TAS's Short list recommended speakers 5K (pair) and up...

[conchyjoe7]

In response to a few requests, here are the higher end of "The Short List" of Tas's recommended speakers. This is from the current newstand issue which is well worth owning, and IMHO TAS and Stereophile are the 2 biggest bargains in print for "High End" audio (mainly 2 channel though) products which while we may not be able to afford, is where all the "trickle down" technology eventually comes from...so subscriptions are really cheap to both and VERY worthwhile. There are 3 categories here and they seem to have capped cost at "somewhat realistic" if you consider 50K a pair reasonable for speakers. (all prices are per pair).
Enjoy:

5K - 10K
Pioneer S2-EX $6,000.00.
Exceptional three-way stand-mount with pinpoint imaging and powerful dynamics.
Usher CP8571MkII $8840.00.
Sonics reminiscent of Wilson WATT/Puppy for a fraction of the price. (One I haven't heard that I sure would love to...anyone else heard it? Opinions?
Quad ESL 2805 $8999.00.
The best ESL yet from Quad, capable of compelling realism and naturalness.

10K - 20K
MBL 121 $12,300.00.
Stand-mounted omnidirectional three-way -- Legendary MBL sound in a compact package.
Magnaplanar 20.1 $12,500.00.
Full-range ribbon/planar-magnetic capable of exceptional sonic realism.
Wilson Sophia 2 $13,900.00.
Floorstanding three-way with extraordinary transients, bass, timbre, and staging.
Sound Lab M1A $16,500.00.
Full-range electrostat with wide dispersion, high resolution, outstanding timbre and 20hz-bass.
Vandersteen 5A $16,900.00.
Classic floorstander with especially neutral timbre and wide bandwidth.

Over 20K
Revel Salon 2 $21,198.00.
A tour de force of loudspeaker design -- TAS's 2007 High-End Loudspeaker of The Year.
Magico V3 $25,000.00.
Extraordinarily lifelike timbre, dynamics, and soundstaging -- a stunning achievement.
MAGICO Mini II $29,600.00. (with stands).
The world's finest mini-monitor-- perfect for small scale classical, folk, jazz, or pop.
Wilson MAXX 2 $45,000.00
Large floorstander that virtually redefines nuance, finesse, and bottom-end extension and impact.
MBL 101E $49,900.00.
Superb four-way omni with 20hz bass, nonpareil treble, and pulse-pounding dynamics.

That's all folks...Please bear in mind that I have only presented others opinions, albeit probably some of the most qualified opinions in sound today. In other words, please don't shoot the messenger if you disagree with the list.

[jackfish]

The Vandersteen Quatro (non-wood finish) should make the $5K-$10K list at $7000/pair. Not much if any comes close to the sound for that price.

http://www.vandersteen.com/pages/Pdf...893_eprint.pdf

[conchyjoe7]

Couldn't agree more Jackfish!