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What's the best passive (and preferably floorstanding) speaker one can find for $2,500 or less?

MattHooper

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Why hasn't every member of this site simply bought Revel speakers?

;-)
 

RayDunzl

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RayDunzl

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777

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For that money the answer is Kef and many others. Revel sacrifice the sound for a very good linearity.
 

Eurasian

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If used speakers are acceptable, many of the large Dunlavy SC series should fit the budget. I bought a pair of SC-Vs a few years ago for $2500 after some negotiating. They are full-range by anyone's definition, flat to +/- 1.5dB anechoic and pair matched to be within .5 dB at 10' on the tweeter axis -- and they image like nothing else I have ever heard. I would have loved to hear what John Dunlavy could have built with modern dsp had he and his company survived another decade or so.
 

Daverz

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If used speakers are acceptable, many of the large Dunlavy SC series should fit the budget. I bought a pair of SC-Vs a few years ago for $2500 after some negotiating. They are full-range by anyone's definition, flat to +/- 1.5dB anechoic and pair matched to be within .5 dB at 10' on the tweeter axis -- and they image like nothing else I have ever heard. I would have loved to hear what John Dunlavy could have built with modern dsp had he and his company survived another decade or so.

Duntech in Australia and Lipinski in the US are still making speakers based on his engineering principles.

http://lipinskisound.com/
http://duntech.com

I still have a pair of SC-IIIs.
 

Eurasian

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Duntech in Australia and Lipinski in the US are still making speakers based on his engineering principles.

http://lipinskisound.com/
http://duntech.com

I still have a pair of SC-IIIs.
I have 2 pair of SC-llls as surrounds -- wonderful speakers!

Here is a link to an article by Dunlavy written for Widescreen Review and published posthumously. I think many on this site will appreciate John's scientific approach.

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?attachments/dunlavy-wsr-article-2-pdf.926465/

You may need AK credentials to view it.
 

goodkeys

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Has nobody mentioned the Quad ESL 57 yet? As with any really good speakers they not the best for everybody, but they are the best for some. The frequency curve declines steeply below 40 Hz. Meaning they do bass (and very well so due to the fast transient reproduction), but not subbass. And for some people they are not loud enough. Apart from that - well, you really have to hear them.

Not your best choice if you are into EDM. But for accoustic music, so far I haven't heard any other speakers that I'd like more.
 
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