Howdy folks!
Well, after receiving several (very kind and supportive) DMs these past months since the original thread ($30K Budget - On the quest for my "end game" speaker) asking what was the status of my quest, if I had decided yet, was I going to start another thread, etc, etc ... Here we are. Turns out I had to put the hunt a bit on the back burner for a time, sometimes life circumstances get in the way, though still continued at a low level but not at the same intensity as before. But before we get too far down the path, let's get the elephant out of the room for those familiar with the ending of the last thread ...
I probably don't have to do this, as the "toddlers" that caused the havoc in the last thread were recognized for what they were by most of you (thanks again for the very kind DMs following that unfortunate event) ... But, the mods recommended it, plus I feel I owe it to all of you to keep this fully above board and make sure my ethical position is crystal clear ... I have never been nor am I a “shill” for Soundfield as I was accused of being, anymore than I am a shill for any other speaker manufacturer I mentioned in my original thread. I still have a fairly long short list of final contenders, only one of which is Soundfield. And also to make a crystal clear and general statement, I have ZERO affiliations with any audio company, period. Zilch, none, zero. I am just a fella trying to find a speaker that will bring joy to my ears and knock my socks off on a daily basis. Simple as that. If you want to call me a Soundfield "fanboy", well than that would certainly be very fair and accurate
... Finally, please join me to keep things above board in this thread by being kind to one another (they are just speakers after all) and especially by not feeding the trolls (which I am sure will re-surface, they always do). The ignore function is our friend (thanks to the mods for their support and reminder of this!).
OK, with all of that silliness out of way, let's move on to the fun stuff ... Obviously, I still have not selected a speaker! Yeah, I know, big surprise. What is taking me so long? Well, the fact of the matter is I am not in a hurry (though believe me, I do still want to end this quest sooner than later!), and the journey itself has been a blast. Plus, I have heard multiple systems now that make up my short list and I am simply struggling to make a decision. Finally, there are some upcoming new models on the horizon that I want to audition before the final decision. My plan was to re-start the quest thread to coincide with (my) first audio show of the year, and that is the Florida Audio Expo, which will be held this weekend (Feb 16-18)! Never been to this particular show and have had this trip planned for several months now. For now I am also planning to attend AXPONA in April, but that is still TBD.
So, to recap my shortlist, in alphabetical order (if you would like to know what I have ruled out so far, please reference the old thread, but of course ignore the train wreck ending):
Clarysis (exact model TBD)
Danley HRE and ILE
Dutch and Dutch (upcoming larger model, not the 8C, though the 8C is superb!)
Diptyque (exact model TBD)
GGNTKT M3
Legacy V System and Aeris
Soundfield Custom
And yes, I plan to provide a show report. However, not sure if I will provide daily updates, but will try (attending this audio show also coincides with the family vacation, so may not have the time every day). Also will try to take more pictures and post those. By the way, if there are any speakers that anyone would like me to audition (that maybe I had no plans for), don't hesitate to post a request. Of course any descriptions will be my SUBJECTIVE observations, so take them with a grain of salt, especially if they don't match your possible prior experience, or worse I have a negative impression of your favorite speaker. Don't take it personal. If you like them, that is all that matters, not what I think. Also a reminder these are hotel room show conditions, very difficult even for very good systems to sound good sometimes. As an example, I heard the Salon 2 at AXPONA last year and it was terrible. Not even the same speaker it seemed from prior experience (and it is truly a superb loudspeaker). Stuff happens, I always cut the vendors some slack in that regard.
Thanks all, more to come !
Well, after receiving several (very kind and supportive) DMs these past months since the original thread ($30K Budget - On the quest for my "end game" speaker) asking what was the status of my quest, if I had decided yet, was I going to start another thread, etc, etc ... Here we are. Turns out I had to put the hunt a bit on the back burner for a time, sometimes life circumstances get in the way, though still continued at a low level but not at the same intensity as before. But before we get too far down the path, let's get the elephant out of the room for those familiar with the ending of the last thread ...
I probably don't have to do this, as the "toddlers" that caused the havoc in the last thread were recognized for what they were by most of you (thanks again for the very kind DMs following that unfortunate event) ... But, the mods recommended it, plus I feel I owe it to all of you to keep this fully above board and make sure my ethical position is crystal clear ... I have never been nor am I a “shill” for Soundfield as I was accused of being, anymore than I am a shill for any other speaker manufacturer I mentioned in my original thread. I still have a fairly long short list of final contenders, only one of which is Soundfield. And also to make a crystal clear and general statement, I have ZERO affiliations with any audio company, period. Zilch, none, zero. I am just a fella trying to find a speaker that will bring joy to my ears and knock my socks off on a daily basis. Simple as that. If you want to call me a Soundfield "fanboy", well than that would certainly be very fair and accurate
... Finally, please join me to keep things above board in this thread by being kind to one another (they are just speakers after all) and especially by not feeding the trolls (which I am sure will re-surface, they always do). The ignore function is our friend (thanks to the mods for their support and reminder of this!).OK, with all of that silliness out of way, let's move on to the fun stuff ... Obviously, I still have not selected a speaker! Yeah, I know, big surprise. What is taking me so long? Well, the fact of the matter is I am not in a hurry (though believe me, I do still want to end this quest sooner than later!), and the journey itself has been a blast. Plus, I have heard multiple systems now that make up my short list and I am simply struggling to make a decision. Finally, there are some upcoming new models on the horizon that I want to audition before the final decision. My plan was to re-start the quest thread to coincide with (my) first audio show of the year, and that is the Florida Audio Expo, which will be held this weekend (Feb 16-18)! Never been to this particular show and have had this trip planned for several months now. For now I am also planning to attend AXPONA in April, but that is still TBD.
So, to recap my shortlist, in alphabetical order (if you would like to know what I have ruled out so far, please reference the old thread, but of course ignore the train wreck ending
):Clarysis (exact model TBD)
Danley HRE and ILE
Dutch and Dutch (upcoming larger model, not the 8C, though the 8C is superb!)
Diptyque (exact model TBD)
GGNTKT M3
Legacy V System and Aeris
Soundfield Custom
And yes, I plan to provide a show report. However, not sure if I will provide daily updates, but will try (attending this audio show also coincides with the family vacation, so may not have the time every day). Also will try to take more pictures and post those. By the way, if there are any speakers that anyone would like me to audition (that maybe I had no plans for), don't hesitate to post a request. Of course any descriptions will be my SUBJECTIVE observations, so take them with a grain of salt, especially if they don't match your possible prior experience, or worse I have a negative impression of your favorite speaker. Don't take it personal. If you like them, that is all that matters, not what I think. Also a reminder these are hotel room show conditions, very difficult even for very good systems to sound good sometimes. As an example, I heard the Salon 2 at AXPONA last year and it was terrible. Not even the same speaker it seemed from prior experience (and it is truly a superb loudspeaker). Stuff happens, I always cut the vendors some slack in that regard.
Thanks all, more to come !
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