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General speaker questions for audio and home theater.

Best 3-way, or 2.5-way speaker under $6k

Please share your own choices. The $6k price can be new, or used. You might want to read my caveats, if you'd like to help me in my own search. If not, that's ok, just share whatever your own choice is (whether you currently own it or not).

Here is sort of a run-down of my own thoughts at this time.

So far two speakers have interested me: The Sonus Faber Liuto, and the Vienna Acoustics Mozart Grand. (The Sonus Faber "toy tower" does not appeal to me.) The Vienna looks like at least as good a value for money, since it is priced well under $4k (although it looks like prices have been hiked on this brand over the last 2 years or so...and premium Rosewood costs an extra $300 or more...that should be more like $200 imo).

The Spendor 5B looks interesting, but doesn't seem to have adequate bass extension, and the dealer network looks limited here in the Southeast USA. I liked what I heard from different Spendor speakers in the past, though...but not really for the asking price.

I love the finish on the cabinetry from ProAc, but they seem to be moving away from using dome tweeters (at least on their top models). The Studio 140Mk2 does use a soft dome, but also uses carbon filled polypropelyne cone midwoofers. The speakers I've used and owned in the past, which use this type of cone, sound a little too over-ripe, and lack detail. Also it looks like the woofers share the same airspace with each other, but I could be wrong. If that is the case, then that's also not what I want.

The Aerial Acoustics 7T looks quite nice, as a used product only. Since it's a recent model, I doubt it will be on the used market for a while. I'm really not a fan of buying used, although I have done it with some very good success in the past.

I also don't really like metal dome tweeters or woven fiberglass cones, so that cuts out PSB and the lower range from Focal. I own the small Magneplanar MMG (besides other speakers which aren't planar). I like them (had them for 16 years!), and I'm sure the larger models would be better. But I really prefer to look for a 2.5 or 3 way cone-type speaker now.

Speakers generally don't seem to hold their value well at all, on the used market. So if there is a brand you have in mind that does, feel free to enlighten me. Wilson Audio obviously does, but I don't think they have a 3-way which would even sell used for under $6k...I also don't like their titanium tweeter. If I had to own a metal tweeter, it would be at least a ceramic, or ScanSpeak's beryllium...but let's not get outrageous.

Chario speakers have always appealed to me, by their looks alone (similar to Sonus Faber), but I've never heard any. Opera speakers also look interesting. Neither seems to have any dealers in the USA.

The Ascend Acoustics Sierra Tower looks interesting for only around $2k, and is an America-based company. But I think I would have a much harder time reselling them in the future, than one of the more well-known brands. I could be wrong though.

The Zu Audio speakers look interesting, but I have a feeling they might lack the refinement of the lower sensitivity competition...especially in the midrange.

Salk Sound (another American company) makes some lovely cabinents, but ribbon tweeters coupled with magnesium cones just don't do it for me (the Mundorf AMT tweeters just might...but a 3-way system with those would be entirely too pricey). I keep coming back to ScanSpeak or similar soft dome tweeters.

I haven't mentioned Dynaudio, because I currently own speakers which use their drivers. I do like them very much, but I'm ready for something that at least sounds slightly different. Their MSP cones and aluminum formers do sound superb, and I don't remotely classify them with the much poorer-sounding mineral filled polypropylene mentioned above.

Happy Listening!
Carl


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Topic - Best 3-way, or 2.5-way speaker under $6k - CarlEber 15:14:26 06/12/12 (23)

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