SonusFaber GP? Other recomendations?

Tom: It would surprise me if there were no dealers at all for ProAc in an area the size of Seattle. Audiogon has contact info for just about every manufacturer off of their home page and they do have a listing for the ProAc distributor. You might want to give them a ring and find out who handles them in your area.

One of things I enjoy about the 2.5's is precisely what you're asking for -- sweetness in the mids and highs, and a huge soundstage. Also, they have a wonderful bottom end, which is pretty stunning considering the size of the drivers, and isn't matched at all by the GP's. As I mentioned before, I think very highly of the GP's, and Sonus Faber in general, but I found the ProAc sound much more to my liking.

Either way, they're both very good speakers so its hard to imagine you not ending up happy whichever way you go.

Happy hunting...
Ken

I like sf speakers, but they tend to need a lot of power. Heard the GP with copland tube and the sf musica amp. pretty shut in sound, i thought. They like to be played fairly loud. If you've got a lot of amp power think about the electa amator 2. Fabulous. Personally I prefer the dynamics and microdynamics of high efficiency speakers. Find they can make for a much 'lighter' more listenable sound, with good reproduction of transients and harmonics. I ended up with the kef reference 3.2 which im delighted with.

I heard the ProAc Response 3.5s this weekend.
A two hour drive with my classe in the back
but I'm not complaining..

ProAc? Well not to offend anyone here but this
was a clear last place finisher for me. I found
it to be very dry and the midrange wasn't right
somehow.. I heard them with my classe and with
the dealer's top end Audio Research Tubed gear
and heard the same things. Cables were all top
end Cardas.

Has anyone heard the Von Schweikert VR3.5 ?? What
does this guy sound like.. Another brand I will
probably need to make a pilgrimage to go hear..

I cant believe that no one has mentioned the Merlin speakers. The TSM-M (newest model, but most older models can be upgraded) is a bookshelf speaker that I really, really like. THe VSM-M is the floorstander, and is quite pricey new, but uses incredible parts, and can be had on the used market rather inexpensively, then upgraded. I own the Nautilus 805, which many people seem to prefer over the 804 as a more coherent and dynamic speaker (obviously a bit less bass, but the actual difference might just surprise you-the 805's give up about 9 hz to the larger 804). Not worth
the $1500 price increase, mostly because the 805 sounds more like real music than the 804. You mentioned that you didn't like 804, but I might suggest that you give the smaller Nautilus speaker a try. Matched with a REL subwoofer, it is said to be sonic heaven.
Agree with the previous comment re: Meadowlark Audio speakers, but they have specific distance from listener requirements that made them too much trouble for me. I think the Hales Revelation 2 or 3 would be perfect for you, but they aren't in business any more. Sad.
I liked the Sonus Faber "sound" too, but I thought the treble was a bit too zippy. Stereophile's review and measurements a few years back showed a tilted up high frequency response, too. THe EA2 might just be what you really need.

Tom: I'm sorry that you had to travel so far to listen to the ProAc's. In my area there are several dealers, so it was convenient for me to give them a few auditions before I made my choice. This is probably a matter of personal taste, and the tradeoffs that each of us makes in deciding what is a "good" sound to listen to. Also, I run mine with CJ electronics which warms and sweetens the sound a bit (as it does with just about everything). Hopefully you were able to listen to a few other interesting things while you were down there to at least make the trip worth the while.

Anyway, its hard to find much fault with the GP's, especially in their price range. They're certainly a quality speaker and should provide a great listening experience. Let us know what you ultimately end up with.

Cheers,
Ken