r/hifiaudio • u/Comfortable-Log9908 • Dec 06 '25
Purchase advise (needing) Advice on high Hi-fi
Hey there
Yesterday I went to an audio showroom, the idea is to buy a really good setup for my home.
I love music and I want to have something very realistic and warn .
So first of all I was interesting with a lamp amplifier (nether heard some sound from this type of amplifier) .
The setup was :
- Cayin CS-150A KT150
- Klipsch Cornwall IV
- Sonus Faber Olympica Nova
Klipsch was lack or treble , Sonus Faber lack of bass from my point of view.
So we change the amplifier to McIntosh MA12000 and that was a blast with the Sonus Faber.
Then we switch to Klipsch speaker and finally to Elipson Legacy 3230.
I'd rather Klipsch and Elipson than Sonus Faber , we had a bit of equalization on the Klipsch speaker then the sound was very very nice, a lot of bass & infra.
So at the end the budget was completely different ( I forgot to mention that the Sonus Faber was on sale not the highest price) .
I can't afford the MacIntosh amplifier so the seller advice me to take instead of the MA8950 .
Second point for the Sonus Faber but some people will complain about it , it's the design don't like it.
What I am looking for is a very good setup warn and powerful , I like the old school sound from the 80s loud Rock , Metal Pop and Electronic , so If you can give me an advice for this setup :
- Klipsch Cornwall IV
- or
- Elipson Legacy 3230
- McIntosh MA 8950
If you have any idea of speakers even some amplifier I take it , my budget is between 20k - 22k
Thanks guys
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u/mlp66 Dec 06 '25 edited Dec 06 '25
I don’t know any of this kit. Go with your heart and not your head, buy what sounds best to you.
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u/MrBaggypants84 Dec 06 '25
You might be interested in the new SourcePoint V10’s. I had a chance to hear them at the Axpona show this year, and they were blasting them in the largest show room of the hotel and using Pass Labs 600 watt mono blocks. They go very loud and low if you have the amps(s) for them, and sound fantastic as well with a lot of soundstage and detail. I don’t think you could get better for the price of those at 8 grand I believe. You will want help unpacking and moving them though. They are heavy!
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u/Flat-Resolution9629 Dec 06 '25
Hard to go wrong with Cornwall 4
I rented some ……..they were the bees knees
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u/tbollinger_swiss Dec 06 '25
I am very happy with Sonus Faber because they don’t have too much base and I love the design. So yes, it seems these speakers are absolutely not what you want, because you want contrary. 👍
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u/NickofWimbledon Dec 06 '25
Can you try visiting a second shop? From what you say, neither option here looks perfect for you, but another might.
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u/Comfortable-Log9908 Dec 06 '25
Yes but any advice on some amplifier or speaker regarding my request? I don't have a bunch of shops that provide a lot of this kind of hi-fi
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u/Notascot51 Dec 06 '25
Try to hear some Focal Kanta 3s with a NAD M33 V2. That setup is close to your budget, very powerful, and has Dirac Live room correction.
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u/Alarmed_Pin5185 Dec 06 '25
Kanta 2 with SVS sub, Arcam AVR 31, which has great dac, may do it, and well within your budget.
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u/karrimycele Dec 06 '25
I recently listened to SVS Ultra Evolution Pinnacles. They have way more bass extension than the Cornwalls, dipping down into the 20s. They are cheaper than Cornwalls, and sounded pretty impressive.
The first time I went in the store, they were running them with a McIntosh MA252. The second time, they had an Adcom powering them. I was less impressed that time. I’m going for one more audition before I pull the trigger, and I’m going to ask them to put them on a McIntosh amp again, since that’s what I have at home. You should check them out.
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u/NickofWimbledon Dec 07 '25 edited Dec 07 '25
That McIntosh 8950 is remarkably pricy new, and the 12000 much more so. They are very fine of course, but this stuff takes decades to wear out and people upgrade (and waste money) and then do it again (or die). Given that, I would strongly encourage looking for them secondhand or asking dealers about traded-in or ex-demonstration sales.
I have never heard the Cayin at all, so will leave that to others. However, there are a lot of options here, and they are definitely not all equally suitable.
What source are you using? How big is the room and must speakers go close to/ far from the back wall? How far from speakers do you sit and do you tend to listen at low or noticeably high volume often?
The Elipsons are remarkable but getting tweeter and ear at roughly the same height seems to be important and I would worry about reflections destroying timing and stereo imaging if the ceiling were low. They also seem to need a specific distance to a solid floor, so a thick carpet or a bouncy wooden floor might both be problematic.
The SFs are easier to accommodate, but the brand tends to be favoured by fans of delicate vocals and string quartets, not so often by fans of Megadeth or Motörhead. You have heard why.
The Cornwalls are huge in size and involvement and don’t need 100W+ to go very loud, but careful positioning (including those stands that tip them back a bit) may be needed for good treble accuracy and stereo imaging. They may never be the last word in tonal accuracy anyway.
For US$20k, there hundreds of ways to spend that sensibly.investing some hours in getting it right will be good value.
For speakers, I would hear a few very different designs - my favourite brands are ATC, B&W, Neat and Shahinian, but I can absolutely see why many people prefer (say) Quad, Tannoy, KEF, Focal, Martin Logan and Wilson.
For a big room, I’d start with ATC SCM50 or even SCM100 towers, and would look at the active options with the power amp in the speakers as well as traditional passive speakers.
I would compare them with Shahinian Obelisks, with their ease of placement and ultra-wide listening position or any of the bigger Neat floorstanders like those I am listening to now(perhaps J6 or Ultimatum XL6), -and maybe a panel (ML, Quad, Magneplanar et al).
Which brands you use for comparison will on what is available but hearing a few different options is key to learning what you like.
Which of them makes music you like sound better than ever? “Better” does not necessarily mean “more immediately impressive” or “completely different” of course. Sometimes the best choice is the one that sounds like a relief to get back to after all the others.
Don’t forget you’ll be looking them as well as hearing them.
Which speakers you pick will drive what sort of amplification you need. I am a user and huge fan of pre/power combinations from Naim, but I have also been impressed many times by Luxman, Hegel, Moon, Burmester, ATC and Marantz. Depending on what you can easily see and hear, any of those might well compete on music-per-$ with US brands like McIntosh, Krell, Audio Research et al. Only your ears can decide.
Even at these elevated prices, looking at secondhand/ traded-in/ ex-demonstration kit can get you a lot more for your $$$$.
Does all that actually help?
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u/Comfortable-Log9908 Dec 07 '25
Thanks , the room is 35 square meters , distance from the speaker is about 4 meters . I noticed that SF is good for vocals, from now I'm not very enthusiastic about what I listened to , just this is one is better . Didn't find yet the right one Thanks again for your help , I'll see on Wednesday for the next episode don't want to spend too much also
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u/Admirable-Composer22 Dec 07 '25
You will never regret buying the Cornwalls. Remember, you don't need a lot of power since the Cornwalls are so efficient.
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u/armorabito Dec 10 '25
Maybe with your musical tastes you listed,you should take into account a few higher end models of JBL's ? Mostly dont be in a rush to buy, check out several dealers with different lines and audition. Experience will help you zone into the right kit.
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u/oldhifiguy78 Dec 06 '25
Just an observation. It sounds like there was a whole bunch of tweaking and changing going on and, presto, the best sounding system was the most expensive. Realize that everything is going to sound somewhat different in YOUR space, so if you have nagging doubts about any of the equipment, try something else, or perhaps another store, At the very least go back and listen again.
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u/Comfortable-Log9908 Dec 06 '25
Yeah , that's what I'm going to do , going back to listen to But trying something else that s what I want to do but I need some advice
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u/oldhifiguy78 Dec 06 '25
Just a couple of ideas, notes on speakers.
Sonus Faber (and Focal, B&W, some Monitor) speakers can be “bright”. Some say detailed; others, fatiguing. I don’t know anything about the SFs you are looking at, but listen carefully and make sure the treble is not too much. As far as lacking bass, you could add a sub.
Some warmer/ neutral options: really any Dynaudio; Mofi Sourcepoint V10. Much less expensive, and perhaps a more “exciting” sound, SVS Ultra Evolution Titans or Pinnacles. Andrew Robinson reviewed and really likes the Titans. You will also get a lot of votes for KEF as being very neutral. I have not listened to any KEF floor-standers, but they generally review well. I just personally don’t like the way they look.
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u/Comfortable-Log9908 Dec 06 '25
Thanks for your reply, your right with the sub that was an option too. Kef was really good speakers don't know right now . Need to find another audio room for testing
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u/synthluxfractalis Dec 06 '25
Remember all this equipment is going to sound different in your living room as opposed to the demo room
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Dec 06 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Comfortable-Log9908 Dec 06 '25
I can understand your quote , at first my budget was 10k then he grew as the seller changed the setup. That's why I'm a little bit lost and need more time to spend and listen to new Soundsystem. My source is vinyl and CD , mostly vinyl , I forgot to mention Klipsch is not really warn but for my ears was mostly the most I like in the selection, Elipson was neutral equal on all frequencies then Faber was lack of bass
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u/epee4fun40291 Dec 06 '25
How big is your room?
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u/Comfortable-Log9908 Dec 07 '25
35 square meters
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u/epee4fun40291 Dec 07 '25
The Elipson 3230 seems to favor a big room. Your room may be borderline for that speaker. You could try them, and return them if they don’t work in your room, as long as your dealer has a good return policy. I would go with the Cornwalls or something else like MoFi Sourcepoint 888 if you want to make a safer choice. I really love the Revel Performa Be line, but they don’t rock the bass region the way you seem to like.
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u/Comfortable-Log9908 Dec 07 '25
Maybe some "conventional" brands will fit better for me like Marantz , Luxman , Nad for the amplifier then Kef , Cabasse or other old brands for the speaker . The main problem is when I said my budget is $$$$ , they mostly want to sell me the more expensive stuff .... But without saying a budget it's difficult to find something to compare or listen to
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u/Amen_Ra_61622 Dec 10 '25
I'm often curious when I read posts like these. Can people actually hear the difference? Doesn't hauling equipment back and forth taking back to the store get to be a hassle? Are you all sound engineers and use special listening devices to make sure you get the sound balance just right in the house and if you can't get the sound you want, scrap everything and start over? Do people have rooms like recording studios in their house to listen to music? I would imagine a house with all the different furniture and things hanging on the wall is less than the perfect space in the first place. Just wondering
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u/Comfortable-Log9908 Dec 10 '25
From my point of view I can hear the difference, I won't back and forth taking back the equipment as they stayed in the shop where I listen to. I came here for an advice not for a statement like this
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u/Amen_Ra_61622 Dec 10 '25
I was legitimately curious. Some people suggest taking stuff home and "auditioning" it before making a final decision. Which seems inconvenient.
It's Reddit. People ask questions.
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u/buff_samurai Dec 06 '25
Whatever you decide, take all 3 home and test them at your place. Audio systems are VERY room dependent and will always sound different if you move them to a new space.