Best high-efficiency speaker under 10K

The "you need to audition" advice is doubtless right, but sometimes overstated.

Auditioning is a lot of effort, given that many manufacturers have limited distribution: I've been looking for a speakers for about a year, and through business travel, I've now heard speakers in Carolina, California, Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois. I've tried, and failed, to set up auditions in Arkansas and Tennessee. Still no decision.

Given constraints of time, etc, the auditions may not be all that informative: like other relationships, it's difficult to project from a few hours to a dozen years.

Also, even with notes, memory fails: I know I liked speaker X pretty well, but its hard to compare the memory of X with the experience of Y as I listen now (maybe I could compare a recording of X!;).

Given all this, and given that the conditions in any audition may be only distantly related to the conditions you'll face in your room with your gear, I'm not sure how much benefit auditions are.

My experience is that the negatives are informative: if I don't enjoy it for an hour or two in audition, I eliminate the speaker, even if I suspect set up problems at the audition. As they say about marriage, "if you've got reservations now, you'll be making 'em later." To my surprise, I've quickly eliminated numerous highly regarded speakers in audition. But as for a "good" audition, who's to say: Will it work this way for me? Will it stand the test of time? Is it really better than the competing model I heard three months ago?

Given all this, I think the information found at places like this is well worth seeking out.

Happily, some manufacturers, like Salk, allow in-home demos, which can answer a lot of questions off site auditions cannot.

John

Here are two of the recent threads in which high efficiency speakers have been discussed, as Keith mentioned. These threads are lengthy, but are well worth reading imo.

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?cspkr&1273542421

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?cspkr&1269555143

Also, if your listening includes classical symphonic music having wide dynamic range, which I would guess is the case since you mentioned opera, I would suggest that with your 13 watt amplifier the speakers be rated at 95db/1w/1m as an absolute minimum (and more if your listening distance is greater than about 10 feet).

For non-planar speakers, 95db/1w/1m + 13 watts + a 10 foot listening distance corresponds to a peak spl capability at the listening position of approximately 100db. That will be adequate for the peaks of most classical recordings, in my experience, but there are at least a few that I have encountered which require several db more than that.

Good luck!

-- Al

Ggavetti, I agree that collecting info and recommendations is a good starting point. I did the same thing in a couple of threads asking a question similar to this one, but at a lower price point.

I took what I learned from that thread and from other research and developed a list of ten speakers I wanted to hear. Then, I went to RMAF for a day and listened to only these ten speakers with the exception of adding one more. Eight of the ten speakers were eliminated within the first five minutes of hearing them. I spent the rest of the day listening to the remaining three.

The decision to attend RMAF and to hear the speakers in one concentrated setting was one of the best I've ever made.

Jodoris wrote:

...even with notes, memory fails: I know I liked speaker X pretty well, but its hard to compare the memory of X with the experience of Y as I listen now (maybe I could compare a recording of X!;).

Given all this, and given that the conditions in any audition may be only distantly related to the conditions you'll face in your room with your gear, I'm not sure how much benefit auditions are.

John
Jdoris (System | Threads | Answers | This Thread)

Listening at an audio show removes some of the negatives of auditions held over time and in different cities or in different showrooms.

Yes, attending an audio show is a PITA. Yes, it costs time and money. However, considering the cost of the speakers on my list, I found the cost of attending the show good insurance against a costly bad decision, and I found the time invested well worth the time saved in the buy-and-try method.

Far superior to the Beauhorns are the Horning Hybrid speakers from Denmark which also use the Lowther drivers. The Hornings are some of the best commercial speakers out there at present, especially for ensemble jazz and vocals. If you want your favorite mezzo-soprano to bring you to your knees, you want a Lowther, but you will also want a tweeter and some credible bass...Get down to NYC and visit High Water Sound. If you have a huge room, get the huge Hornings, for small rooms the Aristotle model is within your stated budget and will blow away the other speakers you mentioned in the presence and "passion" departments...

I was on a similar quest and went to RMAF to listen to some of the choices. The 2 best I heard were the Devore Gibbon 9, I did'nt find them soft at all. They do'nt look exciting, but a lovely neutral, musical sound, I could have listened to forever.
In the end, the Devores were pipped by Daedalus Da-Ra Mas, a better sound in that it was quicker, more dynamic and excellent value at the direct from the manufacturer price. Lou the manufacturer is great to deal with too.
I agree with Newbie about the Silverline Bolero. I really enjoyed liastening to them at RMAF. I just think they have got a bit expensive, in the latest version.