I have Snell Type A/II loudspeakers in walnut. These are large, beautifully designed and crafted speakers, which will work in a moderately sized room. I expect delivery of a new pair of Von Schweikert VR-4 SE speakers in a few days. I hope not to be disappointed, but one respected afficionado told me that no new speaker under $5K will match the Snells, notwithstanding the fact they are 20 years old. I had the woofer surrounds replaced recently, which fully restored the bass response.
These are a three way design with a downward firing 10 inch woofer, 4.5" mid range and 1 inch soft dome tweeter. They were made in specific left and right pairs. As Znak noted, they are designed to be placed near the wall behind them -- just 7 to 12 inches, according to the factory manual. I've found that 15 inches gives the smoothest bass response, while adding depth to the soundstage. They can be spread ten feet apart and still maintain precise imaging. The main weaknesses are shallow soundstage depth and confusion (lack of cohesion) with orchestral works. While you can improve depth by moving them well away from the rear wall, the lower bass drops off precipitously. They are superb reproducers of vocals and small jazz ensembles -- Diana Krall, Eva Cassidy, Diana Reeves, Rod Stewart are just simply there on properly mastered tracks.
I'm presently running a Bryston 14B SST (600 WPC) which works very well. However, my old Bryston 4B (250 WPC) was certainly adequate. The newest Bryston 4B SST would be a good choice. These are 4 ohm speakers and require good power and high current -- I wouldn't try anything less than 150 WPC (Snell recommended 100-200 watts).
If the VR-4 SE works out, I may offer my Snell's here on Audiogon.
These are a three way design with a downward firing 10 inch woofer, 4.5" mid range and 1 inch soft dome tweeter. They were made in specific left and right pairs. As Znak noted, they are designed to be placed near the wall behind them -- just 7 to 12 inches, according to the factory manual. I've found that 15 inches gives the smoothest bass response, while adding depth to the soundstage. They can be spread ten feet apart and still maintain precise imaging. The main weaknesses are shallow soundstage depth and confusion (lack of cohesion) with orchestral works. While you can improve depth by moving them well away from the rear wall, the lower bass drops off precipitously. They are superb reproducers of vocals and small jazz ensembles -- Diana Krall, Eva Cassidy, Diana Reeves, Rod Stewart are just simply there on properly mastered tracks.
I'm presently running a Bryston 14B SST (600 WPC) which works very well. However, my old Bryston 4B (250 WPC) was certainly adequate. The newest Bryston 4B SST would be a good choice. These are 4 ohm speakers and require good power and high current -- I wouldn't try anything less than 150 WPC (Snell recommended 100-200 watts).
If the VR-4 SE works out, I may offer my Snell's here on Audiogon.