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End Game Speakers

rcarlbe

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Hi all. Been reading and learning from this community for more than a year. It's been great! Here's my situation. My dad loves music. He's 76 years old. His music heart is in the 60s and 70s. He has Ess speakers and reworked them himself last year, but he sees the big END, and has said F it! He wants "END GAME SPEAKERS", but he's leaning on me to deliver! No pressure. Take price out of it for a sec. because I don't want this to be about BMRs, Salon2s or Genelecs +/- subs or about wasting money on g/olden ears or labored refrains on room treatments. He wants to FEEL like THIS IS END GAME. Do you FEEL ME!? He's got his eye on Legacy Aeris with Wavelet. Question: IF YOU WERE HIS AGE WOULD YOU BUY? I want to make the guy happy. I'm his son. This time I appreciate your advice as people not scientists.
Ryan
 

DonH56

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I got mine, Revel Salon2's. For him, need to provide at least some bound on the price... And, does he have a preference as far as looks (aesthetics) go?
 

sweetchaos

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Lots of great options...here's the top list:

Towers Under US$35,000/pair:
RecommendationPSLFX
#1Kef Blade 1 Meta7.7*23*
#2Kef Reference 5 [Was replaced by Meta in Feb 2022]7.6*23*
#3Kef Blade 2 Meta7.4*29*
WorthyKef Reference 3 Meta6.8*33*
WorthyRevel F208 (Amir)6.726
WorthyKef Reference 5 Meta6.7*32*
WorthyRevel F328Be (Amir)6.629
WorthyRevel Ultima2 Studio26.5*24*
WorthyRevel F2066.4*36*
WorthyRevel Ultima2 Salon26.3*23*
WorthyRevel F228Be (Amir)6.230
WorthyRevel F226Be (Erin)6.043
WorthyKef R5 (Erin)5.933
WorthyRevel F35 (Amir)5.739
WorthyArendal Sound 1961 Tower (Erin)5.151
WorthyJBL 4309 (Amir)3.841
WorthyRevel F36****
WorthyKef R7****
WorthyKef R11****
** No spinorama for Revel F36. I'm including it because we have multiple Revel tower speakers (F35, F226Be, F228Be, F206, F208, Ultima2 Studio2) spinorama already, so it's not a stretch to imagine these will be good.
** No spinorama for Kef R7. I'm including it because we have Kef R3, R5 spinorama already, so it's not a stretch to imagine these are better.
** No spinorama for Kef R11. I'm including it because we have Kef R3, R5 spinorama already, so it's not a stretch to imagine these are better.
End of Tower

Plus BMR towers (review)
image_large2

My personal preference is...
Kefs, since I love their looks and vertical directivity control.
 

USER

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The easiest way for him to experience something he hasn't before as simply as possible is to get subs and a preamp with Dirac Live (I recommend the miniDSP SHD, which has a DAC--as well as an ADC if he has a phono stage--and streamer built in, just add an amp) to go with the fantastic speakers you will get him. I am willing to bet he hasn't heard a system that is full range and tuned to his room. This is the most significant advancement in recent times and he certainly deserves to hear the difference.
 

Another Bob

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It's not clear why you've apparently ruled out the Salon 2 (among others). I'm guessing by the fact that he has his eye on the Legacy Aeris that imposing size, large output capability, and perhaps flashy cabinetry are what makes it feel like an end game speaker? But again, I think the Salon 2 fits that description fairly well. Me, I'd probably go with JBL M2, or maybe the 4367 if I didn't want to deal with the complexity of multiple amps and stuff.
 
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rcarlbe

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Good questions. Big speakers do mean something to him. He's old school, gosh, I am kinda school too. The end game cannot be 12"×24"...its gotta have a bit of a wow factor. I told him up front that the Salons2 were on my very short list, but I wanted him to be excited and I doubted myself there.
 
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rcarlbe

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Just So right. I drove down and plugged in my Rythmik sub at his house over Thanksgiving and he said he'd never heard anything like that. It was horribly integrated, but none of that mattered---AT ALL. He'd NEVER heard ANYTHING like it his entire life. That is most in part what brought him to ask me about end game speakers. I appreciate the JBL and Dirac advice.
 

DonH56

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Just So right. I drove down and plugged in my Rythmik sub at his house over Thanksgiving and he said he'd never heard anything like that. It was horribly integrated, but none of that mattered---AT ALL. He'd NEVER heard ANYTHING like it his entire life. That is most in part what brought him to ask me about end game speakers. I appreciate the JBL and Dirac advice.

FWIWFM, I use four Rythmik F12's with my set of Salon2s...
 

kongwee

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Any model of Avalon Acoustic can give. For me, the lowest PM model it enough. Hyped above 15K and below 35Hz base on their old model. Nice FR curve for me.
 
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Sal1950

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Question: IF YOU WERE HIS AGE WOULD YOU BUY? I want to make the guy happy. I'm his son. This time I appreciate your advice as people not scientists.
I am his age, well 72 so close.
Anyhow, not sure why he's got his eyes on the Legacy Aeris but I'll say this. I've heard Legacy speakers many times at shows and spoken with Bill Dudleston on a number of occasions. I have great respect for him as a designer and company owner. If something about the Legacy is flipping your dads switch I don't believe he can go wrong with a pair. They are large powered towers capable of incredible sound levels and extraordinary inner detail performance. I came close to getting a pair many years back but at the time they were just outside of my budget. They are just the thing for us old school kind of guys.
I recently got new JBL towers and although a lot less costly than the Aeris, I know where he's coming from.
You can show him a few other options like have already been mentioned here, but in the end if he's still jazzed on the Legacy's, go for it. You can't go wrong with them, most specially if he's got a preconceived bias to want and like them.
Good Luck, Sal
 
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rcarlbe

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Those Avalons are just gorgeous. Wow. Focals look sweet. Yeah the Utopias are out of $ range, but I'm sure they sound great. Appreciate the suggestions. Good stuff. The old man with those or JBLs would be a happy camper.
 
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rcarlbe

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Sal, that is great to hear. I'm with ya there. He's into the Legacys and if that is what turns him on, we'll heck. I'll talk over the other options with him. At the end of the day I want thd old guy to smile when he turns up the volume.
 

soundwave76

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Could it be that this is a purchase made with the heart, not with the brain? If he already dreams of a speaker X, then that it is?
 

Duke

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Do you FEEL ME!? He's got his eye on Legacy Aeris with Wavelet. Question: IF YOU WERE HIS AGE WOULD YOU BUY? I want to make the guy happy. I'm his son. This time I appreciate your advice as people not scientists.
Ryan

Music is good for the soul whether it's endgame or opening game or anywhere in the middle.

If Legacy Aeris will bring more music into your father's life without also bringing in financial stress, do it. Speaking as a people.

And imo the Aeris is an exceptionally well thought-out design. I really like Bill Dudleston's approach. Speaking now as a speaker designer.
 

woofersus

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I've heard a lot of speakers over the years having been to a lot of audio shows and been involved in the industry a little bit, but a handful of models have stuck with me over the years as all-time favorites with cost being no object:

  • JBL Everest
  • TAD Reference 1
  • GR Research LS9 (no longer available but pop up used for weirdly cheap sometimes)
  • Revel Ultima Salon2

That's not a comprehensive list and there are plenty of others that I liked and some I didn't but these are the ones that stand out and I seem to always enjoy. You mentioned the Legacy Aeris and I've heard those and thought they were pretty good. It was a challenging environment to evaluate much and haven't spent that much time with them. Lots of people seem to like them though, so they're fairly universally appealing at least. I don't know what your dad's preferences are. I haven't really liked ESS speakers very much.
 
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rcarlbe

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Could it be that this is a purchase made with the heart, not with the brain? If he already dreams of a speaker X, then that it is?
It's the combination he's looking for. He mentioned the Legacy Aeris so that gave me the hint the speakers should be in that family of aesthetics and acoustics. Seems like there are some other good options in that category. We're probably won't be auditioning speakers. Maybe we hear one option if it's available nearby. It's gotta be a pretty sure thing.
 
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