Price: $13,000 per pair
Website: www.dutchdutch.com
Diego said: If you can get over your preconceptions about what an audiophile system should look like, there’s no question: The Dutch & Dutch 8c is well worth $13,000/pair.
Read the SoundStage! Hi-Fi review.
The gist: Fully active speaker that is easy to place and sounds phenomenal.
Price: AU$17,999 per pair including stands
Website: www.dynaudio.com
Edgar said: The Dynaudio engineers were able to balance high levels of transparency and detail while simultaneously providing one of the truest and sweetest presentations I’ve experienced for quite some time.
Read the SoundStage! Australia review.
The gist: Super-refined standmount from the venerable Danish company.
Price: $15,500 per pair
Website: www.egglestonworks.com
Jeff said: I think that, for most audiophiles, buying a pair of Kivas can be a set-it-and-forget-it proposition -- and these days in high-end audio, that’s rare.
Read the SoundStage! Ultra review.
The gist: Excellent bargain in a high-end, full-range boutique speaker.
Price: $29,500 per pair
Website: www.gryphon-audio.dk
Jeff said: Ownership will begin with choosing the color of the speakers’ side panels, and when you’ve set them up, they’ll deliver to your room the classic Gryphon sound: warm, expansive, detailed but not bright.
Read the SoundStage! Ultra review.
The gist: Ever dream of owning a Gryphon?
Price: AU$18,600
Website: www.hulgichaudio.com.au
Tom said: The words “balanced” and “believable” appeared in my listening notes a number of times. Their detail retrieval, tonality, imaging and soundstaging are all superb.
Read the SoundStage! Australia review.
The gist: WATT/Puppy-ish-looking loudspeaker offers good value.
Price: $12,300 per pair
Website: www.magico.net
Hans said: “. . . the nearly full-range Magico A3 brought me closer to my music than any other speaker I’ve reviewed in the last five years.”
Read the SoundStage! Ultra review.
The gist: Hans found these phenomenal once positioned properly.
Price: $65,000 per pair
Website: www.pmc-speakers.com
Aron said: It’s a complicated design, but PMC’s seamless integration of quality components and innovative technologies has enabled the Fenestria to “disappear” from the room -- and the music -- by functioning better in the room than any other speaker I’ve reviewed.
Read the SoundStage! Ultra review.
The gist: The PMC house sound taken to its ultimate quality level.
Price: $38,500 per pair
Website: www.rockporttechnologies.com
Jeff said: It combines an expertly voiced tonal balance that I can’t imagine anyone disliking with the ability to resolve the finest details in recordings, from the top to the very bottom of the audioband.
Read the SoundStage! Ultra review.
The gist: One of the finest midsize floorstanders available today.