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In Reply to: RE: Suggestions to replace Dunlavy posted by hebaton on October 18, 2014 at 05:33:55
There is a new auction up on eBay that seems to be a possible once-every 20-years memorable bargain:
Peak Consult Princess V Speakers NEW factory sealed Walnut Lacquer List $16,300; STARTING BID $4995.
Even better, the speakers are in Buffalo NY (NIB) but the seller is Gene Rubin Audio of LA on behalf of the former North American importer. Too bad they gave up, but Peak Consult is probably an even harder sell in the US market than Wilson Benesch.
Now there might be vigorous bidding, but I doubt that more than 10% of US audiophile know of the brand and I doubt that 2% of American Audiophiles have heard a speaker from Peak Consult. But every one I heard was excellent, and Stereophile has reviewed them very positively.
So, if they run up to $10,000 that's dealer cost, and if they run up to $6500, that's importer cost, and if they stay at $4995, that would be rather remarkable.
NB, I privately emailed the OP and received no response, so, let Adam Smith's Invisible Hand take over.
NB2, the photo is stock art; this pair is New in a Sealed Box.
ATB,
JM
PS: I have no relationship with the owner or his agent.
Follow Ups:
I am not usually a doom and gloom guy; but, reading the newspaper headlines, we are not in a chipper jolly place, here in the US. The very wealthy can continue to hire people and buy things, but it ain't too great for the rest of us.
So, I hate to be a bearer of bad news, but, it seems to me that if the seller relisted those at $2500 starting bid...
They might not get any bids anyway.
Upgrading or changing speakers as the OP wants to is an optional non-necessity, so I guess that makes it a luxury.
It will be a canary in the coal mine to see how this auction pans out or not, IMHO.
jm
The move from a Dunlavy SC V to a ported 2 way with a 5 inch woofer might be a LITTLE drastic.
I briefly got to hear one of their larger speakers (the Empress?), and it was quite impressive.
The OP clearly implied (but as often is the case, he did not clearly STATE) that he was looking for substantially smaller speakers.
The dots that he left us to connect as well as we could, given that he never said that he wanted smaller speakers, are:
1. He is moving to a smaller room.
[A reader then must infer that the room is just absolutely too small for his present speakers; but, as is often the case, he did not provide measurements for the new room.]
2. He is thinking about Harbeth 40.1s.
I had in a former listening room the previous Harbeth 40 model, and within a year of those, the Peak Consult standmounts. I thought the old Harbeth 40 was a big-assed, disco-era, definitely nostalgic, recording studio "soffit monitor" wannabe. I loved it but it was not accurate in the way a Wilson Benesch was.
I assume that a floorstanding Peak Consult 2-way will have more bass than the standmount I heard. I looked at the spec but I have forgotten it. It seemed to me that the Peak Consult was a good match for the OP's listening tastes.
The eBay auction is at present a screaming bargain. If the OP got those for $4495, he could get between $1000 and $2000 dumping the Dunlavys (Blue Book wholesale), and be sitting pretty.
Or, he could spend $20,000 on Wilson Sophia 3s.
I have no canine in this altercation.
ATB,
jm
John, thanks for all the comments and suggestions. I think you are a
little unfair to Harbeth. Not saying you should like them as this will always be a personal matter at some point but, considering the number of positive reviews from both Professional writers and end users,I cannot believe all those people are wrong. these things must have some qualities... I have yet to audition them and will certainly post something when I do.
As for the Wilson Sophia 3s, I had a pair and really never could connect to them. They where there, and so was the music, far from me...
regards,
Claud
http://app.audiogon.com/listings/full-range-peak-consult-princess-v-speakers-new-sealed-gene-rubin-audio-since-1979-2014-09-24-speakers-14201-buffalo-ny
As for the Wilson Benesch, perhaps the best sound I've ever heard at a show. My Revel's might have to go for a pair at some point....
BTW, Wilson Benesch is now being imported by the Harbeth importer, Fidelis AV in New Hampshire.
ATB,
jm
nt
Yeah, watch now as the bidding prices rise from miniscule to sky high...
They are orphan products that, it is fair to say were overpriced--because they could not make a dent in the US retail market.
Yes, the side panels are clad in Walnut more than an inch thick, the hookup wire is silk insulated, etc.
They failed to sell at retail.
I will be surprised if these fetch what the importer paid, which was probably $6500. I will be shocked if they hit dealer cost--$10,000.
Why? Because they are an orphan product from a company that has failed in the US market IIRC three times now.
That does not mean it is a bad speaker--I loved every PC speaker I ever heard. It just might mean that they were "too cool for the room."
As is often the case, truth will be the daughter of time.
John
Just kidding, John.
I really hope someone here takes advantage of that sale, I'd really enjoy hearing about their impressions.
As I have said time and time again, the high end is due for a woeful shaking out because everybody who wants component audio already has some, and in these parlous times, upgrading their stereo is not the first thing on most peoples' minds.
A few US audio companies are to me seeming to survive only on exports.
I bet that because of their high materials and fabrication costs (Denmark, not China), Peak Consult was not as profitable as most household-name loudspeaker companies.
Breaking into the US market in a real way is hard hard hard. It takes about 5 years of daily work and a sinking fund of about $250,000 to get established until cash flow is steady.
Having a good product is not enough.
ATB,
jm
Peak Consult speakers provided some of the best speaker sound I heard at SS&I a few years ago.
So, we agree that they are Too Cool for the Room that is the US.
Sad but true.
jm
Yup.
nt
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