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What are the best passive speakers with $20000-$30000 budget


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Wilson Yvette is in that price range.

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2 minutes ago, botrytis said:

Wilson Yvette is in that price range.

Thanks I'll check them out. I'm going to do a country wide tour visiting speaker factories and auditioning right in their showrooms. This is why they must be made in the USA. Well that and I like to support American companies. 

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17 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

can you be sure the American companies are using American components?

No the best drivers all come from Europe. So not much choice in that department. But I would like to see at least the cabinets manufactured in the U.S. Seems like the choice is pretty slim from U.S companies in this price range these days. We have Ariel Acoustics, Ecclestonworks, Von Schweikert, Wilson Audio, Joesph Audio, Magico and drawing a blank.........

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If you truly want "all-American" go visit Magnepan and listen to the 20.7's. They are below your price range, but will outdo many if not most of the speakers in that price range if you are a flat-panel person.  

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Revel Ultima speakers would be in that price range. 

 

Soundlab Audiphile A3PX and A1PX would be in that price range. 

 

BTW, I thought you had decided to go with active powered digital speakers?

 

 

And always keep in mind: Cognitive biases, like seeing optical illusions are a sign of a normally functioning brain. We all have them, it’s nothing to be ashamed about, but it is something that affects our objective evaluation of reality. 

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8 hours ago, esldude said:

Revel Ultima speakers would be in that price range. 

 

Soundlab Audiphile A3PX and A1PX would be in that price range. 

 

BTW, I thought you had decided to go with active powered digital speakers?

 

 

Well I have some time to kill before the active speakers I'm interested in are ready. So I thought I would give some $60000-$100000 box and cable systems a serious listen and see if they can compete with $40000 active. It's also a great excuse to travel. It will be nice to talk to all of the engineers of today's top passive speakers face to face and ask what's holding them back from going active. 

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15 hours ago, sdolezalek said:

If you truly want "all-American" go visit Magnepan and listen to the 20.7's. They are below your price range, but will outdo many if not most of the speakers in that price range if you are a flat-panel person.  

 

A visit to Magnepan is like entering a time machine. The company still does everything very old school. it's pretty cool.

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34 minutes ago, Silly goose said:

Well I have some time to kill before the active speakers I'm interested in are ready. So I thought I would give some $60000-$100000 box and cable systems a serious listen and see if they can compete with $40000 active. It's also a great excuse to travel. It will be nice to talk to all of the engineers of today's top passive speakers face to face and ask what's holding them back from going active. 

 

You should visit the Munich trade show in May. It's the super bowl of high end audio.

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Aerial Acoustics.

 

Also, I dare you to try the Tekton Double Impacts (at $3k, with upgrades to $4k) and tell me it's not enticing to get reference level quality and put $26k in your pocket.  Seriously.

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At that price level I'm not really sure what a "recommendation" means. Pretty much everything at that price level is great. It's more a question of what your taste in speakers is and what type of sound you like, and less about the quality of the speaker.

It also has something to do with size and looks and what fits your space and aesthetics. 

What kind of sound are you looking for - something "precise" like Magico or YG? Something "musical" like Sonus Fabre? Or something close to open baffle and electrostatics/ribbons?

If you want something truly full range - especially for bass- that also makes a difference. Not all those models really go down to the low 20's in hz.

If your real purpose is to compare to what your mysterious actives are going to get you, then I'd think you'd want to audition speakers that tend toward the more precise and revealing end of the spectrum. The others aren't going to be much of a comparison for you. 

 

BTW, don't forget to audition the Beolab 90, which is considered the ultimate in active DSP controlled systems on the market today. I know it isn't made in the USA, but it will be a good point of comparison for you when you finally hear those speakers you think are going to be the ultimate. 

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Thanks guys. I really have no intention of buying any of these passive speakers. More of just looking for reference point of where today's best box and cable systems are at. Great excuse to travel as well. My heart is set on an all in 1 active system. These sound shows are super cool, but seems they usually suffer from poor room acoustics, and too much ambient noise to truly evaluate the systems. This is why I want to travel right to the speaker factories. It will also be great to go out for a few beers with the designers and engineers to pick their brains after a factory tour, and extensive listening session. 

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If you have the opportunity do give a listen to a Steinway Lyngdorf active system:

 

http://www.steinwaylyngdorf.com/en/products/speaker-series/model-c

 

I was positively impressed with the older "working man" Lyngdorf version of corner subs and satellites.

 

R

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