Personal Favorite Speakers

[andres6]

Favorite speaker maker/brand/company/model/line/series in these categories?

1) Under $500/pair
2) Under $1,000/pair
3) Under $2,000/pair
4) Cost is no object.

I think this will help to enlighten people on speakers that are liked from people that obviously care about sound quality if they are reading this forum.

These should be your personal favorite speakers that you've tried out or heard yourself in-person. This is not to promote company XYZ speakers just because it benefits you financially.

 

[andres6]

Favorites

I'll be first.

I like Polk Audio for anything up to 2K dollars, I think they have great value for the money. However, in the under $500 category, I'm not sure they are as good as they used to be.

I've liked Energy, Polk, JBL/Infinity when it comes to speakers I've heard a lot personally. Admittedly, I haven't heard a lot of speakers extensively, except for DCM's (which I liked- back in the day DCM; not current DCM), Klipsch (good too).

I don't have friends and family that are really into Audio. One friend just got into a system (just started) with two little bookshelves, and he likes them (Paradigm sp?)

From what I've read of Thiel, they look to be making some great stuff for around $6,000 a pair.

 

[sholling]

Speakers are such a personal taste thing - especially once you get above $400-500/pair. And then you have to get into how they will be used. For example my favorite $500/pr speakers for my bedroom would be an poor choice for loud rock & roll in a huge room. On the other hand it's pretty hard to wall-hang a pair of Infinity P362s.

I think for the $1000 and $2000 classes I'll just defer to the two Audioholics floorstander face-offs for best or near best in class. Especially since I own the winner of the $2000 face-off.

I keep hoping that one day the gurus will get a chance to hold a $500 (street price) floorstander face-off. One with the Infinity P362, Polk Monitor 70, and EMP E5Ti. That would help a ton of new audioholics. I'm also hoping to see a new $500 bookshelf shootout with Usher's S-520 and Axiom's M22 and several others.

 

[its phillip]

I haven't heard all that many, so I'll just go with what I have >_>

Energy RC-10

MSRP falls under category 2, but they have gone on sale for as little as $300 a pair in the past. The RC line has been discontinued for awhile now, though

 

[walter duque]

Cost no object:
For HT-Cinepro Evo2
2 channel: Sonus Faber "Stradivari"
Focal Labs "Utopia"
Quintessence Acoustics

 

[yepimonfire]

I'll be first.

I like Polk Audio for anything up to 2K dollars, I think they have great value for the money. However, in the under $500 category, I'm not sure they are as good as they used to be.

I've liked Energy, Polk, JBL/Infinity when it comes to speakers I've heard a lot personally. Admittedly, I haven't heard a lot of speakers extensively, except for DCM's (which I liked- back in the day DCM; not current DCM), Klipsch (good too).

I don't have friends and family that are really into Audio. One friend just got into a system (just started) with two little bookshelves, and he likes them (Paradigm sp?)

From what I've read of Thiel, they look to be making some great stuff for around $6,000 a pair.

trust me, i have a $300 pair and they sound fantastic. (polks)

 

[Docks]

Of what ive seen/heard/read...
Id go
Revel F12's and Paradigm Studio 100's for the $1000ish mark.
Under 10 grand? Paradigm S8's and Revel F52
Cost no object? My choice would be Revel Ultima Salon 2's. (Im sure there is better, but none that really caught my attention yet.)
I think i biased =/

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Of what ive seen/heard/read...
Id go
Revel F12's and Paradigm Studio 100's for the $1000ish mark.
Under 10 grand? Paradigm S8's and Revel F52
Cost no object? My choice would be Revel Ultima Salon 2's. (Im sure there is better, but none that really caught my attention yet.)
I think i biased =/

Did you get a chance to listen to the Salon2?

 

[j_garcia]

www.josephaudio.com Easily one of my favorite brands.

You might notice I like GR Research also

 

[walter duque]

www.josephaudio.com Easily one of my favorite brands.

Great speakers. It's the Infinite Slope crossover that makes these speakers that great.

 

[Alex2507]

It's the Infinite Slope crossover that makes these speakers that great.

At our last meeting of Advanced AH Thinkers nobody knew what the hell that was but I looked up the patent on them and understood absolutely nothing. I'm gonna have to wait for one of the other advanced thinkers to figure it out and dumb it down for me. C'mon Mark !!!

 

[Boerd]

Favorite speaker maker/brand/company/model/line/series in these categories?

1) Under $500/pair
2) Under $1,000/pair
3) Under $2,000/pair
4) Cost is no object.

I think this will help to enlighten people on speakers that are liked from people that obviously care about sound quality if they are reading this forum.

These should be your personal favorite speakers that you've tried out or heard yourself in-person. This is not to promote company XYZ speakers just because it benefits you financially.

Under 500 - Aperion Intimus 6B Bookshelf Speaker or NHT super Zero
Under 1k - active monitors from NHT M-00
Under 2k - too many choices
Cost No Object - NHT XD 2.2 haha heavily biased or a custom system with DEQX digital active crossover

 

[shadyJ]

I can only say that for the price is no object catagory, I recently heard some Klipschorns and some La Scala's, those speakers were so alive and crisp and visceral compared to all the other speakers I have given any listening time to, that they would be at the top of my list if I ever win the lottery. Even the RF series are tame compared to these heritage speakers. I wonder if selling one of my kidneys would be enough to get me some Klipschorns?

 

[Pyrrho]

I can only say that for the price is no object catagory, I recently heard some Klipschorns and some La Scala's, those speakers were so alive and crisp and visceral compared to all the other speakers I have given any listening time to, that they would be at the top of my list if I ever win the lottery. Even the RF series are tame compared to these heritage speakers. I wonder if selling one of my kidneys would be enough to get me some Klipschorns?

If you can find a used pair locally, you can typically get them for much less than new price; sometimes for around $1000 or so for a pair in decent but not pristine condition. If that sounds appealing to you, keep an eye out on Craigslist and eBay and the other selling sites, and keep in mind that you need a truck to bring them home, so how close they are to you matters.

Personally, I wouldn't want them, but if I had to choose a speaker designed and manufactured in the 1940's, I can't think of anything better than Klipschorns. Seriously, they do certain things very well, as they are extremely efficient and can handle a decent amount of power, which makes them capable of playing extremely loud, or fill a large room with sound. Since I have no requirement for either of those qualities, many other options present themselves to me, particularly as they are expensive and many other good speakers are possible at or below their price point.

 

[Pyrrho]

Favorite speaker maker/brand/company/model/line/series in these categories?

1) Under $500/pair
2) Under $1,000/pair
3) Under $2,000/pair
4) Cost is no object.

I think this will help to enlighten people on speakers that are liked from people that obviously care about sound quality if they are reading this forum.

These should be your personal favorite speakers that you've tried out or heard yourself in-person. This is not to promote company XYZ speakers just because it benefits you financially.

I personally like ribbon/planar speakers, so Magnepan and Apogee are a couple of my favorites. Apogee is now out of business, and it can be difficult to find a pair locally in good condition, but I very much like my Stage speakers:

http://www.apogeespeakers.com/stage.htm

Buying new, I would look at Magnepan's offerings. The MMG is a steal at $600:

http://www.magnepan.com/model_MMG

The higher models are better, but you pay quite a bit with each step up you take.