Best Speakers Money Can Buy?

[TooCool4]

My most recent acquisitions as a grizzled old audio veteran with a much larger budget -- was my first horn loudspeakers -- the Klipsch La Scala

I know people go on about the Klipsch sound, I heard the Klipsch La Scala this year at Munich High-End show. I could not wait to leave the room, in fact I left the room after about 30 seconds, the speakers hurt my ears. Yes, yes I know a show environment is not the best place to listen to anything, but you can usually get an idea if what you hear is worth pursuing. Once is enough for this speaker.

 

[chuck]

You need to "work your way up the ladder", because you don't know yet what you like.

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.

 

[Holmz]

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.

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

 

[AudioNew]

headphones/earphones are their own world. Since you don't have sufficient space now, you might want to think about listening to a few headphone setups. Since that isn't my thing, I cannot suggest where to start. However, as others have said, second hand components are one possible purchasing choice once you have heard a few setups. These folks do a good job of testing second hand gear before selling it: https://tmraudio.com/personal-audio/ You can see a selection of headphone amps and headphones.

There are, of course, forums dedicated to headphone setups. Not sure which is best. Here is one: https://www.head-fi.org/forums/

Thank you for the source for second-hand gear! It's reassuring that those folks test them before they sell, since working condition has been my main trepidation about them.

I am actually familiar with head-fi, since I used to dabble in headphones for a bit because they were a bit less intimidating to get into than speakers. I think it's a good forum, thank you for the recommendation!

 

[AudioNew]

here is some data: https://speakerchoices.com/

Thank you for the resource!

 

[AudioNew]

You're just not going to be able to learn without listening. It's an experiential hobby, there's no objectively best solution that works for everyone. We've all got ears that are sensitive to different weaknesses and brains that enjoy different strengths. And we like different types of music that differentially are affected by both.

The proposition of moving from a Bluetooth speaker to an all-out-assault system is akin to only having driven a go-kart and then buying a McLaren or something.

There's no similarity except they both drive. And you'll probably just wreck the new car the second you touch the gas. Or accidently put basic gas and oil in it and ruin the engine.

Similarly, without the experience of listening and setting up a stereo system on your own, hearing how much the little things change, you're going to end up with a very expensive thing that isn't really working as designed. And maybe isn't even the type of system you'll enjoy.

To go back to the car analogy, if you don't know anything about cars except that they drive, you could easily buy something very fast that's designed only for straight line speed, when what you'd really enjoy more - based on your still undeveloped driving style - is something designed to be incredibly agile. How could you know when you've got no frame of reference?

After moving to a new house I've been working on getting my system setup properly -- without buying a single new component -- for a year and a half. And I'm still extracting more from it every time I make a change -- to the room, the component location, the component supports, the speaker angle, subwoofer locations, subwoofer digital correction, etc, etc, etc.

It's fascinating that you're extracting more from the same components by fine tuning the setup! At this point I probably wouldn't be able to do that even if I had good components on hand. I think I'll have to learn more about the underlying theory as well. I asked about speakers in the opening question because they're where the sound comes out, and didn't really know what the other components (amplifiers, preamplifiers etc.) do.

 

[AudioNew]

Welcome to WBF!

Thank you!

 

[AudioNew]

Best value in loudspeakers for the money , eliminate new ..! Look at SOTA type older loudspeakers play around there , allows you to get some experience on where and what works for you before diving in ..

Thank you for the advice! That sounds sensible, since things become used the moment I buy them. Is SOTA type a specific genre of speakers? When I google SOTA it seems to stand for State of The Art, and many of them remind me of JBL L52 speakers.

 

[AudioNew]

There are only descriptions offered at that site. Here's one with test results:
https://www.spinorama.org/

That website looks very useful! Thank you for letting me know of it.

 

[AudioNew]

Only a novice or a troll would ask such an open ended question that has no answer.

I want to assure you that I'm of the former category, but I don't seem to be doing a good job of it. When I wrote the question I knew it was reductive, but I didn't know that it so obviously had no answer or vague candidates.

 

[treitz3]

It's fascinating that you're extracting more from the same components by fine tuning the setup! At this point I probably wouldn't be able to do that even if I had good components on hand. I think I'll have to learn more about the underlying theory as well. I asked about speakers in the opening question because they're where the sound comes out, and didn't really know what the other components (amplifiers, preamplifiers etc.) do.

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

 

[WillBthr]

Light years away from anything coming close...to even being pretty good.