Speaker Recommendation up to 70K

[Emerald]

Hello,
I am new here and looking forward getting your opinions since i can't travel or audition any speaker. Local dealers only order upon 100% full purchase non-refundable and no trials. This goes as good as buying from anywhere worldwide, so i am not committed to buy from that dealer.

I'll get to the point and provide information for your reference.

Old systems:
- Focal Scala Utopia paired with a Devialet 250 integrated amp powered by Isotek conditioner on full audioquest cabling.
- My headphone setup was Streamer: Aurender N10, DAC/headamp: Chord Dave, Headphone: Audeze LCD-4 powered by Audioquest Tornado cables.

New System (269 sq ft treated room):
Streamer: Taiko SGM Extreme,
DAC/Pre: CH Precision C1 paired with X1 power supply and T1 master clock (GPS option),
Power amp: CH Precision M1.1 (Stereo),
Cables: Argento Flow (XLR, Power cords and speaker cables) + Audioquest Diamond(Ethernet, Usb and BNC 75ohm),
Power Regenerator: PS Audio PowerPlant P20.
Speakers: to be decided (Zellaton, Magico, Wilson, Borresen, Kharma, Tidal or other suggestions)

I listen to Classical, Jazz, Funk and a bit of millennial albums if they were well mastered. So i would go for a lively sound, accurate, fast and dynamic.

I hope the information are useful. Please don't suggest to travel and listen, i cannot and that's a fact. Which is why i am posting online. I've made a poll with 3 votes max.

Have fun

 

[Addicted to hifi]

Hello,
I am new here and looking forward getting your opinions since i can't travel or audition any speaker. Local dealers only order upon 100% full purchase non-refundable and no trials. This goes as good as buying from anywhere worldwide, so i am not committed to buy from that dealer.

I'll get to the point and provide information for your reference.

Old systems:
- Focal Scala Utopia paired with a Devialet 250 integrated amp powered by Isotek conditioner on full audioquest cabling.
- My headphone setup was Streamer: Aurender N10, DAC/headamp: Chord Dave, Headphone: Audeze LCD-4 powered by Audioquest Tornado cables.

New System (269 sq ft treated room):
Streamer: Taiko SGM Extreme,
DAC/Pre: CH Precision C1 paired with X1 power supply and T1 master clock (GPS option),
Power amp: CH Precision M1.1 (Stereo),
Cables: Argento Flow (XLR, Power cords and speaker cables) + Audioquest Diamond(Ethernet, Usb and BNC 75ohm),
Power Regenerator: PS Audio PowerPlant P20.
Speakers: to be decided (Zellaton, Magico, Wilson, Borresen, Kharma, Tidal or other suggestions)

I listen to Classical, Jazz, Funk and a bit of millennial albums if they were well mastered. So i would go for a lively sound, accurate, fast and dynamic.

I hope the information are useful. Please don't suggest to travel and listen, i cannot and that's a fact. Which is why i am posting online. I've made a poll with 3 votes max.

Have fun

There’s plenty of speakers to consider.Magnapan are excellent if you like them.

 

[Golum]

Many options to consider and probably not easy to decide.
As CHP electronics will drive those speakers I can wholeheartedly recommend Stenheim as those I've heard many times when I was going to CHP HQ here in Lausanne and it always sounded fantastic (they also use Magico and Goebel for full honesty - but those were not my cup of tea). Stenheim on another note is also using CHP electronics in their HQ demo room (as well as Nagra and DarTzeel) - so I would say there is some "natural" coherence among those 4 Swiss producers. There is one speaker which is kind of "missing" from the list and which performs fantastic with CHP and that is Marten - which i heard at CHP dealer in Seoul.
Stenheim HQ - CHP ready to be deployed for the new Reference Ultime 2 demo


Seoul CHP with Marten

 

[Addicted to hifi]

marten speakers are excellent and every pair I have heard has sounded great and are highly recommended.

 

[JackD201]

Von Schweikert Audio e5 Mk2 plus a pair of Shockwave Subs

I am biased

I do also like Marten with CH, Stenheim too. Out of left field is Boenicke.

 

[Bartolo]

Without the ability to listen, there is no such thing as "best." I've been listening to speakers in the $25-45,000 range lately (wife comes along for some listens) and the variation in presentation (sound) is quite stunning. If you don't know what you like, or to you how a speaker sounds, asking "what's best?" is meaningless.

These are all "great" speakers we're listening to. They appear on all of these lists including yours. And they sound very different from one another.

I know people have to buy speakers unheard all the time. They often end up loving them. So maybe my comments above are unhelpful (??)

 

[Hear Here]

Without the ability to listen, there is no such thing as "best." I've been listening to speakers in the $25-45,000 range lately (wife comes along for some listens) and the variation in presentation (sound) is quite stunning. If you don't know what you like, or to you how a speaker sounds, asking "what's best?" is meaningless.

I couldn't agree more. Buying costly speakers unheard is never a good iidea. With your budget, you'de be advised to travel far and wide to actually listen to your short list of speakers. Even then, any that you pull the trigger on will sound different in your own listening room, but at least you should have eliminated those you don't care for.

I've bought speakers unheard in the past and sometimes regretted it. Luckily the ones I particularly found unsatisfactory (ATC Active 50s) were bought used and could be resold without financial loss. Perhaps you should look at used speakers where you won't lose much if you decide they are best sold on.

 

[Bartolo]

ATC Active 50s

Plenty of people love these speakers. This totally illustrates the point. The OP can get a list of speakers people love. To not much help. He's already got a list in this thread already.

 

[moby2004]

I would add Goebel ( demoed with CH P electronics in Munich ) and YG ( I am biased…) to your list but the only piece of audio gear I wouldn’t buy « blind » are speakers .

 

[Hear Here]

Plenty of people love these speakers. This totally illustrates the point. The OP can get a list of speakers people love. To not much help. He's already got a list in this thread already.

That's exactly my point - people have different preferences in the type of sound from speakers, plus room acoustics, etc make home trial ESSENTIAL if spending that sort of dosh

 

[hifidelitea]

I cast my vote. The OP commented "Speakers: to be decided (Zellaton, Magico, Wilson, Borresen, Kharma, Tidal or other suggestions)
For the "other suggestion" and your budget, you should get full range speakers for all the brands that you listed. You can consider the PMC MB2/XBD-A SE. PMC has their client list on the webpage, the speakers profile and character fits the genre of music that you listen to. It could fit the room dimensions of a 269 sf room.
Good luck.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

i commented on this same subject thread on Audiogon a few days ago and mentioned Kharma and Evolution Acoustics; both (speaker) roads less traveled. and both less 'hifi' than many choices. both lines have excellent speakers in this price range. i like to say they do not limit how your system can develop. more about the whole and the flow.....and not so much a check list. both are reasonably easy loads and promote having a great first watt.

 

[Sampajanna]

+1 for Marten.you won’t regret it!

 

[Tim F]

What don’t you like about the focals? What do you need to improve?

 

[Mdp632]

If there is a YG dealer in your part of the world.

Sonja 2.2 i

 

[bryans]

All I can say is good luck on your search. If I was in your position I would look at brands that I could sell easy in case I don't like them. I would think Wilson, Magico, or Rockport from your list would be the easiest.

You have listed some great brands and really it just comes down to what you like.

 

[bryans]

As CHP electronics will drive those speakers I can wholeheartedly recommend Stenheim as those I've heard many times when I was going to CHP HQ here in Lausanne and it always sounded fantastic

Funny I was at a local dealer a while back and they had a CH and Stenheim setup. I believe the dealer loved them more then I did. The Stenheim was nice just not my thing. Maybe I need to give them another listen.

 

[twitch]

Hello,
I am new here and looking forward getting your opinions since i can't travel or audition any speaker. Local dealers only order upon 100% full purchase non-refundable and no trials.

Wow, I suggest you move to a better 'audiophile friendly' location, I would never deal with dealers such as those .......

 

[Argonaut]

Within your budget

MARTEN MINGUS QUINTET​

 

[Hear Here]

An now for something completely different, but within your budget - https://www.avantgarde-acoustic.de/en/products/duo-series/duo-mezzo-xd.html