@TimW Agreed and this is direction I am leaning (directivity control). D&D and Kii off the list primarily due to output limitations, otherwise they would still be on short list. Thank you!
If you are looking for timbral accuracy then audition magicos. I will never go back to ported speakers. Not particularly fussy in setup, but they do like a lot of power.Howdy All,
Just found this site few weeks ago, been a lurker since then, trying to learn, my first post here.
Been in the audiophile "game" for decades, been through many systems, had some great ones to be sure, but always felt I was missing something. NEVER considered active speakers until I started researching all the excellent material and forum on this site. Seems to be a no-brainer based upon reviews, but not being able to play with amps is a strange thought to be sure
Based upon all the reading on this site, my short lists are below ...
Active short list:
Genelec 8351B + W371A
Genelec 8361A + W371A
D&D 8C (plus subs?)
Neumann KH420 (plus subs?)
Kii Three + BXT
Passive short list:
KEF Blade Two Meta
Magico A5
Revel Ultima Salon 2
Revel Performa F228Be
Perlisten S7t
Vivid Audio Kaya 45
Note for this kind of money, of course I plan to listen to as many of these systems as possible, but would like to shrink the list a bit if possible, and that's where I need y'all's kind assistance.
My room is roughly 20'x40', with 10' vaulted ceilings. Will be primarily for music, but definitely plan to pull double duty also for home theater. Music preferences are everything (literally) except country (yuck).
So ... Opinions on the above choices? Anything not on the lists that I should consider?
Thanks all, really appreciate your help on my quest.
MKR
Thanks, look to be nice speakers no doubt, but not up to the level of most on my short list. Mainly to say, certainly competent, but not what I would call “end game”
www.audiosciencereview.com
@benanders I didn’t even know these were still available. Regardless, Amir’s review was far from positive, these do not seem to be a contender.No one has given within-budget suggestions for line array speakers yet. Not sure LA’s would meet your expectations for pinpoint imaging, but - the Carver ALS was subjectively reviewed on ASR (among other places) some years back:
A Visit with Bob Carver and His Amazing Line Source Speakers
I owned my first Carver product back in 1982 or so. It was a 200 watt receiver with amazing FM tuner and light as a feather due to voltage rail switching that increased its efficiency. Fast forward some 35 years later and I was finally face to face with Bob Carver organized at an event by our...
Perhaps most importantly, the company was offering to fly serious prospective buyers out to WA to audition the speaker on-site. Not sure that policy “still flies” now.
I’ve never heard the speakers, but they come in well under your budget and well over your output needs.
If I heard them and still felt like a prospective buyer, I’d want some form of measurable assurance they (or ANY speaker model) would have serviceable parts in production for the foreseeable future.
I know of a guy whose end-game speakers are still Snell A7’s, and he scrutinizes their play time like a prison warden, for fear of irreplaceable parts breaking, ha!
Don’t think it’s been mentioned yet, but, a $20-30k model staying assuredly serviceable for at least the next decade would be no small part of my consideration in such investment. Lest misfortune strike and “end-game” prematurely take on a very different meaning than you intend
www.wisdomaudio.com
Wow! Remind me of the below …The world's greatest stereo system is inside a Virginia home
From classic rock to classical music, the sound is so pure and so perfect, listeners are moved to tears.www.wtvr.com
Line arrays done right - near my hometown
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
Just became aware of the below … another to add to short list or not a contender?
@Purité Audio I think you have some experience with these?
HEDD Audio Tower Mains | Complete Studio Monitor Set-Up | HEDD Audio
Pure Analog Reference Speaker System with the HEDD Tower Mains, we open up new horizons for full range studio monitoring and active audiophile systems and to what they can do and mean for the listener. The HEDD Tower Mains let you rediscover what decisive role dynamics play in audio reproduction...www.hedd.audio
Thanks!
Yes if you have a large ( really large) room and if you like to play loud ( really loud) then these are for you!Just became aware of the below … another to add to short list or not a contender?
@Purité Audio I think you have some experience with these?
HEDD Audio Tower Mains | Complete Studio Monitor Set-Up | HEDD Audio
Pure Analog Reference Speaker System with the HEDD Tower Mains, we open up new horizons for full range studio monitoring and active audiophile systems and to what they can do and mean for the listener. The HEDD Tower Mains let you rediscover what decisive role dynamics play in audio reproduction...
Thanks!
@Purité Audio Thanks Keith. How do these compare to Kii, GGNTK, Genelec, KEF, Revel, etc in your personal opinion? I have a big room and loud is good, but most important to me is accurate sound reproduction first, SPL second.
