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Vandersteen 5a vs. B&W 802D vs. Maggie 3.6 vs.?

I've had this addiction for over thirty years and am ready to purchase my "last" set of speakers. I currently have Vandersteen 3A sig's. with v2q (pair) driven my Mac c2200 and mc402. I'm looking for the best MUSICAL speaker I can find. I've owned a ton of stuff over thte years and know that I want to stay away from anything bright or even remotely tilted in the high end. I listen to mostly rock although I don't like to listen at terribly loud levels.

I know my choices seem diverse in cost as the 3.6's are signifigantly lower but I would retain the Vandersteen subs with these.

I'm looking for advise from fellow A'goners as I believe I can trust your opinions far better than any dealer. I have heard from way too many dealers a promise of musicality only too find a product that may be rated highly but sounds like sand paper to my ears.......Thiel 3.6's!

Unfortunatley, the only high end dealer near me sells only B&W. I must travel three to four hours to find any other brand.

I'd love to hear others thoughts and input and I thank you one and all in advance!

Tim
timball
pbb
1,140 posts
 
I was more than unlucky with my Maggie 3.6 experience: bought used right here, down most of the time, sold for a song to an engineer who had the technical skills to rebuild them. More power to him.

Vandersteen 5s are some of the best speakers I have heard and they have it all: deep taut bass, a beautiful midrange and very good performance for normal dynamic tweeters and delightful imageing. My two cents worth: a great all around speaker.
rackon
301 posts
 
If you like Vandies then why not go with the 5As or Quatros? They sound great on all kinds of music and they can rock.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of the 802s, like the poster above I didn't find them very dynamic (ompared to other options (I listen to a lot of large scale symphonic BTW).

I do like Maggies, but you'd want to augment them with subs for rock, plus you need to bring them out well into the room.
If you mostly listen to rock, I hope you have a vinyl rig.
joey54
435 posts
 
As your post says "the best musical speaker" out there, I would suggest that you look into the Harbeth Monitor 40.1 as it becomes available this month. They are the most musical and natural sounding speakers I have ever heard.They play great at low levels as well. I currently have the Monitor 40's and think it's one of the best speakers I have ever heard.
I have owned many Vandersteen speakers as well (5's, 3A's Quatro's, 1C's) The Vandersteen 5A's are very musical speakers and would be another good choice. I am not a fan of B&W speakers so I can't really comment on them.
Try to hear the Harbeth's before you make a decision.
dodgealum's avatar
dodgealum
1,413 posts
 
Not knowing anything about your room and given the three models you mention I would vote for the Vandy 5A's. Given their design features that allow you to tailor the system to the room I could see living with these speakers for the long haul. They are, in my experience, one of the best speakers out there regardless of price. I also second the view that the Maggies simply do not rock and since that is what you listen to most I would cross them off the list. One speaker that I would strongly suggest you look at is the new Daedalus Ulysses, which I have not yet heard. I've got a pair of their smaller DA1.1's on order and am convinced these are far superior to other well regarded speakers out there up through the 15K price point. The Ulysses are better still in terms of pinpoint imaging and on-axis listening.
kkm
124 posts
 
I did own the Maggie 3.6's and agree with some of those poster's, that they are not the best for rock music. Since that is what you listen to mostly you're better off with cone's. They are great speakers but listen to some complex electric guitar play, like Santana, and you'll be left scratching your head.
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