OK - day two. I didn't have the strength last night to fiddle with the subs or move the Vandys out of the way. I did toe-in the 2000s just a smidge, maybe 1/2" from parallel.
I watched a few tracks from The Best of Sessions at 54th Street (DVD - PCM stereo audio). This of course went through my cheap Sony DVD player and Sherwood-Newcastle P-965 prepro into the C-J preamp. I am very familiar with this DVD, and the extra detail from the Ohms vs. my Vandys was very impressive. Imaging was not as good as with CD, but that's likely due to the prepro. Some of the tracks, especially the Ani DiFranco cut "32 Flavors" gave me chills up my spine. Very engaging. Very encouraging!
I also played two CDs I just bought (never heard on my system with the Vandys, so can't compare). The first, "Sweet Heart Dealer" by Scarling, sounded terrible. Very digital, thin and bass-shy. I am guessing it's just the way this CD was produced. I did play a cut from Quicksand - "Thorn in My Side" that I know for sure is poorly produced, and while listenable, the 2000s did not make a silk purse out of this sow's ear.
Next up was another new purchase, "Begin to Hope" by Regina Spektor. All I can say is, based on what I heard on my not-yet-burned-in, improperly positioned 2000s with improperly set subwoofers, is, if you own Walsh speakers, BUY THIS DISC! It just clicked. Great timbre, huge soundstage, excellent detail retrieval, superb imaging. I was emotionally engaged through most of the disc, and there was that sweetness to the sound that was very appealling.
So, two discs, the same signal chain, and two very different results. I suppose that this is what is meant by good systems providing garbage-in, garbage-out. My Vandys, by comparison, seemed to homogenize music more, so nothing sounded really great, but nothing sounded really bad.
Two very significant observations:
1. I frequently nod off when listening to music in the evening. Not eye-blinks, but deep sleep disturbed only by my choking on my own saliva. This did not happen last night. Although I began to doze off a few times, the music startled me into an alert state almost immediately. This is a very good sign.
2. Typically, when I sit down to listen to music, I experience fatigue soon, and switch to a movie (I have a combo 2-channel/HT surround system). This did not happen last night. When the two CDs were finished, I did watch the DVD, but it was a music program in 2-channel stereo. Another very good sign. (I may have to cut back on my NetFlix subscription!)
Further updates to follow.
