That’s good to know. I have the Luxman L-590AXII with Duke 2 and it sounds fabulous. I looked at the Diablo 300 for a while several months ago but dropped the plan and went with a rack upgrade instead.
I compared 282/250DR to the Luxman with the Marten several times and the latter sounded better every time.
I recommend 6k speakers. Can never spend too much ( of someone else’s money ) 
@Neil0001 I hope to be in a similar position myself next year for a speaker change. I was wondering on how you are organising your demo/short list approach?
I was thinking of listening to some speakers that I would like in a number of dealers shop with similar electronics attached and narrow the search down to a couple of speakers and then try them in my room.
I guess it would be best to try them all in my room but not sure how practicable that will be. What is your and others approach pls?
I find the whole concept of speaker auditioning a bit daunting to be honest how on earth anyone makes an informed decision is at best a bit of an informed guess, it is highly unlikely that your shortlist will be comparable at a single dealer so how you make cross comparisons from a couple of brands heard at one dealer and then a couple more heard elsewhere a week or two later and then a couple more a week or two after that when none of them have been heard in your own home which is obviously where it ultimately matters seems to be a recipe for getting the final decision wrong.
Evan applying some basic criteria like budget where they fit in your own listening space wether you prefer a stand mount to a floor stander and general looks,size and finish that would still leave a large number of makes and models to shift through before arriving at a shortlist to try on a home demo but you are still unlikely to have any more than one model at a time rigged into your own system to make direct A - B comparisons.
As someone who will probably be going down this rabbit hole early next year any thoughts on the best way to approach this process and ultimately arrive at a satisfactory outcome would be great fully received.
To be honest the difference between speakers is big enough that direct A to B Is not really necessary.
I would decide in advance what type of sound signature, warm, lean, laid back, etc and what type of music is your main focus. Then read lots of reviews to find speakers that match that.
Then maybe try and find a local dealer that has some of the brands.
To audition speakers, assuming the dealer doesn’t have the same speakers and amp as my existing ones I take my existing speakers (no dealer has baulked at that, even when it involved carrying a pair of 55+kg speakers upstairs to the demo room, rejecting my assistance; I’ve also done with a private seller), plus amp. I also take source though that is not so critical. The reason for taking my speakers is to set a baseline for sound in the dealer’s room, and compare directly. The amp is to be sure I’m hearing the speakers driven as they would be at home. I then play a variety of different music tracks, covering the range of my musical taste (rock to opera, classical chamber to prog rock, solo piano to dramatic orchestral.
I’ve never had the luxury of trying speakers at home, so doing the above is, I feel, essential - and I have never been disappointed when I’ve bought speakers that way.
I omitted to say that before booking the demo I will have done research, starting with non-negotiable criteria - for me full frequency range, and as uncoloured as possible, then budget limit, and finally, and last in importance, whether their size and appearance would be adequately acceptable. With experience I have a pretty good idea of some of the types of speaker I’m likely to like, which helps. Then I search for sellers with the speakers I’m interested in (dealers or private), always buying secondhand or at least ex-demo to maximise my buying power. (The one and only time I bought built speakers new was 48 years ago! Then I learnt.) iWhen at a dealer I’d ask if they have anything else that they think might appeal to me more than the ones I’ve booked to hear.
I recently purchased Dynaudio Heritage Special’s with the Stand 20. I previously had ProAc D48R… I moved to a smaller place, so I had to scale down. I think the Heritage are every bit as good as the big ProAc’s Don’t know if you can find a set but you won’t be let down
That seems like a very good approach…I’ve got Allaes at the moment, they would be pretty easy to transport to a number of local dealers which would have the same pre/power setup I have at home. At least a good approach to narrow down more accurately before home demo.
Imho…
Step 1 is of course to live somewhere with great dealers close by. This may be tricky to arrange now of course…
Step 2 is to go to at least 1 dealer to hear and see a few options. If they don’t have the same amplification you use at home, take your own and give it a few minutes to warm up before listening - and stick to music that you know.
I assume for now that the dealers won’t have your current speakers . In that case, if you can take your current speakers to the dealers so that you can hear how different the new candidates actually sound, it’s a good plan.
Step 3. Make a shortlist of at most 3 candidates to try in your own home. Try changing toe-in or how far they are from walls to get each at their best. Listening to all on the same day is a help - auditory memory is not great ( or at least mine isn’t).
Step 4. General impressions may be all you need. However, some specific questions can help you stay on track. For me, that would mean checking stereo image on a couple of songs I know well, whether The Rite of Spring is too confusing for my poor ears, listening for sibilance from Margot Timmins or June Tabor, checking if I can keep my feet still on some top boogie tunes and whether lyrics have got a bit easier to hear than usual, how the bass notes sound on JSB’s Toccata on an organ and that sort of thing, but your list won’t be mine.
If you do go for specific items like that, wrote the questions down and add answers, however subjective, as you try the different speakers.
If dealers are not perfect or you plan to buy older speakers on eBay, don’t panic! Flagrantly taking advantage of mates who can bring over their speakers (or let you take your boxes to their house to hear through their speakers as a less- good Plan B) is a great plan. If you have no suitable friends, where you live may be important -many kind souls on this site may be just a few miles away and some may be happy to let you hear their speakers or otherwise be helpful.
I know that this all sounds like a lot of effort and a fair amount of shifting boxes, but spending £4K wisely, and getting speakers that may last for the next 20 or 30 years, are surely good reasons to make the effort.
Good luck!
@NickofWimbledon Thanks for taking the time Nick, great advice. I’d never thought of taking my own speakers to the dealers until you and IB mentioned it. 
The suggestion may just show that some of us are easily swayed by a dealer saying that some box or other is pretty much the same as what we have, and have learned not to believe them. As someone wise said, experience is the name we give our mistakes.
Having said that, I was happy transporting Heybrook HB1s, Rega ELAs and Shahinan Compasses in a car boot. I am not sure I’d try that with my B&W 804D3s or anything really huge.
I’ve done it with IMF RSPMs - which are on the substantial side, as the weight indicated in my earlier post- but I do have a car with hatchback and seats folding to become a flat floor. One dealer where I took them for an amp demo in about 1991 remembered me, or rather the speakers, the next time I visited 25 years later! They didn’t bat an eyelid in my presence, but I guess the air was blue after I left on both occasions, staff having carried upstairs to demo room…
+1 for Neat Explorers
What about the Klipsch Heresy IV ? I’ve read nothing but good reviews and they’re designed to sit against the wall. Granted I haven’t heard them but do think they look wonderful.
They look great Neil!
I’ll be going for the mahogany finish if I purchase.
Experiment with toe-in and placement. For my D2R’s I have them toed-in so I can barely see the interior sidewalls.
Thanks… shall do!
Congratulations!
Lots of fun for the next several days listening to your favorite albums. I look forward to reading your feedback on the speakers.
Good choice. I didn’t find anything in the same league in the same price bracket (and that was up to £5k).
