Ready for my first expensive speaker purchase

[E-Stat]

I can only convince her to let me part with about $2,000 USD. So I have to start with the mains and then go from there over time.

Given that voice, jazz and classical are part of the musical mix, I would consider hearing some Magneplanars as a point of reference. I believe the 1.6s would fall in that price range. While a bit short on bass, they are really magic elsewhere. As bipolars, however, they do need a bit of room behind them to breathe.

rw

[theaudiohobby]

After further audition, I am pleased to say that the Genelec 8030 is a fabulous speaker, the midrange clarity is among the best at this price and the topend openess is very good, However the Genelec 8050 is much better but costs 3 times as much ,the 8050 gets an unqualified rave from me since the last time I heard a box speaker sound this clear and may I say transparent, I played a few bars of the piano in the same shop just before my listening session, so I know , was a Harbeth Monitor model a few years back at a hi-fi show in London. At USD1000, the Genelec 8030 is a screaming bargain.

[Lord_Magnepan]

Used Magnepans from Audiogon ( Magnepan MG 1.6) for 1.2K There is no better speaker for the price in my opinion. And if you love Jazz and voices, then this is for you.

Give them a try :-)

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Depending on what part of Orange County you live in, the closest Paradigm dealers to you are probably Audio Concepts in Long Beach and Genesis Audio in Irvine/Lake Forest.

For a $2,000 budget, the first issue you need to address is whether you intend to use this strictly as a two-channel audio only system, or if you're trying to build a multichannel setup. If you want your system to eventually go 5.1, then you need to consider not only how good the mains sound, but how well the ancillary center and surround speakers match those mains. You also need to figure out if you want to buy the whole thing at once, or if you're fine with gradually adding on piece by piece.

If you're looking at $2,000 for a pair of speakers, you've got a world of possibilities, particularly since you don't need the deep bass (and that's typically how the prices escalate). In addition to what the others have suggested, you should also look into Vienna Acoustics, Sonus Faber, Vandersteen, Magnepan, Totem, Monitor Audio, JM Lab, NHT, PSB, and Energy.

Some of the other stores that you could try out include Audio Video Today in Westminster, OC Audio in Anaheim, Artistic Audio in Aliso Viejo, and the specialty chains -- Magnolia AV (none in OC, but they have home theater ministores at the Tustin, Mission Viejo, and Costa Mesa Best Buy stores), Ken Crane's, Good Guys, and Tweeter. I'm sure you can find others by just opening up the phone book.

Wooch,
You have so much information in the head of yours that one day it is going to burst. What do you have up there a 900 gygabite hard drive? I know when we hook up for those beers, the first thing I am going to do is to turn you upside, and shake some of this info out of ya!

[Woochifer]

Wooch,
You have so much information in the head of yours that one day it is going to burst. What do you have up there a 900 gygabite hard drive? I know when we hook up for those beers, the first thing I am going to do is to turn you upside, and shake some of this info out of ya!

Not a 900 GB hard drive -- just a lotta cheat sheets, some Google searches, some friends who used to work at a few of those stores, and parents who retired behind the Orange Curtain!

No need to flip anyone upside down either, a few of those beers and I won't know which direction is up ... HICCC...