When McIntosh releases their power cords with Blue Meters , the cost of cabling will finally make sense ...!
Best $50K speakers , Wilson Sasha V vs Magico S3 Mk3?
- Thread starter Audiophile666
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The best speaker I've heard around the $50K mark is the Vivid Audio Giya G2s2 ($55K). Very neutral both on and off axis with the most three-dimensional soundstage I've ever experienced. The best recovery of ambience (sound of the recorded venue) you'll ever hear and the largest soundstage (when the recording warrants it) with focus within that soundstage. And finally, the best bass in the business with the best dynamic contrasts (on both the micro and macro scale). Here them with great electronics and you'll understand where I'm coming from.
Perhaps Magnepan 30.7...
But if your room is not big, it is not the good choice...
And the best is to listen some more loudspeaker in a store or contact some forumer here; who live near you ?
[please forgive my poor English]
Could you describe your system (electronics) ?
Regarding speakers, for sure, linearity is not everything.
However, non-linear FR disturb the timbres, and kind of wreck them.
Quite funny to compare the FR of the Magico V3...
...with the FR of some recent $6K, 2 ways monitor, BBC-inspired (and 8 Ohms / min 6 Ohms - to be listened near/mid-field)
I got my 1st pair of Analysis ribbon panels well before Six Moons existed. Years later, Six Moons reviewed them and qualified the midrange of my Analysis Epsilon as "to die for". To die for? It is possible. Nevertheless, the midrange (and only the midrange) of the aforementioned BBC-inspired monitor, properly powered, is even better. I know it because I own a pair of those monitors too, in a 2nd system It nearly sounds like a joke, doesn't it?
- " Are you kidding me?"
- "Okay, I know. You are not prompting for suggestions of 50 $K speakers to get involved into ludicrous toys like BBC-monitors... that was (nearly) a joke"
So, now, the (very) serious stuff.
Even much, much better in the midrange than the aforementioned monitor, with nearly horn-like non-fatiguing expressiveness quality, allied with full-bodied naturalness, speed and dynamics, linear, super easy to drive (8 Ohms, 92dB..96dB according to model, some are even SET-friendly). Aluminium case with high performance professional drivers (very light treated paper membranes, high power magnets and coils), fabric dome tweeter:
Stenheim Alumine Two (or higher). Go for the SE version ($17K ?), you can afford it.
Complement them with a pair of good active subwoofers, digitally integrated and corrected by one of the DSPeaker's Antimode processors (Finnish technology, easy to setup, plug-n-play, no specific knowledge or computer software required). Do NOT room-EQ the Stenheims. Do room-EQ the subs only.
Be warned, the Stenheims sound very realistic. I attended 37 live, unamplified acoustic concerts last season. I know no other cone-based loudspeaker that sounds as close to the real thing as those Stenheims. To my ears at least,other most "high-end" cone-speakers are a joke in comparison. On shows, they can be deceptive though (an F1 is not easy to demonstrate on a horse racing track).
Swiss made. 100% manufactured in Switzerland and super tight quality-control. Designed by a team of ex-Nagra and ex-Goldmund, with the help of highly skilled Swiss engineers. Therefore high prices and stellar quality.
I discovered Stenheim 6 years ago. At that time, nearly nobody knew who they were.
In 2019, Stenheim introduced a first "affordable" floorstander, the Alumine Three ($40K ?). I urged Michael Fremer by mail to go listen to them at the CES. Later, I saw that Herb Reichert liked them very much (class A; for what it's worth...).
J .Vallin went completely crazy about their Alumine Five SE (beyond your budget alas), and brilliantly raved about them (Product Of The Year 2022)
Last WE, I heard -in show conditions- their gobsmacking Reference Ultime 2 ($180K ?). After he, sort of, recovered, an attendee bought a pair (!)
Maybe the most difficult part for you will be to have the opportunity to listen to them in the US. Consider a little trip or travel. They could be your last speaker, big time.
Good luck, they are really, really worth discovering.
Could you describe your system (electronics) ?
Regarding speakers, for sure, linearity is not everything.
However, non-linear FR disturb the timbres, and kind of wreck them.
Quite funny to compare the FR of the Magico V3...
...with the FR of some recent $6K, 2 ways monitor, BBC-inspired (and 8 Ohms / min 6 Ohms - to be listened near/mid-field)
I got my 1st pair of Analysis ribbon panels well before Six Moons existed. Years later, Six Moons reviewed them and qualified the midrange of my Analysis Epsilon as "to die for". To die for? It is possible. Nevertheless, the midrange (and only the midrange) of the aforementioned BBC-inspired monitor, properly powered, is even better. I know it because I own a pair of those monitors too, in a 2nd system It nearly sounds like a joke, doesn't it?
- " Are you kidding me?"
- "Okay, I know. You are not prompting for suggestions of 50 $K speakers to get involved into ludicrous toys like BBC-monitors... that was (nearly) a joke"
So, now, the (very) serious stuff.
Even much, much better in the midrange than the aforementioned monitor, with nearly horn-like non-fatiguing expressiveness quality, allied with full-bodied naturalness, speed and dynamics, linear, super easy to drive (8 Ohms, 92dB..96dB according to model, some are even SET-friendly). Aluminium case with high performance professional drivers (very light treated paper membranes, high power magnets and coils), fabric dome tweeter:
Stenheim Alumine Two (or higher). Go for the SE version ($17K ?), you can afford it.
Complement them with a pair of good active subwoofers, digitally integrated and corrected by one of the DSPeaker's Antimode processors (Finnish technology, easy to setup, plug-n-play, no specific knowledge or computer software required). Do NOT room-EQ the Stenheims. Do room-EQ the subs only.
Be warned, the Stenheims sound very realistic. I attended 37 live, unamplified acoustic concerts last season. I know no other cone-based loudspeaker that sounds as close to the real thing as those Stenheims. To my ears at least,
Swiss made. 100% manufactured in Switzerland and super tight quality-control. Designed by a team of ex-Nagra and ex-Goldmund, with the help of highly skilled Swiss engineers. Therefore high prices and stellar quality.
I discovered Stenheim 6 years ago. At that time, nearly nobody knew who they were.
In 2019, Stenheim introduced a first "affordable" floorstander, the Alumine Three ($40K ?). I urged Michael Fremer by mail to go listen to them at the CES. Later, I saw that Herb Reichert liked them very much (class A; for what it's worth...).
J .Vallin went completely crazy about their Alumine Five SE (beyond your budget alas), and brilliantly raved about them (Product Of The Year 2022)
Last WE, I heard -in show conditions- their gobsmacking Reference Ultime 2 ($180K ?). After he, sort of, recovered, an attendee bought a pair (!)
Maybe the most difficult part for you will be to have the opportunity to listen to them in the US. Consider a little trip or travel. They could be your last speaker, big time.
Good luck, they are really, really worth discovering.
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I heard them in GTT Audio's 'office' (the first room one enters into when one takes the left entrance in). Powered by Tambaqui / Audionet preamp / Audionet Heisenberg / Kubala Sosna cabling. Holographic. But, in the room, bass was lacking. I measured attenuation starting from 60Hz! Down 12dB at 50Hz and worse below.
I came there to possibly buy them. Got doubts - if GTT Audio cannot get decent bass out of them, then, perhaps, time to keep looking.
Marten FTW. You can get Mingus for this price (55K). You will not regret it!
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