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Paradigm 9seMkII mains, with Paradigm PS1000 sub.
We get requests all the time from readers who want to know what audio components others have purchased. What we're looking for is a description of what loudspeaker products you own and why you like them. Here goes . . .
Apogee Stages - incredible transparency, holographic detail, and realism from these classic full-range "ribbon" speakers. A tad thin in the bass, although what's there is super clean. Too bad the company has been shut down by its owner.
I listen primarily to JM Labs Spectral 13 speakers. They are approximately 4 years old and continue to give me much pleasure. The Spectrals are very efficient, and I havre quality components upstream that produce realistic listening levels. Being a victum of "audionervouses (spelling)" I am considering trading the JM Labs on a pair of Dynaaudios, however NOT until I do some critical comparisons in my listening room with my equipment.
Legacy Audio Classic's i love them. very smooth, dynamic sound, that is also full range. the best midrange i've heard anywhere outside speakers costing double. they simply disapear, leaving an amazing image. the best $3000 i've ever spent on an audio component!
I use my self-designed, and made, 2-way 50 litre cabinets. Drivers are Scan Speak dome & Seas excel 8 inch paper bass-mid, in a reflex box. Separate, first-order crossover & supra "ply"-able in and outside the boxes. Of course they are not perfect, but very good on classic, jazz & well-recorded music of any kind; they also give me the simple joy and pride of having concieved them by myself all the way from the very thought of making them, to fine tuning and adjusting design details. As time has went on, they are now better than when first assembled. At first I went for it `cause I wanted better sound that I could finance, but I don
Vandersteen 3A Signatures. After 6 years of doing the audiophile thing and going through 5 types of speakers I realized that I had stopped listening to music. All of the previous speakers I owned did many things very well but I found that I couldn't listen to them for very long. Finally, my dealer suggested that I try a pair of Vandersteen 3's. He let me borrow them for a month and I purchaesd them at the end of that month. For the last three years I have been listening to music again. The Vandersteen's are speakers for music lovers!
I am a proud owner of Legacy Whispers. I can't for the life of me understand why you do not give credit to Digital Brothers for mastering your CDs. Because they use a product that is sold mail order (Legacy Focus) I presume. You DO give credit to inferior monitor speakers though. Yet more proof that Stereophile exists to pepetuate sales, not give ME the best value for MY money.
Avalon Monitors - Sound great with my Pass Aleph 3 -wonderful imaging, soudnstage, and tonal balance. I understand they're being discontinued, so if they can be bought as a closeout,and you like classical or jazz, it'd be one hell of a bargain.
I listen to Infinity Reference Series speakers for both serious music listening and home theater. I like the powerful bass of Infinity Speakers give in small packages. I believe years ago Infinity used to be considered more high end than they are today and I hope they get back to their roots so the high end publications will take notice.
I love my Kevek ES-8's. I have never seen another pair anywhere. I've had them 12 years, and found them only because I visited EVERYONE within 100 miles of my home. I've had them ten years, and they remain detailed, clear, balanced and truly musical. What I think of them can best be summed up. Last year my father and I went out to hear one of Dave Wilson's demonstrations, and fine as that system was, when we got home I still enjoyed listening to my system.
Quad ESL-63 loudspeakers, with the safety circuits pulled out, and all caps and resistors upgraded to polypropylene and non-inductive wirewounds. If I get the chance, I'll do something crazy like pull my old set of Hill Plasmatronics out of the basement and try and mate the tweater with the electrostats at around 1KHZ. On a more sane note I may just try and develop a single-transformer interface between the tube finals and the speaker, bypassing the speaker's matching transformers.
I have a pair of Vandersteens (2ce). I really enjoy them. I have had them for about 3 years. I have no intention of transitioning to another speaker at the moment. What I have discovered is the importance of the right cable with these speakers. I use a custom made audioquest cable for the speakers and Kimber Kable for my interconnects. It was not until I had this combination that I could truly enjoy the music.
Dunlavy SC-IV. Excellent overall tonal balance from top to bottom. They are not the final word in Bass reproduction, but gets you most of the way down at a resonable price. I have had mine for 3.5 years and know of nothing that I would rather live with for twice the price.
Just bought a pair of Monitor Audio Studio 60's and I love them. Full range, huge sound stage, beautiful imaging, sonically disappear, and a great wife acceptance factor (plus, best home theater speakers I've ever heard, with new Studio Center).