Best Speakers Money Can Buy?

[AudioNew]

The best advice imo for a new person is to go to a show like we had in Munchen MOC/ Hifi deluxe

Thank you for your suggestion! It's apparent now that nothing substitutes listening in person.

 

[andromedaaudio]

Thank you for your suggestion! It's apparent now that nothing substitutes listening in person.

You got that right , listening for yourself is essential .
Everybody interprets / hears things differently.
The people who buy of of magazine opinions usually end up in the hifi merry go round

 

[AudioNew]

no such thing as best speaker, many variables like the gear and room and they have or do not have synergy

Thank you for your answer! I now see that is a fundamental fact in this field.

 

[AudioNew]

If any audio salesman said that to me I would run out of the store and never return, and did. The OP knows what he likes -- classical music. I bought the best classical music speakers I could afford. I wasn't going to climb any damn ladder. My evaluation music was Beethoven's 9th.

Thank you for your perspective! Do you think the XV 3 is especially appropriate for classical music among YG Acoustics' offerings? They seem to have a fair number of models in their Reference range. Their XV 3 range also has XV Studio 3 and XV3 signature.

 

[AudioNew]

And a good salesman would prop his eyelids open like the scene from “A Clockwork Orange”

I guess my current experience level sorely needs some eye-opening!

 

[AudioNew]

Speakers may be where the sound comes out, but that is only part of the equation. An important one, mind you, but upstream gear and the synergy between the components can make or break that pair of speakers.

It can mean the difference between musical wallpaper and a blasė dynamic range and utter distortion/noise that messes up everything, to a 3-D soundscape that has proper depth, height and width.....to a system that makes the speakers disappear altogether, where music just flows like liquid dancing in front of you.

Many folks enjoy this aspect but there is much more. The upstream gear can make the same set of speakers do SO much more. As in, not only the speakers disappearing, but seemingly the room and room reflections as well. Neither seem to be a part of the equation. Same speakers. Different upstream gear.

Now, getting there takes luck, planning, research, testing with YOUR OWN ears, and experimentation. There is much more than just that. It takes time. It takes experience. It takes humility and self awareness and realizing actual reality (not bias) when a change makes things worse. It's a learning process....and it comes with a cost.

What cost you are willing to pay to achieve your own personal goal is up to you. But please don't ever underestimate the vast importance of upstream gear. They can literally make or break a set of your own personal top tier speakers.

Tom

Thank you for your advice on how to move forward! I really appreciate it.

 

[AudioNew]

After a visit to their psychiatrist.

It does and it is a dynamic learning process. Many people change their entire system several times while in the hobby. Reason. The more they know, the more their biases and preferences evolve. Start simple. A streaming integrated amp and some speakers you think you like after listening and comparing to other products. Best advice. Goto an audio show or two. Familiarize yourself with the available options. Audition gear at home if at all posible with money back return options. Most importantly enjoy the journey and have fun. FWIW, there is no universal best. It boils down to subjective opinion and your budget. And the only one that matters is yours.

Thank you for sharing you input on the approach. It seems like there really are no easy shortcuts here.

 

[AudioNew]

if you hear speakers you like, be sure to make a note of the amplifier used. The amp/speaker relationship is a key one.

Thank you for the tip! That does seem to be an especially key relationship among all the variables, with a lot of brand pairing recommendations on forums.

 

[AudioNew]

Ok many might, and other may stick largely with a system that doesn’t need constant upgrades.


Good advice.


Better advice.


100%

Thank you for your insight!

 

[AudioNew]

AudioNew, as you get into this hobby, in addition to listening to a variety of systems, I strongly recommend you acquire a copy of "Get Better Sound" by Jim Smith. You will learn a lot from this book, and it will serve as a handy reference.

Thank you for your reference! That is exactly the type of thing that I thought would be helpful to have, to make things less daunting.

 

[Argonaut]

For my part I would advise going with a well regarded stereo integrated amplifier ( a tube /SS hybrid would be my weapon of choice) with an inbuilt phono section , which should cover a number of bases without committing oneself to several component cases and connecting cables . I would also look at speaker transducers 96dB and above.

 

[AudioNew]

For my part I would advise going with a well regarded stereo integrated amplifier ( a tube /SS hybrid would be my weapon of choice) with an inbuilt phono section , which should cover a number of bases without committing oneself to several component cases and connecting cables . I would also look at speaker transducers 96dB and above.

Thank you for your suggestion! I don't yet understand fully what you mean, but that sounds like a solid framework to start off with.

 

[Alrainbow]

I would buy a used pair of active speakers
A full range model so min 3 drivers
Box type and both Bluetooth and analog input from a preamp
Make it a near field setup this makes the first set up faster and closer to earbuds or headphones
Ported woofer not a sealed box and not servo driven .
This is a good place to start in my thoughts .
Audio is very complex and simple is just that .
The higher you go the more complex things become .
What sounds good now will change as you season your ears .
Read reviews this helps , but don't get disillusioned to all you read .
Get a speaker atleast 36 inches tall and not an exotic speaker that needs a room for it .
Book shelf are even faster but you grow out of them faster too ..
The size of your room matters is less in near field . But bass does have big effects on room size . To just pick out a high end system with many parts is a fools errand unless you have a dealer to help you set up and even pick out stuff.
Just read all the posts here to understand how it's much more then what one likes.
My two cents

 

[facten]

You mentioned in an earlier post that you are in the U.S. but I don't recollect you mentioning what general area. Anyway, amongst other avenues mentioned maybe google if there is an audio society in your general area, If so, maybe consider reaching out to it and see if you can engage firsthand with its members, possibly get "live" exposure to member systems. Just a thought.

 

[MusicFirstAudiophile]

TAD Reference
Klipsch Jubilee
Tekton Ulfberht

 

[AD491]

Hello everyone. The title question was probably a dead giveaway, because it is probably pretty dumb. I am new to audio in general, and fairly oblivious to my own tastes in sound.
For reference, I have a bluetooth Bose speaker I bought at a mall 10 years ago that I'll sometimes connect to my phone.
My cursory understanding of audio is that it's subject to a ton of variables, like matching amps and speakers that go together, the condition of the room, and your subjective tastes in sound.

Having said that, the world of high end audio is fascinating to me, especially speakers, in how they are seemingly very divergent in appearance/underlying technology, often from brands that are more obscure than mainstream electronics, with very high prices, that all aim to offer superior sound. As a newbie, I am drawn to speakers that "looks cool" like the Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus, MBL 101 X-Treme MKII, and Steinway Lyngdorf (for the piano brand association, with little knowledge about how better that makes them compared to regular Lyngdorfs).

So I hope to ask veterans in the world of high-end audio what speakers you consider to be the finest that money can buy, of course from your own experience. Googling lists of best speakers seem to inevitably bring up haphazard lists of expensive speakers.

Thank you for your time, and I apologize if the question is not really worth it.

1) Start by going to a local Dealer. Hear the different systems they have to offer. Listen for yourself how different systems can sound.
2) Lock in a budget. Get integrated equipment > integrated amps, integrated source.
3) Invest in speakers
4) Treat your room. You now have a decent system that sounds way better than Bluetooth speaker from the mall.
5) Test different recordings, train your ears. See what you don't like about it.
6) Invest in separates.
7) Invest in speakers.
8) Repeat 6 and 7 for the rest of your life

 

[andromedaaudio]

I would first start with a simple Floorstander
(Buy this and you never have to upgrade again)

 

[Alrainbow]

Here is a good idea get some audio setup CD s , matter how much you spend setup is an absolute
Take Wilson audio no set up no way it's close to what it is.

 

[chuck]

Thank you for your perspective! Do you think the XV 3 is especially appropriate for classical music among YG Acoustics' offerings? They seem to have a fair number of models in their Reference range. Their XV 3 range also has XV Studio 3 and XV3 signature.

The XV3 Signatures were a run of only 8 and I am told all 8 are sold out. The title of the inquiry was the best speakers money can buy. IMO that is the XV3 for classical music. All the YG reference speakers will work well but the XV3 are the best and are especially appropriate for classical music. The design goal for the original XV was to realistically play the recordings of the Berlin Philharmonic -- an acknowledgment that none of the then current range of YG speakers could do it. The design was four 500 lb. towers, 20 driver speaker system -- that is what it takes. They have been refined further since.