For experienced audiophiles only please

[olddog]

As I have come to find out that I have never owned a set of good speakers, please I beg your indifference to your personal preferences and just try to put yourself into my head for a moment, as I have put in over 2 months time and effort into this. That I ask this of you should go a long ways toward showing you good folks how much I respect your abilities and opinions.I am shopping for a set of front mains and center that will be married to my Denon 2808. I have 2-matched Mirage subs outboard of each floor stander at the moment for extended bass.Music and movies 50/50 classic rock, blues C&W. I really like everything except opera, rap, and Techno.
I have auditioned a number of speakers:Polk LSI9+very good
New Mirage OS3 FS towers=to tinny-is that a word?
Dana 680=to laid back
Paragram Studio 10= just sounded too smal
lRevel M12= bass covered detail/too colored would be the right word?
Vienna Hayden=Sweet like your mothers kiss on the check/no excitement?
B&W 685= I loved it? Just right.
Speakers that I have been reading glowing reports on for the last 4 weeks but have been unable to audition. These are the ones I would like your opinion on mentally comparing them to the B&W685 please.
Swan Diva 6.1
Totem Hawk
Salk Sound Tower
Vandersteen 2CE Sig II
Usher Be-718RHB TK-5CT
Or any others you may have a suggestion about. But remember please this is my head and my money so please leave your ears at the door.I sincerely thank you all for your time, comments and mental effort.
Mike

[Otto]

I sincerely suggest you audition the Vandersteen products. I did and fell in love with the sound. I cannot necessarily compare them with all the others that you have auditioned, but they are engaging and many people like them. I see that they are on your list. I have heard some of the speakers you have heard (or their brethren) and I personally prefer the Vandersteen (I have the 3A Sig, but I understand that the 2CE SigII is very similar). Of course, many thing are variable, including your musical selection, your ears, your sense of headspace (i.e., your mood), your accompanying electonics, and, of course, your room.

Let us know how it goes...

[Sonnie]

Martin Logan ... heavenly bliss! If there is any better, I haven't heard them.

[lcaillo]

Based on your comments and the things you have been listening to, I'd recommend listening to the Thiel products. The 685 is a hard one to beat in terms of value, IMO.

[nova]

A couple others I'd suggest you audition are;

PSB - Imagine T
Monitor Audio - GS20
RBH Sound - 1266-SE/R

[drdoan]

Having heard the Vandersteens, I think they are amazing especially for 2 channel. Have fun. Dennis

[olddog]

Otto wrote:

I sincerely suggest you audition the Vandersteen products. I did and fell in love with the sound. I cannot necessarily compare them with all the others that you have auditioned, but they are engaging and many people like them. I see that they are on your list. I have heard some of the speakers you have heard (or their brethren) and I personally prefer the Vandersteen (I have the 3A Sig, but I understand that the 2CE SigII is very similar). Of course, many thing are variable, including your musical selection, your ears, your sense of headspace (i.e., your mood), your accompanying electonics, and, of course, your room.

Let us know how it goes...

Thanks all for the good input. I went out yesterday and auditioned a lot of B&W's at a store that had them all lined up so we could switch from one to the other. As far as they went I found a hard choice. The 685 with a center, or the 684 with center and last but not least the 683 with no center (1500.00 budget) the 85 and 84'2 sounded pretty much the same just a fuller on the 648. The 683 was a different dog altogether as it had a much flatter precise response and sound. A little like a CameroZ28 and a Corvette Both very good and fast but different. Then I went to audition a Vandersteen 2Ce SigII. Now that’s a horse of a different color for sure. Very open with a very large pleasing sound field (good for HT) the absolute sweet spot was rather small though. The clarity was good enough that (as a guitar player for 40+ years) I could tell you what guitar the artist was using. They are kinda ugly compared to some (Handsome my mother would say) and they are bulky with large footprint, and look rather dated, terminal post and all, along with being fussy with the equipment married to them. Jeeze I think I just described my-self. I wonder if I could give them a good home? I could only give them 14" out from wall and one side of each would be against a new slim line DLP, so not covered but there non the less. Other sides good breathing room as each has a hallway. Get the pic?

[jackfish]

Go to John Fort Audio, 850 South Greenville Avenue Suite 100
Richardson, Texas 75081, 972-644-1199 and ask to audition the Vandersteen 2Ce Signature IIs. You might stop right there in your search.

Audio Video Unplugged in Farmers Branch and Krystal Clear Audio Video in Dallas should have the Totem Hawk, which should get a listen.

[olddog]

Thank you Jackfish!! Big time
I had gotten down to the nut cuttin as we say out in the country I thought
Vandersteen 2Ce SigII
Salk Song Tower
Rocket 850
and now another I want to check out the Totem Hawk
I have auditioned all the above except the ST and that is tommorow. I will have to do the TH after and just make up my mind
Just droped in to see what condition my condition was in. Yea

[olddog]

Auditioned the Song Towers and they are awsome! Clean mids that you just can't congest no matter how hard you try. Highs that set just right on the ears. Good sound stage. A little week in the bass so they do need a sub.
Vandersteen very full and huge right to left soundstage with lots of detail but also some of the detailed placement gets lost in that huge sound stage. Foward to rear soundstage a lot smaller.
Rocket 850 gotta wait and see.