Best Speakers For $2K USD

[slbenz]

Just got a Yamaha RX-V 2500 receiver. What are the best speakers in the $2,000-$3,000 range? I know it's a very personal choice, but curious as to where to begin. (Paradigm, BW, Audience, Monitor Audio?) Thanks all.

I would definitely look into Magnepan. I used to own B&W but now own Magnepan. Very detailed and open in sound. You have to make sure you have enough room behind them to get the very best out of them.

[topspeed]

Obviously it's the B&W's I own.

No, no, no...What am I thinking?

My Von Schweikerts are much better.....

sorta....

I GOT IT! It has to be RGA's Audio Notes.

Wait, wait...sorry, that's not right either.

The best $2K speakers are definitely Wooch's Paradigms.

No?

Maybe Worf's Ohm Walsh's? Geoffcin's Maggies or Gallo's? How 'bout Kexodusc's EFE's?

Now that I think about it, I have no idea what the best $2K speaker is.



Why don't you tell me?

[Lord_Magnepan]

Magnepan MG 1.6

if you have the space....

Many Maggie pictures can be found here

http://gallery.audioreview.com/showg...&ppuser=238671

[RGA]

Depend on what you want the speakers to do - what kind of system you intend on building and ultimately the sound you like. The best thing is to listen a LOT - it took me four years to find something and I made sure to listen to as many of the touted speakers in Stereophile as I could and to take samples froma breadth of designs from Ribbons, panels stats, stat hybrids, horns and even just weird looking speakers like Cabasse - the one with the big eyeball looking drivers. That is really the best suggestion I can give you and it really is the only suggestion worth giving you because no matter the reviews and forum hype not everyone and not you are going to like em all.

The more you hear the better off you'll be - you don;t want to just by a $2k speaker of one kind of design when all you hear is 4-6 others all of which are pretty much exactly the same. Trouble is to get the auditions - not every place carries a lot of this 'other' stuff. Then some of them don;t make surround sound packages - if that;s what you want a lof of companies get lopped off the list.

[MusicLG]

Obviously it's the B&W's I own.

No, no, no...What am I thinking?

My Von Schweikerts are much better.....

sorta....

I GOT IT! It has to be RGA's Audio Notes.

Wait, wait...sorry, that's not right either.

The best $2K speakers are definitely Wooch's Paradigms.

No?

Maybe Worf's Ohm Walsh's? Geoffcin's Maggies or Gallo's? How 'bout Kexodusc's EFE's?

Now that I think about it, I have no idea what the best $2K speaker is.



Why don't you tell me?

Thank you for your extraordinarily insightful comments. (I hope the time you spent crafting your response was a worthwhile use of your time.) I would still be interested in the feedback from people that are knowledgeable.

[Lord_Magnepan]

Seriously, the absolut best bet is to go to www.magnepan.com and try the MMG (550$ a pair) for 60 days. I am 100% sure you will love them. If you dont like them, return them for a full refund. But be warned, once you listen to a Maggie there is no going back. The MMGs will most likely kill any other 2K box in terms of inner detail, soundstage, depth and reproduction of voices.lik

Here is the 2K$ recommend system from Enjoy the music .com

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazin.../donibbles.htm

[RGA]

Lord Maggie

Just one thing I had my K's for 6 months and I got 100% trade-in on them. I have heard 2 Maggies now - and they have very obvious strengths - I still think it's unwise to buy based solely on recommendations. I do LIKE Maggie in that they let you try em and return them - more companies should do that. And if the MMG sounds better than the SMG then at $500 they're a solid buy - if you have a subwoofer. The big maggie I heard I need more time on before I say anything.

[theaudiohobby]

After you have listened to the ANs, B&Ws, Monitor Audios, Paradigms and other passives , visit the pro audio shop and listen to the active Genelec 8000 series, hear and see why quite a number of pros are excited about these speakers, the bass is so articulate, midrange clarity exceptional and the top end openess of the 8030 and 8050 are superb. In short the 8050 is a bargain premium speaker, I will happily live with the 8030, similar qualities but less bass, it costs USD1200, the 8050 is the real deal, it has one of the best midrange performances I have heard in a long time, but at USD3500, it is not cheap. And they are not bad looking either.

[topspeed]

Thank you for your extraordinarily insightful comments. (I hope the time you spent crafting your response was a worthwhile use of your time.) I would still be interested in the feedback from people that are knowledgeable.

LG, and I'm only telling you this because I care, there are plenty of decaffinated brands out there that are just as tasty as the real thing.

You missed my point entirely, so I'll spell it out for you.

The opinions you get are going to be based on that particular poster's individual tastes, needs, room acoustics, and experience. You'll notice that none of these factors has anything to do with you. Lord Magnepan is going to push Maggies on you all day because, as his moniker so boldly proclaims, he's a fan. RGA, who is being remarkeably reserved, usually crams Audio Note down your throat, but so far has given you the most worthwhile advice.

The bottom line is that if you want to find the best speaker for you, at any price, you are the one that is going to have to do the leg work and find it. Our opinions have absolutely zero value. So get out there and listen, take your time, and enjoy the ride. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Who knows, maybe you'll find some speaker that no one here has encountered and come back to enlighten all of us? It's happened before.

[Lord_Magnepan]

In other words this board and the entire website is complete garbage and useless

[kexodusc]

MusicLG: There is a mountain of wisdom in Topspeed's original post. If there was one almighty best $2000 speaker, we'd all have the same speakers right now.
I like what I have (I might add mine were the cheapest lol!) but I also liked the Paradigm's I still have that they replaced, the AN J's, some Totem speaker, Focus Audio, B&W, etc, etc...

There's just too much personal and subjective preference involved with speakers to determine what the universal best is...as for what's best for you, well the models listed in this thread are a start...
There's not a single one I've seen listed here that I don't like yet (though I haven't heard the Legacy Audio's).

Usually when someone asks the "what's the best question", a brutal flame war of epic proportions breaks out...that hasn't happened...yet.

[Lord_Magnepan]

Wanna start one ?

J/K

[MusicLG]

It all very much makes sense to me and you are all very helpful...including Topspeed, with your explanation of the first posting. I certainly intend on taking as much time as necessary to hear what is available...but I gotta tell you. In a hundred years, I would not have thought about Magnepan...but based on the advice in this thread, I scheduled an audition. It's a function of room configuration, music preference...and the rest is how we're wired. Your comments have been extremely helpful.
LG

[theaudiohobby]

Usually when someone asks the "what's the best question", a brutal flame war of epic proportions breaks out...that hasn't happened...yet.

I was sorely tempted to dip my hat but since my main speakers costs USD7K it was kind of pointless saying that have reference class off-axis dispersion and impulse response , so I had to settle for a darkhorse.

MusicLG There are a variety technologies out there

1. Traditional Box speakers like AN, B&W, Paradigm etc.
2. Panels like Magnepan, Martin Logan and Martin Logan
3. Ribbon Hybrids such Elac, Precide etc.

I will suggest that you listen to the speakers across the technologies because the technologies the differing strengths and weaknesses, for example, the panels tend to the midrange thing very well but have narrower sweet spots and trickier positioning issues, the traditional boxes tend to better do bass and lower midrange dynamics better but rarely match the midrange ability and treble performance of the panels or indeed some hybrids at lower price points. Your choice will ultimately boil down to what compromises you are willing to live with.

[thepogue]

I'd also add a word of caution...anyone touting a particular brand of speaker as "The Best" (be it value or sounding) is giving you their opinion..... which has some value but is not to be taken as gospel...as we all know different strokes for different folks...so do yourself a favor and listen to as many types and brands as possible. I've put my ear on quite a few and as far as the "stats vs. box" type speakers each has a strength...when positioned correctly I heard Martin Logans sound as magical as I ever heard any music!! The huge down side was that the sweet spot was so narrow that only one person (maybe two at best) at a time could be in that "magic zone"...but with that said I WILL own a set of stats someday. (But will never have them as my only speakers) OTOH boxy type speakers just "kick" some types of music in a way that I've not heard any stats do...I've spent quite a bit of time listing to Linn's upper line, B&W 802's, and the full Revel line (and of course my Paradigm 100's) and as stated I don't think I'd so without a quality box speaker as I enjoy rock too much too fully move to stats...but I'd love to have a set of ML Prodigy's in the mix!!...woohoo...and to be fair I've not had the pleasure of listening to the upper end of Maggies line which I'd love to do at some point...in fact I would make that happen before I threw down the $$ for the Prodigy's....but I digress....bottom line...nobody here (or elsewhere) know what you prefer.........so get out there and make it happen...listen to all you can and don't forget to have fun while doing so!!


Peace out, Pogue

I was sorely tempted to dip my hat but since my main speakers costs USD7K it was kind of pointless saying that have reference class off-axis dispersion and impulse response , so I had to settle for a darkhorse.

MusicLG There are a variety technologies out there

1. Traditional Box speakers like AN, B&W, Paradigm etc.
2. Panels like Magnepan, Martin Logan and Martin Logan
3. Ribbon Hybrids such Elac, Precide etc.

I will suggest that you listen to the speakers across the technologies because the technologies the differing strengths and weaknesses, for example, the panels tend to the midrange thing very well but have narrower sweet spots and trickier positioning issues, the traditional boxes tend to better do bass and lower midrange dynamics better but rarely match the midrange ability and treble performance of the panels or indeed some hybrids at lower price points. Your choice will ultimately boil down to what compromises you are willing to live with.