Juan Lopez

Title says it all.

To me, our old Dahlquist DQ 10's, the Genesis towers (electrostats + separate woofer towers), most Martin Logan's, my current Aerial's and some of the old audiophile grade Mirage like my father's M1's.

cobalt

Best is hard to quantify. I have heard many speakers over the years. I have listen to the Wilson Maxx 3's quite a bit and they are very nice but ridiculously pricey. Many speakers I have liked don't work with my listening environment and are very temperamental. The equipment used to power them will change their sound as well.

I will say that the best speaker for the dollar I have heard to date are made by a company not well known here in the US. They have been very big in the commercial theater industry and Europe, being German made. Steven Spielberg owns a set of OSS's himself.

This company has probably the only new speaker innovation that is groundbreaking in years, their Xart tweeter and mid range. It uses an accordion designed driver that moves air faster than anything else I have heard including most ribbons and best part is they make a line of speakers that are relatively cheap for their performance level and then go through the roof from there. Their $6k classic Mk3 columns sound as good as many other brands costing $20-30k that I have heard. Their Tensor Deltas for around $10k are much larger than they look and are even better sounding than most speakers costing even more. The betas are unreal and can stand up against any speaker at any price. I am comparing them to many speaker lines both new and old.

The company name is ADAM. http://www.adam-audio.com/de/home-audio/products.

As far as I know there is only one supplier in the US currently which is conveniently located about 3 miles from my home. They special order the speakers without the built in amplifier for the highs and mids but use the amp for the bass.

I have been contemplating trading my Totem Winds in for a pair. The totems I might add for the money are great value and more than adequate for the average listener. I compared them to Sonus fabers, B & W's Lower end Wilson's and I find them to be as good if not better for far less $$. But the ADAMS are unlike anything else I have heard for the dollar and are as life like as anything I have listened to.

Juan Lopez

I'll check them out. Thanks!

I had a set of Wilson's at home for a try out and when I added up the tab..... I got me a race car

I also like the Revell but they overpowered my current listening room. I settled for Aerial 8b which work out great in my room. New house going up but also new priorities with the little ones. Lets see.....

cobalt

I have no experience with the Revel's or Aerial's so I can't comment. I have 2 issues with the Wilson's. 1st the price and second the look. Not that I look at them when listening and they disappear as they should but they look like something from the terminator or a McDonald's trash can especially for the cost of a track car.

I have heard good things about the new Klipsch line although I have not listened to them and the Cremona M from Sonus Faber is also a very nice speaker. The Dali Helicons and higher speakers are very nice too. So much of this equipment can be had for a fraction of their cost new second hand.

Juan Lopez

I listened to the Revel Legacy Ultima Studio and to my ear they were very sweet. The price was too high for my budget and the styling was also too out there.

I got my Aerial's finished in book matched birds eye maple. When you have such a large piece in your room, they must look good too.

cobalt

I agree.

sturm

I've always liked the Martin Logan but I couldn't get enough volume out of them.

Some of the line-source designs sounded good. McIntosh XRT 28 in a home theatre application-Big effortless sound.

I would LIKE to hear one of the Avantgarde models. Efficient horn design.



Alan

(currently)
Martin Logan SL3
JM Lab micro Be
Definitive Technology Mythos ST

Tonydec

Man, that's an almost impossible task! A lot depends on your equipment, room and use too. For example, my Klipsches in my HT sound great with movies, but pretty much suck with music. I have a Rotel AV with the 2 channel bypass, and Denon 2910, which both got very high reviews in 2 channel mode, so I don't think it's the electronics.

I've always feared speaker purchases the most, because you really won't know until you get it home AND break them in. Like my dedicated 2 channel speakers, I think it was the 6 moons review, they did not like them at all as I recall, and raved about them once they broke in. You really can't predict by price either, look at power cables and interconnects. It's how your entire system works together. It's like my interconnects for my CD. I'm pretty sure the Sidewinders sounded a little more airy then the King Cobras, and it's a less expensive cable, but the King Cobras are a little more accurate and maybe detailed. It all depends on your personal preferences.

That's one thing I like about tubes, you can tube roll to get exactly what you are looking for. Yes, it can get expensive, but not as expensive as new gear would be chasing "your" sound.

Dean_Fuller

So much to do with the room...source....music type.....If your room is on the large side and you have an amp or amps on steroids then the larger Magnepans are hard to beat.

Ive been reading and hearing good things about Vienna Acoustics as well...especially for the money.

I am always amazed with my Cain & Cain Abbys...not the best by a long shot but with the right music and a sweet SET amp...man!

Dean_Fuller

You and me both brother! Super nice.

Tonydec

I heard some Viennas (their multi driver tower, can't remember the name) with intent to purchase, I was not impressed, at least not in the showroom. Even my wife thought they didn't sound very good. We also heard some Thiels, that sounded waay better for about a grand or so less. It could have been totally opposite with my gear and room, although the gear, Primare, I listened to the Viennas with was the same as mine, so I passed.

Dean_Fuller

I have also heard others say about what you just did. I have not heard any myself yet. I wonder if they are that problematic about placement, room treatments??? Do you remember the model. I think the Beethovens are what SOME are saying is the bomb.

Tonydec

They were the Beethoven Concert Grands. Beautiful speakers, but they just did not do it for me sound wise. I was looking for new speakers, and really liked the build quality, looks, even the wife liked them (She has hated the looks of most of my speakers, these were to replace my a/d/s M12's). Sound is subjective, but I have heard many speakers over the years and they still stand out as blah.

Jim Devine

Far from todays state of the art stuff, but I still like my Altec Model 19's.
Bought them new in the 70's & they would sell now for about what I paid -
that hardly ever happens with anything electronic.

milwaukeeshark

I purchased my Mirage M1's nearly 20 years ago and they still sound as amazing as the day I brought them home!!! Will never part with them. Speakers come and go for my HT needs, but for 2 channel analog sound, from blues to classical they just can't be beat.