If you want Krell, amps don't buy the Wilsons. It's a harsh combination. I've heard both and I bought WP7's. If your a bass volume freak, get the Vandersteen 5a because of the powered bass. You also won't have to spend as much in electronics as they aren't as revealing as the WP7's. You really have to listen to them and determine what equipment you are going to have upstream.
The Wilsons require careful system matching to achieve the right balance;but the results are outstanding.
So much so I spent more on the speakers than my car. Different priorites. The bass from WP7's is amazing, Planar type impact and quickness with Dynamic volume. It's truely amazing the way they reproduce the upright bass (which I played for a number of years and use a reference when comparing speakers). I'm was a planar guy looking for dynamics who didn't want to fill the whole room with large speakers (Soundlabs). Keep in mind that the WP7's and don't forget the amazing Sophia's for less than half the price sound much more relaxed than the hot tweeters of the older WP 5,6's.
You must listen to each to compare. What out most dealers of the Vandersteen's crank up the sub unit and like to show you how loud they get.. really annoying.. so you might have to have them turn the bass down so that it integrates better with the rest of the drivers.
