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Post by kazsud on Jun 2, 2016 16:33:14 GMT -5
Auditioned kef ls50, r300, r500 and dynaudio x18. Which dont sound as good as the stealth 8s.
I think the r700 would better but the place i went had sold their demo pair.
Looking for powered or non-powered. 2k - 3k
Thinking about but havent heard dynaudio focus 160, scansonic mb-1 or mb-2.5
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klinemj
Emo VIPs 
Honorary Emofest Scribe
Posts: 14,739
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Post by klinemj on Jun 2, 2016 20:11:28 GMT -5
Auditioned kef ls50, r300, r500 and dynaudio x18. Which dont sound as good as the stealth 8s. I think the r700 would better but the place i went had sold their demo pair. Looking for powered or non-powered. 2k - 3k Thinking about but havent heard dynaudio focus 160, scansonic mb-1 or mb-2.5 If you are looking to replace the 8's what about them do you want to improve? Mark |
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Post by audiobill on Jun 3, 2016 17:45:55 GMT -5
Dynaudio. Done.
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Post by Loop 7 on Jun 3, 2016 18:35:05 GMT -5
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Post by vneal on Jun 3, 2016 18:39:49 GMT -5
You might start with a search of 3k speakers and listen to different brands.
B&W
Canton
Dynaudio
KEF
Klipsch
Thiel
Maggies
to name a few of the mainstream ones
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Post by kazsud on Jun 8, 2016 10:43:45 GMT -5
Auditioned kef ls50, r300, r500 and dynaudio x18. Which dont sound as good as the stealth 8s. I think the r700 would better but the place i went had sold their demo pair. Looking for powered or non-powered. 2k - 3k Thinking about but havent heard dynaudio focus 160, scansonic mb-1 or mb-2.5 If you are looking to replace the 8's what about them do you want to improve? Mark Use better caps. Mine went died 3 times... |
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Post by kazsud on Jun 8, 2016 10:45:39 GMT -5
Most of the ones I heard recently weren't as impressive as the stealth 8. Which model? |
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Post by audiobill on Jun 8, 2016 11:57:41 GMT -5
Mine are the Dynaudio Geminis - using their legendary 15W75 woofers and the superb D-260 tweeter in an MTM configuration. Custom crossovers designed by Phil Bamberg, Bamberg Audio.
Cabinets are 1 1/2 " thick MDF.
I haven't bothered listening to the Stealth 8's, since my taste runs to tube amps. They do seem to be a good value for those for whom that is a priority.
I will say that Dynaudios are generally considered one of the finest speakers in the world, and are priced accordingly.
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Post by kazsud on Jun 9, 2016 15:00:58 GMT -5
Mine are the Dynaudio Geminis - using their legendary 15W75 woofers and the superb D-260 tweeter in an MTM configuration. Custom crossovers designed by Phil Bamberg, Bamberg Audio. Cabinets are 1 1/2 " thick MDF. I haven't bothered listening to the Stealth 8's, since my taste runs to tube amps. They do seem to be a good value for those for whom that is a priority. I will say that Dynaudios are generally considered one of the finest speakers in the world, and are priced accordingly. Thanks. I'm more interested in someone who has owned or atleast heard the stealth 8. You can always use a tube pre-amp with powered monitors. I loved the way my airmotiv 6 sounded w/ my woo audio wa2 doing pre-amp duties. As a mater of fact I loved the the tubes that sounded great with headphones didn't pair well with the speakers. So I wasn't stressing the tubes too much. |
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Post by deewan on Jun 14, 2016 8:17:12 GMT -5
I've heard the Stealth 8. I really enjoyed them. One speaker model I would compare favorable to the Stealth would be the Paradigm Prestige. The 95F are VERY impressive for a tower speaker. Paradigm also offers a bookshelf if you want to stay with a smaller cabinet, but you will need the addition of a sub if you want the Stealth 8 bass output.
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Post by boomzilla on Jun 14, 2016 11:01:57 GMT -5
I've heard the Stealth 8 (thanks to @rightinla, who was kind enough to bring his over). I've also owned the Airmotiv 4. To my ears, the weakest point of their presentation is the ribbon tweeter. Be aware that many consider that to be the STRONGEST point of the speakers. But to my ears, the ribbons kind of homogenized the sound, and in a way not to my liking. The best tweeters I've heard were in a Polk tower and in a bookshelf speaker that I had (forget the name). Both used a variant of the ring-radiator design. I haven't bothered reading on how that technology works, but I do know that I've liked their sound. My latest purchase is Tekton Pendragons, currently on sale for $2K. They have two 10" woofers and three ring radiator tweeters. They are highly reviewed on the internet. Although mine are on order, they've not yet arrived, so I can't tell you much more. But they seem an alternative within your budget and possibly to your liking. Cheers - Boomzilla  |
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Post by me262 on Jun 14, 2016 16:48:25 GMT -5
I have listened to the stealth 8's, set them up for a friend, they are really great speakers. That being said I like what I have much more, which are a every harder to find pair of Gallo Ref 3.1's. If you can find them or the 3.5's for a reasonable price and condition they are really unbelievable speaker. I also bought the Paradigm Prestige speakers for my Dad's home theater (I think he has the 85 Fs). They are also great speakers, the cabinet work is pretty much the best I have ever seen in terms of final polish for the price. That being said I again like the Gallo sound more than them. I would defiantly suggest going to audition speakers and try and make sure you can return any that you buy without hearing.
Some suggestions would be:
-Gallo Strada 2 reference, they are small but they sound great, get the stands though, and get a good sub, they don't do low like the stealth 8s, but they do mids and highs very nicely. They take a surprisingly powerful amp so make sure you have something to drive them with. I think the Ref 3.1 and 3.5 are better though so I returned them.
- Paradigm Prestige, simply great speakers just listen first.
-Vienna Acoustic Beethoven Baby Grand or Mozart Grand : These are the only speakers that I feel I sometimes want over my Gallo 3.1s. They are everything the Gallos are but with just a little more, it is hard to describe. The build quality is second to none, which makes sense as they are made in a piano factory (or were at least). Find a dealer before you do anything and listen to them. They even have a great set of book shelfs if that is where you want to stay.
Anyway just my two cents.
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Post by Perpendicular on Jun 14, 2016 23:11:11 GMT -5
My take on the Steath 6 which contains the same tweeter as the Stealth 8 is that they are very true to 'real 'life sound. Not sure what the term "Homogenized" means when describing the sound of the Airmotiv tweeter. The definition to Homogenize, besides the term used to describe the process of milk, basically, is to make uniform, merge or similar. Not sure what it is that the Airmotiv tweeter sounded 'similar to' except for a closer to real 'live' sound. Unless, Boomzilla means they sound milky or creamy like.   |
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Post by knucklehead on Jun 14, 2016 23:56:37 GMT -5
A pair of Salk Song Towers might interest you. I've owned a pair of the AirMotiv 6 for a while. I never could warm up to the air motion tweeter. Not only that but I had to look at them as well. The AM tweeter just never came off as natural to my ears. I've owned many different speakers over the years and IMO the song towers get as close to natural as I've ever owned. When I play Jazz at the Pawnshop it reminds me of those misspent evenings (often till the wee hours!) in Pioneer Square in Seattle frequenting the piano and jazz bars.
Jazz at the Pawnshop played through the song towers get as close to that live sound as I've been able to reproduce in my living room. You might be able to find some used ones. I did and I'm very happy I did. The real plus is you don't need a sub for most music - these 2 five inch drivers really dig deep.
Good luck on your speaker search.
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Post by deltadube on Jun 15, 2016 0:30:29 GMT -5
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Post by Cogito on Jun 15, 2016 6:31:07 GMT -5
You MUST audition a pair of Magnepan MG-1.7i. 'Nough said...
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Post by kazsud on Jun 23, 2016 11:28:27 GMT -5
I've heard the Stealth 8 (thanks to @rightinla, who was kind enough to bring his over). I've also owned the Airmotiv 4. To my ears, the weakest point of their presentation is the ribbon tweeter. Be aware that many consider that to be the STRONGEST point of the speakers. But to my ears, the ribbons kind of homogenized the sound, and in a way not to my liking. The best tweeters I've heard were in a Polk tower and in a bookshelf speaker that I had (forget the name). Both used a variant of the ring-radiator design. I haven't bothered reading on how that technology works, but I do know that I've liked their sound. My latest purchase is Tekton Pendragons, currently on sale for $2K. They have two 10" woofers and three ring radiator tweeters. They are highly reviewed on the internet. Although mine are on order, they've not yet arrived, so I can't tell you much more. But they seem an alternative within your budget and possibly to your liking. Cheers - Boomzilla So what are your thoughts on your new speakers? |
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Post by qdtjni on Jun 23, 2016 14:02:15 GMT -5
As Bill, I recommend Dyaudio.
Another alternative is Focal.
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Post by bcbigb on Oct 15, 2016 1:41:25 GMT -5
I got some used Dynaudio BM-15As (a pretty close analogue to the Stealth 8s in terms of specs) and do love them, but right now the Stealth 8s have taken over my main system. Ribbons do generally have a high-frequency falloff as you move off-center, so I do notice some differences between them in that regard. There are other differences, but I improved my room acoustics too soon after I got the Stealth 8s to be firmly sure of those differences. I'll say that they're both excellent speakers and produce very full sound across the frequency spectrum, so I'd have no hesitation going to Dynaudios if you want to try climbing further up the ladder on their rungs.
All that said, however, I've listened to a lot of two and three-way studio monitors and in this form-factor/type of speaker these are about as good as it gets IMHO, in that others at the top of this category are all in the same range. If you want to go up the line from there, I'd say floorstanding and/or soffit-mounted mains are where you should sniff around (I'd imagine you're not building a studio, so really just the former :-) ).
Honestly my money is on better acoustic treatment, as that makes a phenomenal difference if it's A) not set up right, or B) not there or not sufficient. That or pulling up any other weaker links. I believe a balanced (not as in XLR, but philosophy) system/room/upgrade strategy is really the key to getting the largest improvements and the best bang for your buck.
-> For more on that HF falloff I mentioned, see the Stereophile reviews/measurements for the Goldenear Triton Ones, which I'm also going to eventually test when I am no longer listening solely from behind a desk and have more space.
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Post by yves on Oct 15, 2016 10:01:14 GMT -5
Honestly my money is on better acoustic treatment, as that makes a phenomenal difference if it's A) not set up right, or B) not there or not sufficient. That or pulling up any other weaker links. I believe a balanced (not as in XLR, but philosophy) system/room/upgrade strategy is really the key to getting the largest improvements and the best bang for your buck.  |
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