dbflash:

Edwinr,

How close is 1 and 2?

Ever since you posted that you bought new speakers I have been thinking about listening to a pair of Martin Logans.

Thanks,

Danny

Well... good question.  These speakers are very different in tonal quality, but so similar in how they load the room.  Each speaker has it's strengths and weaknesses.  The Klipschorn's strength includes it's ability to reproduce a huge soundstage coupled with an amazingly dynamic presentation.  The Summit's soundstage is not as wide as the Klipschorn but has more depth.  The Summit is not as dynamic either, but is capable of reproducing finer detail.  Both are real high end contenders for the best speakers reasonable money can buy.  In summary, 1 and 2 are VERY close.  When push comes to a shove, one could argue that 1 and 2 are interchangable.

Any person who discounts the Klipschorn's current credentials as one of the all time best loudspeakers, obviously has not heard them.  I again recount my fairly recent experience in a major hi fi store where a pair of AK4 Klipschorns were setup in a room with a number of other speakers (not an ideal situation, I know).  Even when not properly sealed into corners, the Klipschorn made a mockery of the other so called high end speakers I heard.  It wasn't until I heard the Summits that I thought the Klipschorn had some competition.  But even now I'm not sure...

P.S.  I haven't heard the AK5's yet...  

Chicago_Pete:

Avantgarde Duo down on the bottom. Glad I never chased a pair. Always liked the looks of them. Giant Duntechs worked very well for me until I got my Khorns.

The Duo's are nice speakers, but they're not as good as the Klipschorns.  They cost lots more and they have a slight discontinuity in the bass region which is hard to tune out.  The Klipschorn's bass response is much more seamless in presentation.  I think what I'm trying to say is that the bass doesn't match the mid and highs very well.  I know the Summit is a hybrid as well, but Martin Logan has done a much better job than Avantegarde Acoustics on this score.

A few people have mentioned college speakers.  I had a pair of Acoustic Research speaks that everyone loved.  I wish I could remember the model number.  They had tight bass (but perhaps a little thin) and very detailed mids with crisp highs.

Of course that was 25 years ago.  I would love to hear them now to see if I liked them as much.

Cornwalled:

Chicago_Pete,

Which pair of Duntechs did you have?  I just recently bought an old pair of DL-15/Bs for $100, but all the drivers are incorrect.  I'd be curious to hear which ones you had, and how you liked them?

-Jon

The Tannoy Westminister might not be in my top ten, but I wouldn't say no if it followed me home...

Of course this brand new Thiel CS3.7 looks pretty good too... especially combined with Audio Research gear.

These are nice looking speakers.  Opera Audio Consonance M12 Barque Loudspeakers... what a mouthful!

Here's another look...

The Sonus Faber Amati Homage anniversario Loudspeaker...

I can't remember who on this forum likes the Gallo Reference 3's... Max?

As bookshelf speakers go, these Acoustic Energy AE1 MkIII's are okay...

These are the new Allison One's...

The Kharma Grande Ceramique and Manly Snapper Monoblocs...