Agreed. I've only heard one pair of Joseph Audio speakers on a regular basis ( a friends place ) but everything I've heard about the line is positive.
If your room is a little wider, I would freely recommend GoldenEar Triton2 +. In fact, maybe GoldenEar Two + after all? Why not! They give a great 3D image and stage. True, they are at a price limit of $ 4k ... a little, a little above. Tower Speakers: Triton Towers Overview | GoldenEar Technology https://www.goldenear.com/images/brochures/GET_T2+_T3+_Literature.pdf
I bought my Pulsars from @GoldprintAudio, he's fantastic to deal with. The speakers were shipped directly from JA. My understanding is if you have a dealer located in your state, he can't sell to you. I was going to recommend the JA Prism as they're with your stated budget. I owned them and felt they were kinda like a gateway drug. After I listened to the Prisms for a few months I had to get the Pulsars. I've had the Pulsars for more than 6 months now and haven't thought of replacing them. Six months is a record for me.
Hey! The Prism could be a good choice for you Bananas. They sort of tend to fly under the radar a bit, but are excellent speakers.
Last year (or maybe before the pandemic?) there was a seller about 90 miles from me that was selling a used pair of Pulsars - went and listened, they were phenomenal. Price was right, but the condition had many issues, so I passed on them. I still almost bought them. He also had a pair of Joseph floorstanders (name escapes me, could look it up) that were incredible.... even used they were beyond my price range. That was one of the few times I walked away from a listening session at a sellers home and was floored by what I heard though. I can't see how anyone could be disappointed with Pulsars.
He would be coming from a floor standing speaker with two 7" woofers capable of bass to 35 Hz. The Pulsars have one 5-1/2" woofer. That's 47.5 sq inches of total bass radiating area vs. 154 sq in.
Makes sense, and I agree... going from 803's to any floorstander is a big change, I mentioned that above too.
If I were spending $3,500 today I would buy these speakers right here, Dynaudio Contour s1.4 LE: Dynaudio Contour S1.4 LE Speakers (Open Box) | Monitors | Somerville, Massachusetts 02144 | Audiogon Or look the Dynaudio Special 40.
I just recalled, right before I listened to the Pulsars I mentioned above, I was exchanging on PM with @mike catucci about them as he was preparing to buy a set of Joseph stand mounts from a dealer who is a member here. (Goldprint?) Don't see Mike around as much these days, maybe he'll see the summons and chime in about his Pulsars (or not sure if he bought a different model Joseph though too).
They list for more than double your quoted budget (sorry, used would be necessary to bring them into mortal reach). I believe @timind has a pair that was bought from a dealer who posts to these forums from time to time? @MattHooper also has a pair of the JA Perspective's so he might be able to offer dealer contact info.
Correct. The 803s go plenty deep. Very satisfying bass. As for the other comment about integrating a sub, I just couldn't get the REL to stop buzzing. And yes I tried every suggestion in the REL videos for fixing the buzzing sound. I finally just gave up. But shortly after I got the 803s the bass problem was solved. Also switching to Amperex 7308's in my preamp added some punch to the bass. My preamp doesn't have a sub out and when I connected to the cable that connects to the amp output the buzz started. I agree that going to a 5.5 inch bass driver would probably be a swing too far from what I'm used to now. Not sure Joseph Audio will be an option due to price. Great looking speakers though.
I didn't even know these existed until I saw them at HiFiDo a few weeks ago... someone just ordered them as they are "RSVD" (reserved). About $3300 plus ship, probably close to $4k. AE2 SIGNATURE ACOUSTIC ENERGY - HiFi-Do McIntosh/JBL/audio-technica/Jeff Rowland/Accuphase Not saying you'd want them, just found them interesting.
It's amazing how many Tannoy, Spendor, Harbeth and B&W speakers roll through HiFiDo, here are the sold listings for each. Lots of vintage, hard to get ones... tannoyの商品一覧 - 中古オーディオ 高価買取・販売 ハイファイ堂 spendorの商品一覧 - 中古オーディオ 高価買取・販売 ハイファイ堂 https://www.hifido.co.jp/sold/?M=&LNG=J&G=1&KW=harbeth https://www.hifido.co.jp/sold/?M=&LNG=J&G=1&KW=b&w
I know, 80% of my current main system was bought from Japan at great prices - so much so I wouldn't own the components if I had to buy them stateside! Lots of JBLs flying through HiFiDo too - more than the other brands I listed. They had a love affair with JBL, still do. Big horns for classical! (in small rooms many times). The gent I deal with at HiFiDo runs a Sansui vintage D-907 integrated (late 70's) with a pair of JBL 4311B's... (EDIT the D-907 is the Japanese version of the AU-919)
I thought so... he's scarce these days, so obviously he's smart and enjoying them enough he doesn't need to talk (write) about it! OP - where's your head at real time? Knowing you're journey, coming from the 803's, this can't be an easy choice. Have you considered throwing an extra K or two at it to help?
I went thru a similar search a couple years back, had tried four different highly rated box speakers, all sold off or returned during their trial period. Then I trialed Spatial Audio Labs open baffle speakers. Nailed it! For holographic staging and ease of room integration, loose the box. Owner/designer Clayton Shaw was wonderful to work with, extremely helpful with selecting the right model. Couldn’t recommend them higher. Spatial Audio Lab
OP has a Parasound A21! I had one. Tried the Spatials in my room, didn't gel well with that amp. Holographic yes, but also harsh and shouty.
