daveneumann
Well-known member
Over the past several months, I have been searching for a new speaker that has all of the qualities of my Spires but with bigger macrodynamics, more body and better off axis listening. My budget has been up to $25,000.
What I've learned in the process is that Spires are damn good speakers! In fact, it has been hard to come close to the coherence, transparency, speed, micro dynamics, and tone of the Spires. Here is the list of speakers that I have auditioned so far and some brief comments on each.
Vandersteen Quatro - Nice but not a wow. Was paired with top end Ayre electronics. Would be a sideways move at best.
Vandersteen 5A - Somewhat veiled in the midrange, and the bass while powerful was a bit disconnected from the rest of the music. Paired with Audio Research tube gear.
Maggie 3.6 - These sounded really good paired with McIntosh electronics, and were more seamless with better bass than the Spires. But they are just too physically imposing for my tastes and they do not disappear as sound sources. But I can see why there are so many avid Maggie fans, especially given their reasonable cost.
Revel Ultimate Salon 2 - I had high expectations for this speaker given the rave reviews, but was disappointed. Mated with McIntosh and Classe electronics they sounded dull and lifeless, with a certain midrange coloration that I found annoying.
Wilson WP-8 - I wanted to like these, since they are available at very reasonable prices. They played big, very dynamic and exciting, powerful bass, good soundstage. But they were also slightly harsh sounding, even paired with McIntosh electronics, and they did not match the coherence of the Spires.
Wilson Sophia 2 - Given the rave reviews, I had high expectations. But these were the least coherent speakers I auditioned and the bass seemed to be about 1/2 beat behind the rest of the music. Paired with Naim and also McIntosh.
Wilson Sasha - This is the replacement for the WP8. Overall, this is a great speaker, the best I've heard so far. I heard it in 3 different cities, with different electronics. Each time, I found myself wanting them. They are very coherent, throw a huge soundstage, have excellent micro and macro dynamics, and have great tone. The problem...they cost $27,000 and are too new to be found on the used market.
Avant Garde Duo Omega - These sounded very dynamic and detailed, much more so than my Spires, with great imaging. But the bass was disconnected from the rest of the music and there is a certain coloration that I'm not sure I could live with in the long run. They were mated with top end Audiopax amps and BAT Rex preamp.
Spendor 100's - These have a great midrange, maybe a tad too warm, but the bass sounded slow and they are not full range. Paired with MF and Meridian electronics.
I have several more speakers on my short list including Magico, Verity, Gamut and YG but most of these are really hard to find an audition. Not sure where this is all going to end up, but one thing has become very clear in this process is the excellence and value of the Spires. So for now, I'm very content to just my system knowing that there isn't much better out there for at least a reasonable price.
What I've learned in the process is that Spires are damn good speakers! In fact, it has been hard to come close to the coherence, transparency, speed, micro dynamics, and tone of the Spires. Here is the list of speakers that I have auditioned so far and some brief comments on each.
Vandersteen Quatro - Nice but not a wow. Was paired with top end Ayre electronics. Would be a sideways move at best.
Vandersteen 5A - Somewhat veiled in the midrange, and the bass while powerful was a bit disconnected from the rest of the music. Paired with Audio Research tube gear.
Maggie 3.6 - These sounded really good paired with McIntosh electronics, and were more seamless with better bass than the Spires. But they are just too physically imposing for my tastes and they do not disappear as sound sources. But I can see why there are so many avid Maggie fans, especially given their reasonable cost.
Revel Ultimate Salon 2 - I had high expectations for this speaker given the rave reviews, but was disappointed. Mated with McIntosh and Classe electronics they sounded dull and lifeless, with a certain midrange coloration that I found annoying.
Wilson WP-8 - I wanted to like these, since they are available at very reasonable prices. They played big, very dynamic and exciting, powerful bass, good soundstage. But they were also slightly harsh sounding, even paired with McIntosh electronics, and they did not match the coherence of the Spires.
Wilson Sophia 2 - Given the rave reviews, I had high expectations. But these were the least coherent speakers I auditioned and the bass seemed to be about 1/2 beat behind the rest of the music. Paired with Naim and also McIntosh.
Wilson Sasha - This is the replacement for the WP8. Overall, this is a great speaker, the best I've heard so far. I heard it in 3 different cities, with different electronics. Each time, I found myself wanting them. They are very coherent, throw a huge soundstage, have excellent micro and macro dynamics, and have great tone. The problem...they cost $27,000 and are too new to be found on the used market.
Avant Garde Duo Omega - These sounded very dynamic and detailed, much more so than my Spires, with great imaging. But the bass was disconnected from the rest of the music and there is a certain coloration that I'm not sure I could live with in the long run. They were mated with top end Audiopax amps and BAT Rex preamp.
Spendor 100's - These have a great midrange, maybe a tad too warm, but the bass sounded slow and they are not full range. Paired with MF and Meridian electronics.
I have several more speakers on my short list including Magico, Verity, Gamut and YG but most of these are really hard to find an audition. Not sure where this is all going to end up, but one thing has become very clear in this process is the excellence and value of the Spires. So for now, I'm very content to just my system knowing that there isn't much better out there for at least a reasonable price.
