, which Coffee drinker are you? 

Persepective is a very unusal thing it is a shame we all don't have one.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

@audiotroy   I assume you commit an act of omission in not mentioning the musical preeminence of the Vandersteen "Carbon Tweeter" as in Treo "CT" and Quatro "CT" as you don't carry them.  

I think your basic assertion that "hard material" tweeters made from a variety of metals are often a bit much in their presentation of treble and how they integrate with the other drivers in a particular speaker design is on point.

Soft domes, as you assert, do generally have a more forgiving nature.

In my personal experience, my circa 1980s Vandersteen 2C with their soft silk dome tweeters, had that more musically satisfying treble presentation than the metal domes in all iterations of the Model 3.  The 3A Signature in current production have come a very long way toward providing treble detail with smoothness of response.

My current Treo CTs have a literal seamlessness between drivers. Once you have them set up properly, you just listen to music and really don't think about the relative contributions of individual drivers.  Amazing accomplishment for Richard Vandersteen!