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Speakers Options under 25K


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Hello All

 

I am asking for a friend who wants to upgrade his speakers. He currently has Mcintosh MA8900 powering Kef Reference 1 Stand Mounts. He is looking for a floor stander. His budget is 20k. He does not wish to change his amp so the speakers need to be a match for his amp. He mostly listens to 70s and 80s rock, jazz, progressive rock, pop, r&b and electronic. He does not listen to classical or any audiophile only music. He likes tight and fast bass. His time frame is end of the year (bonus time :D). His room will be 20 x 12 ( width x length). typical condo living room size. He has short listed the following

 

1) Wilson Sabrina X ( Yet to listen)

2) Vivid Kaya 45 ( Yet to listen)

3) Kef Reference Floor Stander ( Assuming they get the meta treatment)

4) Focal Sopra No 2 ( Likes this but feels it is near end of life)

 

Can you please share your suggestions to this list? Ideally with high WAF :-)

 

Thanks

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ATC 50ASLT - the active version assuming he is looking for something similar to KEF Reference One, but more resolving pair of speakers. Next will be Dynaudio Confidence but I find it over priced locally. Don't bothered with KEF Reference 3/5 - sideway upgrade; I used to own Reference One personally. If to choose any of the 4 - that will be Kaya 45.

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1) Wilson Sabrina X ( Yet to listen)

2) Vivid Kaya 45 ( Yet to listen)

3) Kef Reference Floor Stander ( Assuming they get the meta treatment)

4) Focal Sopra No 2 ( Likes this but feels it is near end of life)

5) Magico A3

6) hORNS Symphony

 

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So, I shared the list with him and his thoughts are as follows

 

1) The ATC 50 - He doesn't like the looks of it for the money and he feels it is too old. He is looking at speakers which ideally were launched after 2018. And he doesn't want actives since he likes the hobby.

2) I believe he will drop the Kef and Focal from the race unless Kef or Focal announce a new speaker before the end of the year.

3) The Sonus Faber Homage series is something that he will audition but he is not sure if they will fall under the price range. He will also audition the Olympica series. The Sonus Faber house sound seems to be on the warmer side. Will mating it with a Mcintosh MA8900 make it too warm that it can put you to sleep?

4) Magico - He will audition.

5) Sabrina X - It is expected to hit our shores end of October only. So an audition is pending.

6) Vivid Kaya 45 - This seems to be the front runner now purely based on reading. He is planning to visit X Audio soon. He really likes the looks of these and the engineering that has gone into them.

7) He has decided against Dynaudio due to it unrealistic prices in Singapore.

8) Used Speakers - He is not sure about used speakers. Unless there is some sort of warranty that is still there and is a local set with dealer support

9) Symphony 10 horns - Too big and he is looking at a conventional box speaker. The speakers will be in the living room so form is also very important for him.

10) He is also thinking about brands with better resale value than esoteric/boutique brands since he likes to change things up every 5 years or so.

11) Dali - He doesn't care much about this brand.

 

Will update post auditions.

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If he likes the Kaya, go listen to the B&W 803D3 or 802D3. Similar transparency with more conventional looks. A far cry from the kevlar drivers of the old D2. Hint : Make appointment and go listen to the speakers at the warehouse in Woodlands/Sembawang area. The acoustics at E77 and Experts Group Funan showroom do not do justice to the speakers. 

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Interesting point you made on the B&W. We have listened to them at their Lavender, Millenia Walk and the Adelphi outlet and came back disappointed each time. All times it was driven by Rotel gear. The sound was very thin and the top end was bright and the bass was non existent. Seriously could not understand the hype behind these speakers but maybe it was the room. Visually it is awesome but we just never managed to like it. He picked the Kef Reference 1 over these.

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Interesting point you made on the B&W. We have listened to them at their Lavender, Millenia Walk and the Adelphi outlet and came back disappointed each time. All times it was driven by Rotel gear. The sound was very thin and the top end was bright and the bass was non existent. Seriously could not understand the hype behind these speakers but maybe it was the room. Visually it is awesome but we just never managed to like it. He picked the Kef Reference 1 over these.

 

It was the room acoustics. I felt the same in the showrooms. Then I went to their warehouse setup which is dedicated to Nautilus and D3 series with proper acoustic treatment in a big room. Driven by Anthem gear. Very very good sound. As good as Vivids as can be expected given their common ancestry. But easier to place as front firing woofers.

 

On Wilson. HER acoustics also do not show the speakers at their best.   

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https://www.goldnote.it/loudspeakers/xt-7/

 

gold-note-xt7-floor-stand-speakers.jpeg

 

Can consider the gold note XT7, priced at $23k.

Overall its a nice presentation. I particularly liked the ribbon tweeters. Very sweet highs. If I was not still on Dynaudio, would consider this. Drop by Audio Atelier for an audition. Please do make an appt, so they can set it up properly for you.  :)

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Consider Volti Rival horn speakers

https://voltiaudio.com/rival/

 

They can be positioned against a wall, in a corner, or pulled out into the room. Powerful and highly directional, the Rival is capable of filling a very large room, but will also work in near-field setting. It is front ported, to allow the greatest flexibility in placement, since the port does not rely on, nor is affected by walls behind or beside the speaker.

 

 

There are many rave reviews for this speaker.

 

 

It goes pretty well with Mcintosh gears.

In fact, the electronics recommended include Mcintosh (go to the link)

Order direct and you still get spare for your budget.

 

I'm using a pair now.

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20 x 12 living room space is in feet or metres? Listening distance?

 

My personal opinion is that any of the speakers suggested will sound good. As should any speaker costing S$25k. However what will determine the final sound quality is your friend's ability to place the speakers at the optimum position in order for the speakers to shine. In space constrained Singapore and the need to share living space with family, we are forced into a set of compromises. Examples are aesthetics, cannot turn up the listening volume, have to place the speakers in corners and up close to the front wall. The last two pose the biggest problems for many of us. Most speakers sound best standing in free space and played at a loud enough SPL. Few speakers are designed to be placed very close to the walls. If your friend has constraints on where he can place the speakers and how loud he can play music, state it. The recommendations will change. My own experience with Wilson and SF as an owner, is that these are highly location sensitive. Kef not so. And if your friend is forced to play his music at normal speech volumes most of the time, some of the recommended speakers will not be suitable.

 

 

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20 x 12 living room space is in feet or metres? Listening distance?

 

My personal opinion is that any of the speakers suggested will sound good. As should any speaker costing S$25k. However what will determine the final sound quality is your friend's ability to place the speakers at the optimum position in order for the speakers to shine. In space constrained Singapore and the need to share living space with family, we are forced into a set of compromises. Examples are aesthetics, cannot turn up the listening volume, have to place the speakers in corners and up close to the front wall. The last two pose the biggest problems for many of us. Most speakers sound best standing in free space and played at a loud enough SPL. Few speakers are designed to be placed very close to the walls. If your friend has constraints on where he can place the speakers and how loud he can play music, state it. The recommendations will change. My own experience with Wilson and SF as an owner, is that these are highly location sensitive. Kef not so. And if your friend is forced to play his music at normal speech volumes most of the time, some of the recommended speakers will not be suitable.

 

You summed it up really well on the challenges that we all face especially if our co habitants are tone def! So his current living room is 20 X 10 feet. Speakers are placed along the longer wall. Listening distance is about 6 feet. He is looking to move into a bigger space this summer so he will try his best to find an older condo which offers more space. So the assumption is that his listening space will not become any smaller. Ideally his next house will have a bigger listening space. He is looking at listening from at least 10 to 12 feet with distance between speakers around the same. He should be able to manage about a feet or more around all sides of the speaker. His listening average will be in the 75 to 80db with peaks reaching 90.

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You summed it up really well on the challenges that we all face especially if our co habitants are tone def! So his current living room is 20 X 10 feet. Speakers are placed along the longer wall. Listening distance is about 6 feet. He is looking to move into a bigger space this summer so he will try his best to find an older condo which offers more space. So the assumption is that his listening space will not become any smaller. Ideally his next house will have a bigger listening space. He is looking at listening from at least 10 to 12 feet with distance between speakers around the same. He should be able to manage about a feet or more around all sides of the speaker. His listening average will be in the 75 to 80db with peaks reaching 90.

I listen to the same genres of music as your friend. Unfortunately for us, pop/rock from 70s and 80s are best enjoyed LOUD. This has gotten me in trouble before with both family and condo management.  Your friend will be better off putting his system in one of the bedrooms. 3m x 4m will take a top bookshelf well. Treat and isolate the room well so that he can crank up without disturbing others.

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