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Advice on replacing Vandersteen 2's

A close friend of mine needs to relace his old Vandy 2's (they are probably the original 2, dating from the late 80's). He needs something smaller and more decor-friendly. The rest of the system is modest: the small Eagle amplifier, a Bryston pre, Rega TT, JVC 1010 CDP. Nevertheless, this system really sings. It has tremedous drive, tons of bass, and never fails to sound musical on just about everything.

My friend is not an audiophile but he is very much a music lover. He doesn't sit in the sweet spot and listen critically to the system. He bounces around the room and the house when music is playing, and sometimes he plays along on his alto sax. He listens almost exclusively to jazz, mostly be-bop.

The Vandy 1C is his gut instinct, but I want him to explore some other possibilities. Let's say under $2500 new. I'm wondering about speakers from Totem, the Meadowlark Swift, Triangle? Any suggestions?
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suits_me
121 posts
 
First, the time-aligned speakers everyone is suggesting are not ideal for off axis listening due to lobing effects.

Smaller and better looking than Vandersteen 2 speakers might include floorstanders from:
Opera
Reynaud
Joseph Audio (pricey)

And in addition to smaller and better looking, the following are designed to have smooth, controlled off axis frequency response and/or wide dispersion:
KEF Q or Reference
Amphion
Infinity MTS or Intermezzo (depending upon your tolerance for a modern look, and the budget might indicate 2.6 monitors only)

With you requirements, it may be difficult to match the Vandersteens' low end, although the previously mentioned Totem Hawks and the little Reynaud's go surprisingly low.
sek
105 posts
 
They are smaller but sound similar to the Vandersteen 2Ce's, and one of their virtues is, to my ears, even better off-axis response. I know, because I also often move around a lot while I listen. I also listen to a lot of jazz, and I groove mightily.

With the money saved, your friend could buy a subwoofer (BTW-FYI I'm now running my 1C's full-range; my ACI Titan II LE subwoofer adds extra impact and extension in the lowest octave when needed). And/or he could buy more music, reeds, etc.

I think it's exciting when one has the opportunity to audition new gear for purchase. Meadowlark has been getting some credible attention and is often considered to share some qualities with the Vandersteens. I would check those out, along with the 1C's and a wide variety of other likely and even unlikely (for contrast) candidates.
pmi_guy
72 posts
 
I second KEF Reference for the wide sweet spot and wide dispersion.

I may be mistaken but 2-ways with 1st order cross-overs are known for their small sweet spot (but extremely nice imaging).
asa
662 posts
 
Totem Hawks and he'll be happy and never say another 'phile word.
suits_me
121 posts
 
I should have provided more explanation regarding the Vandersteens. One of the most enjoyable listening experiences ever was a modest pair of 2ce's with subs and Melos electronics at a NY S'phile show. I love their sound, and the music selections and low traffic in that unglorified room didn't exactly hurt, either.

But the time aligned speakers of the usual sort, which to me means first order crossovers and aligned acoustic centers (although I am now told there are other form factors and crossovers to achieve more or less the same thing), by their very nature, in theory, will not be optimal for off axis listening. Audiogon had an excellent thread on this topic. If you read down near the end, Jeff Joseph and the designer (?) from Green Mountain join in to explain their design choices.

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?cspkr&1032037028.
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