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I started my "audiophile"ness with the highly C.Greenberg recommended Superzeroes. Now I've got B&W 302s. A decent shift upward I believe.
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 . . .
Magneplaner MG1.5/QR Best speakers I have ever heard. A "C" from your recommended components may steer possible new buyers away. I listened to most of the B speakers under $5000 and liked the maggies more by far. I have had mine since early Dec.
I listen to the original Mirage M1, bi-wired. I love 'em! They don't sound like "real' music maybe, but they're close. The main departure from live music is dynamic range and imaging. I augment the bass with the new Velodyne 18 inch sub( I bought the first generation 18 inch Velodyne and it died, so they sent me a brand new one!) I power the M1's with Adcom 565 monoblocks.( I know, I know, the 565's suck, so shoot me. They sound fine to me, especially when I think of how much whiskey I can buy for the price of a "good" monoblock). With regard to the imaging, the trouble is that it's too good. Real music doesn't image that way to me ( even thourh the M1's aren't known for pinpoint imaging).
I own an old set of Polk Audio SDA 2's. They have 'trick' imaging and sound pretty darn good for their age! If I could buy any set now I would get a set of Magies, MG20's or MG3.6. They are awsome! But since money is an issue I'll just settle for some new tweeters for the Polk's, oh well.
Mageneplaner MG1.5QR like them very much for music. NHT Super Zero X 4 and vt-1.2 center chanel for H.T use. Also like them very much. Bought both systems for their very high quality to price ratio. (In truth, they were the only ones that passed my wife's "Oh, those don't look cheap...." test)
Kef 104aB and home built speakers featuring Scan Speak kevlar woofers and soft dome tweeters. I prefer speakers that present a large, deep and well defined sound stage with out the "In your face" charcteristics that plage many modern speaker systems. I also prefer tube electronics and have built/modified many amplfiers and pre-amps with great success. I have been an avid fan of Stereophile for over 10 years and especially enjoy reviews written by J.A.For 20 years I have investigated all aspects of the music reproduction chain,so when i read an in-depth review by John, I am in awe of the considerable experience he has in so many areas of sound reproduction.
-Martin Logan CLS IIZs w/Sound Anchor stands, pair of Velodynes ULD 15 MK II, all finished in black , crossover modified to 50 Hz, run the CLSs and the Velodynes directly from the preamp out. All time great combination for orchestral music. Only kind of subs you can place in front of pannel speakers (versus tower subs). Combination almost as good as a pair of Genesis 300. Not so great combination for Jazz. -ProAc Response One SCs, pair of Sunfire True Sub. Here you have better speakers than the Wilson Watt/Puppy at a quarter of the price. -NHT 3.3s. They are snappy. I love them. One of the great bargain in audio. Great for Jazz and Rock. And until very recently the absolute best speakers for Home Theater, still are for the money. Contrary to many people I love the styling too. (I hate those ugly 10T from Aerial, for example, or those boring English all the same size drivers tower speakers and look alike, like Monitor Audio speakers). -Genesis 500s. Built and finished like jewels. Original and beautiful speakers.
I've got a pair of NEAR 15M's. They have the resolution of M-L aerius with none of the faults(weak bass,picky about equipment, cost for performance,etc.). All I want is good resolution; I don't care to hear chair squeaks, and whether or not someone's bow needs rosin. From 35Hz on up is good enough until I can afford(and justify) $3000 or so in speakers.
B&W P6. I had owned many neat low priced monitors. Then matched a pair with a subwoofer. This was very educational but sounded like crap.I did realize from that experiment that I needed a small floor standing speaker. I tried some speakers a liked but could not afford. I lived with a pair of Thiel 1.5s but thay were too aggresive. I real like my P6s they are warm but still detailed, and now that I have my little JOB stereo amp I love them.
Definitive Technology BP-30 speakers. I love the deep bass, the dynamics, and the good overall sound. I chose NOT to buy a model with a built-in powered subwoofer. The BP-30's already drop down to 18 Hz, so subs would have been superfluous. Also, the best room position for a sub is rarely the same as for a full range speaker, so if I ever DO want to integrate subs with my system, I want to be able to move them away from the speakers. I also own Infinity SM series speakers, which I use for high volume needs, such as parties or just plain jamming. The SM's are very underappreciated among audiophiles. Everyone should give both the Definitive (without the subs) and the Infinity SM's a listen, with an open mind, as part of a well thought out audiophile system.
Avalon Eclipse...with the Eclipses bad recordings sound bad and great recordings sound sublime. You're more likely to hear the faults of your equipment and cable choices long before you hear the faults of the speaker itself. Many loudspeakers produce familiar noise; once properly set up the Eclipse loudspeakers make music!
Infinity Kappa 7.1III (3-way floorstanding) Decent imaging, fantastic LF extension. Emit-R tweeter is a bit "spitty", though. Even though I work for a place that sells them and therefore get a great discount, I stretched my "budget" until it broke in order to buy these speakers. I don't think I did too badly, consider- ing that I'm a full-time college student (Electrical Engineering) with just a part-time job. The Kappas are the best speakers my store sells, even though we do carry the significantly more expensive Infinity Overture 3's. I've aud- itioned many speakers since I made this purchase and would still be satis- fied with my Kappas even if I had paid full retail for them. They come off well in comparison with other speakers within, and sometimes well above, their price range. Still, if anyone wishes to make a donation to help out a budding audiophile, I've had my eye on a nice pair of Joseph Audio RM25si's.... One quick question: The Avalon Acoustics Eidelons are undoubtedly the best loudspeakers I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. They are far better, in my humble estimation, than the Wilson Watt/Puppy, Martin Logan Monoliths, even the vaunted Revel Gems. I am aware that Stereophile has reviewed the Radian HC in the context of the Spectral, MIT, Avalon 2C3D system, but why haven't the Eidelons been reviewed separately? I would love to see them in stereophile.