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300x600 Vivid Audio Kaya 45 (202204)
300x600 Vivid Audio G2 (202204)

(2009) Stereo Loudspeakers Over $10,000

Audience ClairAudient LSA8+8 Loudspeakers

Details
Parent Category: 2009 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
Category: (2009) Stereo Loudspeakers Over $10,000
  • Reviewers Choice

audience_lsa_88_300h

Price: $28,000 per pair

Website: www.audience-av.com

Vade said: Although the LSA8+8 couldn’t reproduce the bottommost octave of the audioband (20-40Hz) in my room, they reproduced everything -- and I mean everything -- above that better than I’ve heard it done by almost any other speaker at any price.

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Read the SoundStage! review.

The gist: In this case, a lot of drivers equals lots of performance.

Audio Acoustics Fundamental K2 Loudspeakers

Details
Parent Category: 2009 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
Category: (2009) Stereo Loudspeakers Over $10,000

audioacoustics_k2_300h

Price: $22,500 per pair

Website: www.audioacoustics.co.uk

Albert said: They won’t re-create the domination of a symphony in full voice or a rock band in full scream. What they will do is convincingly and passionately re-create the inner world of music as a coherent statement of the musicians’ intentions and performance.

Read the Ultra Audio review.

The gist: Within their limits, very convincing.

Consensus Audio Engineering Conspiracy Loudspeakers

Details
Parent Category: 2009 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
Category: (2009) Stereo Loudspeakers Over $10,000
  • Reviewers Choice
  • Select Component

cae_conspiracy_300h

Price: $41,700 per pair

Website: www.consensusaudio.com

Albert said: The outstanding achievement of CAE is that, in the Conspiracy, they have found a way to get the engineering and the music right.

ultra sel 120x80

Read the Ultra Audio review.

The gist: The consensus? A conspiracy of quality.

Crystal Cable Arabesque Loudspeakers

Details
Parent Category: 2009 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
Category: (2009) Stereo Loudspeakers Over $10,000
  • Reviewers Choice
  • Select Component

cc_arabesque_300h

Price: $65,000 per pair

Website: www.crystalcable.com

Jason said: But I can imagine a music lover who values great sound, who has more money than God, watching his wife go gaga over the Arabesques as she visualizes these two massive Swarovski crystals perched in the middle of her living room making wonderful music.

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Read the Ultra Audio review.

The gist: A genuine jewel of a loudspeaker.

Gemme Audio Katana Loudspeakers

Details
Parent Category: 2009 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
Category: (2009) Stereo Loudspeakers Over $10,000

gemme_katana_300h

Price: $11,750 per pair

Website:www.gemmeaudio.com

Ken said: It will provide a complete and highly communicative sound in which audiophile pyrotechnics take a back seat to musical involvement. It is also beautiful to look at.

Read the SoundStage! review.

The gist: A gem from Gemme.

Lafleuraudio X1 Loudspeakers

Details
Parent Category: 2009 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
Category: (2009) Stereo Loudspeakers Over $10,000

lafleur_x1_250h

Price: $14,000 per pair

Website: www.lafleuraudio.ca

Jason said: The Lafleuraudio X1 is a great loudspeaker that can deliver large amounts of musical satisfaction. However, it’s still a two-way monitor that retails for $14,000/pair.

Read the Ultra Audio review.

The gist: A good speaker, but at this price it needs to be exceptional.

Magico V2 Loudspeakers

Details
Parent Category: 2009 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
Category: (2009) Stereo Loudspeakers Over $10,000
  • Reviewers Choice

magico_v2_300h

Price: $18,000 per pair

Website: www.magico.net

Doug said: It may carry a five-digit price tag, but the V2 is more than a mere status trophy -- it’s a true audiophile-grade performer with an overall sound quality that makes it the best passive loudspeaker I’ve ever reviewed.

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Read the SoundStage! review.

The gist: Magico’s entry level is no entry-level speaker.

MartinLogan Summit X Loudspeakers

Details
Parent Category: 2009 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
Category: (2009) Stereo Loudspeakers Over $10,000
  • Reviewers Choice

ml_summitx_300h

Price: $13,995 per pair

Website: www.martinlogan.com

Howard said: The Summit X is the latest step in MartinLogan’s ongoing quest for electrostatic perfection. They’ve improved on the technology’s stunning strengths -- transparency, speed, immediacy, midrange presence, soundstaging -- while minimizing its shortcomings, particularly in the integration of the outputs of the woofers and upper-range panels.

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Read the SoundStage! review.

The gist: X marks the sweet spot.

Revel Ultima Salon2 Loudspeakers

Details
Parent Category: 2009 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
Category: (2009) Stereo Loudspeakers Over $10,000
  • Reviewers Choice

revel_salon2_300h

Price: $21,998 per pair

Website: www.revelspeakers.com

Doug said: If you have the space, the money, and the desire to own a "statement" loudspeaker that can take its place among the greats, Revel’s Ultima Salon2 is the one to look at. I’m sure someday I’ll review an even better speaker -- progress is defined by the continuing search for perfection -- but for now, at least, the Ultima Salon2 is the best passive loudspeaker I’ve ever reviewed.

rc 70x80

Read the SoundStage! review.

The gist: Plain and simply, the benchmark for under $25k.

Rockport Technologies Ankaa Loudspeakers

Details
Parent Category: 2009 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
Category: (2009) Stereo Loudspeakers Over $10,000
  • Reviewers Choice
  • Select Component

rockport_ankaa_300h

Price: $27,500 per pair

Website: www.rockporttechnologies.com

Randall said: It’s easily the best speaker I’ve had in my home, and one of the best I’ve heard anywhere -- and it’s the best I’ve heard for anywhere near its price.

ultra_sel_120x80

Read the Ultra Audio review.

The gist: Stargazing on a clear night in Maine.

Rockport Technologies Arrakis Loudspeakers

Details
Parent Category: 2009 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
Category: (2009) Stereo Loudspeakers Over $10,000
  • Reviewers Choice
  • Select Component

rockport_arrakis_300h

Price: $165,000 per pair

Website: www.rockporttechnologies.com

Jeff said: I experienced the best sound I’ve ever heard from my Music Vault listening seat. I took a deep breath as a sense of contentment welled up inside me.

ultra_sel_120x80

Read Ultra Audio’s TWBAS 2009: The Arrival and The Event.

The gist: Otherworldly.

Von Schweikert Audio UniField 3 Loudspeakers

Details
Parent Category: 2009 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
Category: (2009) Stereo Loudspeakers Over $10,000
  • Reviewers Choice
  • Select Component

vsa_unifield3_300h

Price: $15,000 per pair

Website: www.vonschweikert.com

Garrett said: Albert Von Schweikert has made a genuine contribution with his UniField 3, creating not only a full-range speaker that will be viable in small rooms, but one that I suspect can handle larger rooms with ease.

ultra_sel_120x80

Read the Ultra Audio review.

The gist: Competitive in the busy $10-$20k field of compact floorstanders.

Wilson Audio Specialties MAXX Series 3 Loudspeakers

Details
Parent Category: 2009 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
Category: (2009) Stereo Loudspeakers Over $10,000
  • Reviewers Choice

wilson_maxx3_300h

Price: $68,500 per pair

Website: www.wilsonaudio.com

Marc said: There is a humanness to the MAXX 3’s performance; it doesn’t seem to be the product of acoustic engineering as much as the astute, careful observation of people who are intimately familiar with the sound of live music and will settle for nothing short of it.

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Read the SoundStage! review.

The gist: The best MAXX yet.

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