I picked up a set of Boyd Altamonts a few months ago that I’ve been very happy with. I also wanted something a little stiffer without adding much weight. But if money isn’t an issue for you, the HEDs or Mavics others have mentioned may be the way to go.

I happen to have a set of 125th anniversary Mavic Ksyruim wheels that were state-of-the-art 10 years ago:

https://bikerumor.com/mavic-celebrates-125th-anniversary-w-special-edition-lighter-ksyrium-wheels-w-new-tech/

I got them on a low-miles used bike and never rode them. Interested? They either deserve to be ridden or in the hands of a collector but I've never gotten around to putting them up for sale.

Mavic Ksyrium SLR with Exalith braking surface

Avoid ones with the carbon spokes since those are proprietary and nearly impossible to find if you need a replacement.

You can’t go wrong with DT Swiss. They still make alloy wheel sets and aren’t impossible to find. I’d recommend wheelbuilder.com if you want something more custom. I’ve done a lot of business with them and they have great customer service.

Very happy with my HED Ardennes black with the special textured braking surface. I wasn't sure if the few hundred extra dollars would be worth it but I think it is! Definitely feel like I have much better braking power with these

HED Belgium, hands down.

Just so you’re informed… HED Jet series are just Belgium with a carbon fairing and they are just as strong, with an aero benefit.

When you say ‘frame is really big’ I’m assuming you mean, deep rims. If you want to buy a deep carbon wheel set just because you think they look cool, you’re probably wasting your money. If you have the money to spend then nobody can stop you though. Take a look at brands like Mavic, DT Swiss, Bontrager, Hunt, just to name a few. For what you’re after, just go onto any cycling online shop and do high to low.

With how this is worded, I would recommend against getting deep cheap carbon rims unless 1400$ is cheap to you.

Well since you said “best”, you definitely need to go buy some lightweight-meilenstein-obermayer’s

Hunt

Best can mean different things to different people so it might help if you define your intended use. The best carbon clincher for a time trialist would be vastly different than the best carbon clincher for a hill climber.

You should probably also specify a budget as "crazy expensive" can mean different things to different people.

You should probably also specify rim brake or disc brake and even what size tires you want to run (if you know that already).

Also deep section wheels can be difficult to handle in high winds so I don't think you would want to go with say 88mm deep wheels for general riding or a disc wheel - in fact they can be quite dangerous. For a time trial specialist you might want deep section wheels or even a disc wheel if you are used to it and are willing to only use them in good conditions, but it simply wouldn't be safe to ride them in everyday conditions.

I'll shoot though assuming that you want a wheelset for general riding I'd say a 45-50mm wheel is probably about right. I've got 3 sets of Bontrager carbon wheels including a 50mm Aeolus 5 TRL's and a pair of 47mm Aeolus XXX TLR 4's that I really like. The XXX's retail for about $2,500 so I'm not sure if that's in your budget or not. I really think Lightbicycle makes great budget wheels, and can be had under $1K depending on the model and hub chosen.

One more option if you are really looking budget is I bought a bike that came with a set of iCan Aero 40's and used them for a while before I upgraded and I was really impressed for as cheap of wheel as they are. They are a little narrow (18.35mm ID) for wider tires for the price I couldn't complain. I ended up selling them to a guy in my club that still uses and loves them.

As for loud hubs, I'm a fan of DT swiss hubs but they aren't super loud. Chris King hubs are really loud. The hubs on the iCan's (built by Formula in Taiwan) were fairly loud. Being cheaper hubs they had smaller bearings which wear a bit faster but again not bad hubs for as cheap as they are.

I9 Enduro work well for me. Have them on a Kona HeiHei CR Do marathon races on them. Rear rim did crack first ride but was warranteed. Maybe a fluke.

I have a set of Nobl wheels with dt 180 hubs and berd spokes. Cost a lot (though Syd and Macky discount helped!) but they're light as hell and seem to handle anything I can throw at them. If I were doing it over again I might not bother with the DT 180s and go with 240s instead as I'm not sure the price increase was worth it for me there, but I have no complaints about the 180s -- good engagement and have been totally problem-free for me so far.

Good, painless experience buying from Nobl too. Someday eventually I'll probably buy a carbon wheelset for my gravel bike and when I do I'll go to them.

I built a set of we are one Revive rims with DT swiss 240s and bladed spokes. Total actual weight was 1375g once built. The rims are only $600 for both with the 15% discount for new buyers. Rims are 425g each. The bladed spokes save a ton of weight.

I weight 210 and I've been riding them more like trail rims and they have been fantastic. They are only 25mm wide, but they work great with 2.4in tires. I'm not sold on wider rims.

Roval Control Carbon. I have them. I rate them. Wide width makes them feel super planted too.

Berd wheels are a pretty solid choice. I have Roval Control wheels with DT 350 hubs, they have been good to me. I send my wheels out to Berd to get laced up with their spokes, labor and parts came in around $650.

Can you run a 33mm? Challenge Strada Bianca TLR Pros in 33mm if they ever get restocked. Also maybe 32mm Conti GP5000 S TR but also hard to get and very pricey.

Gravel kings sk or ss are probably your best. That along with some hunt wheels

Depends what you will be riding. I often run 32s on my Tarmac and it works well on most the local gravel. I'm currently running Specialized Roubaix tires which are have a pretty minimal tread pattern. If you are riding mostly in dry conditions, you don't need a lot treadwise.

You'll be surprised what you can ride on even 32mm tires. It's a great width!

I have a bike with stated width max width of 32mm and run Challenge Almanzo 33 HTLR. Pricey, but I like the tread pattern they have and they feel great.

As far as rims, I'm a HED fan, and I think the Belgiums (G or the regular road) are a great durable rim. To make them bullet proof and 4 season, get them laced to CK hubs with brass nipples. Run Vittoria Gravel Inserts to help protect against rim strikes, since you are running a relatively lower volume.

Consider weight, depth, riding terrain, hubs, rim width, tire width you want to use.

Lighter/shallow wheels for climbing and deeper wheels/heavier wheels for flat land/aero/speed.

Reynolds makes some good wheels in that price range. I have heard good things about Nox Composites. Can customize the whole wheel set. Keep an eye out on used Enve’s too.

I've had 2 sets of hunt wheels and wouldn't look anywhere else now.

Take a look at lightbicycle wheels.

You can custom build a set or pick up a pre-build in their NA / EU warehouse.

I run Hunt Aerodynamicist wheels with gp 5k as tr 35. Fast AF.

I have the same Terra clx for road as for gravel with Mondo 35mm tires on the road set and Traser 50mm for gravel. Just perfect

Elite g45 with 30mm

If the plan is 30mm tyres, make sure to get a rim that’s wide! So something like a Reserve maybe? Aim for 24-25mm internal and 30+ external for the rim! DT350 is plenty enough hub wise :)

You own all three wheel sets? 

I'd set up the Ventoux or Roubaix with the 35mm contis for comfort and crosswinds.  

Then keep an eye out for some 30 or 32c premium tires on sale to put on the Konax for fast days where aero might be important and crosswinds less so. I've found killer deals on Schwalbe Pro Ones and Challenge Stradas before. But Pirelli P Zero are also great tires, Specialized Turbo Cotton, etc...

I would just go with the fastest ones (i.e. the deepest ones). I personally don't see the point of going with shallower rims if you don't expect extreme winds or are going to be climbing the majority of the time.

I run 50mm light bicycle wheels for all my brevets, 30/32mm gp5000 on them... never had any problems with wind making them twitchy or anything else. The gp5k are good in the rain for me. The aero advantage seems to be noticeable for me, put up faster times on the same routes after ditching my 650x42 wheels on the same bike.

If you are not using them i would go for the hookless one; they will allow lower pressure and more comfort. My Vittoria N.ext 32mm become 33,5mm on similar rims (Hunt X-wide 35).

Have you used the GP5000 TR AS? I’m about 500 miles into mine and love them.

Edit: I’m using the 700x35

For what it’s worth, I’ve been impressed by them so far. They set up tubeless easy and feel fast.

DT Fr541

Why no carbon?

Id like to know too. Theres very little comparison on all bike parts besides pov reviews saying nothing conclusive

I was about the same weight last year plus kit on the bike, I rebuilt my hubs onto these rims - Ryde Andra 29D 622 rims ,these have been very good, also used on single track on moors and hills with no issues even loaded way above whats sensible

What was the spoke count on those cliffhangers?

I run a set of 36h Velocity Blunt 35s and they have been bombproof (if a bit overkill) Regardless of rim, a higher spoke count will be your friend - it’ll distribute the load across the rim better. 

Cracking around the spoke nipples is a tell tale sign that the max spoke tension was exceeded

https://bellingham.craigslist.org/bop/d/bellingham-2x-bnib-dt-swiss-xm421-rims/7764412660.html

There is no much difference between 32 and 36 spokes.

If spoke tension is too high, this can cause rim to fail around spokes.

Use the biggest tires you can fit, the fatter the tire, the more absorption it will take.

I assume you dont sit on your bike when doing gnarly descends.