What is the absolute best pair of speakers that can be had for 3K?

fwiw, wharfedale jade 5's music direct

+1

You're never going to get a consensus on an absolute best.

Suggest checking out Soundfield Audio M1, Salk, Philharmonic, and Kef R series. What kind of music do you listen to?

I have heard the Aperion Grand Verus Towers, a good speaker. Laid back never any listener fatigue, more like my 685s than the Kefs. IMO Kef better for mix of music and HT but Aperions more forgiving on recording quality although I believe the new R series is bit more laid back than what I have.
Edited by jima4a - 8/7/12 at 7:20pm

I heard the new Jade bookshelf speaker while auditioning Dynaudio. The Jade couldn't even hold a candle to the new Dyn Focus 160. That is the best speaker at $3,000, IMO.

http://www.dedicatedaudio.com/inc/sdetail/25569/31009

I agree with Jay. Who is to say what is the absolute best pair of 3K speakers. I am sure what I would suggest at 3K would surely be disputed. There are many speakers out there all having their respective fans. So the real question is - what is the absolute best 3K speaker for you!

Your on the right track by stating 75% music, 25% movies. In your search for a musical speaker, I would start out by determining what kind of high frequency driver you prefer. The two models you site differ greatly, the Klipsch being a compression horn and the Aperion a dome. If properly implemented, one is not better than the other. But they do sound distinctly different and your ears will have a preference for one over the other. I know mine do - I am a soft dome guy. So start going out and auditioning. Even if they are models not exactly at your budget, you will at least get a feel for the type of driver you prefer. You will then be a lot more prepared to answer which is the best 3K speaker for you.

Good luck on your journey.

Statements like this come across as audiophile hyperbole... care to elaborate?

Wasn't even close. Did A/B with the Jade 3 and Focus 160 at the dealer on the same system/same day/same music. The new Focus is the real deal. Very smooth and refined sounding. I liked it even better then the higher priced Contour 1.3.

But that is what the OP asked for.  

. That narrows it down, ha! Hopefully some Phil and Salk owners can comment but I believe they are less tolerant of recording but very detailed, much more than the Aperion GVTs.

Similar music tastes, and I recently auditioned the following: PSB imagine T, Focal Chorus 816, B&W CM8/ 9, totem staff, paradigm studio 60.
I chose the studio 60s.

I make no claim to know what the absolute best speaker is, but that was my choice. I am extremely happy with them.

MartinLogan ESL...

Salk and Philharmonic seem to be the best-loved in your price range. If you want sound over looks, you can't beat http://philharmonicaudio.com/philharmonicaudio/philpages/floorstanding.html

No absolute best, but............................

Neat Momentum 4i - Really like this speaker company. Owned by musicians, built by ear, not by measurements.

Sonus Faber Liuto - Are you in TX? Heard these last week, stunners but liked the Cremona more (~2x price)

Kef 201.2 -- Can you get buy the cosmetic?

did you do a comparison between the jade 5's? i sure hope the dyn focus 160 where better than the jade 3 they are twice the price.
Edited by smasher50 - 8/8/12 at 4:03am

To answer your question directly, there is no absolutely best if you're going mix HT with music. You can have one or the other but if you want the "absolute" best, you have to pick one, music or home theater and then you have to choose the total of your setup to reflect this choice as the other choice has to be looked upon as an also ran.

One has to state, is the venue a large, open, vaulted ceiling where FmRm and kitchen are fully open to each other with tile or hardwood floors or are you listening in the intimate setting of the library with over stuffed furniture, carpet and lots of bookshelves? How sophisticated would your characterize your listening experience? Have you taught yourself how to listen for nuances in sound quality or are you use to concerts, boom boxes and movie theater palaces and you're ready to step up the quality of your listening experience? All these questions are relevant towards answering your question; ribbons, horns, mains, bookshelf, full home theater or high-end stereo.

Just an aside, you mention the McIntosh MHT 200, a high-end receiver but it has no HDMI hookups and today, pretty much, HDMI is today's standard, not to mention it's ability to accurately decode today's movie track standards. Is this really the best choice in receivers that's available to you?



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Edited by BeeMan458 - 8/8/12 at 6:01am

My vote would go to the Vandersteen 2C speakers.

The Vandersteen Model 2 has been in production for 30 years, and it is the best-selling high-end speaker of all time. There are a huge number of satisfied Vandersteen owners out there. You don't see many used ones for sale either, which tells you something, given how many there are out there. Once people get Vandersteens, they don't switch to something better, because it doesn't hardly exist.

There have been many improvements in drivers and other refinements, but the basic design has stood the test of time.

I had the Model 2B for a few years and have now had the Model 3A for over 20 years.

The Gallo Acoustics CL-3 and CL-4 are also excellent; and would get my vote for second place.

Almost any speaker you buy will need a subwoofer for movies, but you can buy a pair of Vandersteen 2C speakers for $2300 and an NHT B12D sub for $700 and you have a $3000 speaker system that is hard to beat for anything.
Edited by commsysman - 8/8/12 at 6:24am

Pay someone $3K to build you a pair of Statements. Get ears on as many speakers as you can.

+1

I'd add GR Research to that list as well (check out the GR Research thread on AudioCircle).

KEF, Revel, B&W, and a hundred other speakers.

Whichever sound the best to you are the best. No one can possibly know for sure.

Good to see the short list being narrowed down to a hundred and three choices.

Slightly over your budget at $3,499, but I would take a good long look at the SuperCharged SongTowers from Salk as well.

http://www.salksound.com/songtower%20supercharged%20home.htm

I own the $1,999 SongTowers (base model) but the SuperCharged model really steps it up with quality drivers. Jim's construction can't be beat, and he makes some of the most beautiful looking and sounding speakers on the market today. Especially for the price.

If $3k is a hard budget number, the SongTowers at $1,999 a pair are amazing speakers, and I love mine. I'd use the extra money left over to pair them with a solid subwoofer, or customizing them with special veneers. Jim's speakers come in several "default" finishes which are all beautiful, but his custom options are really over the top.

Cheers,
Chad

JBL LSR 6332

Well, okay, if I have to narrow down based on personal preference, I would say either the Philharmonic-2 for $2.9K/pr or the Philharmonic-3 for $3.3K/pr.

http://philharmonicaudio.com/index.html\

Oh, yeah, and I want to say these speakers sound great for music, movies, games, & TV.

And also this is just my opinion because everyone is different.
Edited by AcuDefTechGuy - 8/8/12 at 11:29am

If it was my own personal money, I would get either the Ascend Acoustics Sierra Tower with Raal upgrade or one of the Philharmonic towers.

If your looking for a speaker that can do both music AND home theater check out deftech's 8080-st towers......3000 a pair

http://www.definitivetech.com/Products/products.aspx?path=Floor-Standing_Speakers&productid=BP-8080ST