Editor,
I'm always following your articles and I thought I might shoot you a question for my new project.
At the moment I have the Vienna Acoustics The Music speakers matched up with the Krell Evo 402e amplifier and 202 preamp. And to be honest, when I heard these speakers in the store I didn't even bother looking at anything else -- that's how good I think they are. I'm now in a position to better my current setup so I thought I might ask you for your expert opinion, advice, and recommendation. Let me give you some info first: I have a large room and my budget allows me on the order of about $100k (AUD). Given the parity now with the USD I thought it would be a great time to do the project now. And if it makes a difference I can even stretch that a little further -- say $120k. I'm looking at the following speakers and amplifiers (and will match the source according to amp):
Speakers: Sonus Faber Stradivari Homage, Focal Scala Utopia, Rockport Aquila (Altair, but out of my price range), Magico Q5, or maybe even Kharma
Amplifiers: Halcro DM88/DM10 with DCS Puccini CD; Boulder 1060 or even 2060; other brands I have looked at but not too keen on are Pass, Mark Levinson, and Lamm
Which would you suggest? Thanks in advance for any advice and recommendation.
Bran Blaze
I just answered a similar question in which I recommended Rockport Technologies, TAD, and Vivid loudspeakers. These, to me, are the top speaker brands to consider if you are putting together a state-of-the-art system. Certainly the others you mention might also be contenders, but you have to narrow the field somehow and the ones I listed are simply beyond reproach in all the areas that I consider important.
I am a big fan of the Boulder electronics, particularly the 2060 amp, though at lower price points I'd certainly consider the Pass gear. Boulder and Pass both have great reputations for excellent sound and tremendous reliability, as well as great service after the sale. . . . Jeff Fritz
