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Looking for speaker recommendations

I retired a couple of years ago and as a hobby have become a bit of an audiophile.  I need some speaker advice from those of you who know more than I. 

I listen mostly to classical and jazz. System is on most of the day for background music.  I do more critical listen from 8-10 in the evening at low volume (50-60 db.)


Been buying and selling gear and my current system is a Mac computer, Teac UD-301 DAC/preamp, Classe CT-2300 amp, Vandersteen 2CE signature speakers. My listening space is a 20 X 18 foot living room with cathedral ceilings. Due to WAF restrictions, the stereo system is in a corner of the room with the speakers 10 feet apart, directed at my listening chair that is 12 feet away.  


The Vandys sound nice but I suspect they are too directional for my listening space and style.  I am looking for a speaker that has a more fuller sound stage and will fill the room with sound. Speakers will need to have a better WAF than the Vandys. (Wife does not like the black socks on the Vandys.)


I prefer to buy used and am looking in the $2-5K range.


My current short-list for speakers is-

Legacy-Signature SE

DeVore-Gibbon X


Any advice/recommendations would be appreciated.



128x1282tuby
audionoobie's avatar
audionoobie
374 posts
 

I own the Vandy 2ce Sig II's and have heard the Ohm 1000s.

In my opinion, the Vandy's are at times enthralling and other times lackluster. It all depends on the source material. If you throw a reference CD at them eg, Fleetwood Mac-Rumors, Steely Dan-Gaucho, etc. They can be absolutely sublime and thrilling. I've also found in my room, that they can get congested in the mid-range and lack detail in the top end.

If you listen to acoustic jazz like Ray Brown or Bill Evans they sound great. It seems the more sparse the music (like Muddy Waters) the more enjoyable they are to listen to. Once the music gets dense, like I said, they can get congested. I find that I just can't throw any old CD at them, sit down, and enjoy the music.

I demo'd the Ohm 1000s at their shop in Brooklyn, NY. It was in a warehouse setting, so the environment was not exactly optimized for critical listening. However, as other have mentioned, the sweet spot is literally everywhere. I was able to roll my chair around and not have to worry about being in a +/- 3" listening window.

The Ohms seemed to have more air on top in the treble. I was able to hear more detail. In general they were just very "fun" to listen to. I threw on the Police, Led Zeppelin, Rush and it all sounded "good." I found that the Ohms lacked the mid-bass punch or slam that the Vandy's have. And being a semi omni-directional speaker there was a vagueness with respect to imaging where I couldn't really identify where instruments were located in the soundstage.

I would love to hear the Micros or 1000s with a set of subs. Also, from what I was told by John and Evan? is that all of their speakers are designed to sound the same. They are just sized differently to suit the size of the environment they're placed in.

To me, the Ohms are the ultimate speaker for hosting guests or for entertaining. Everyone in the room would have access to clear wonderful sound. I may still get a pair of the Micros if they ever come up cheap just for that purpose.

Not to go off topic, but I just placed an order for the Tekton Electrons and expect them to be delivered within a week. I'm very excited to hear them.

Cheers,

Joe

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islandmandan
1,260 posts
 
Why not look into Tannoy? Their cabinets are beautifully made, and they are outstanding in sound quality. The drivers are Dual Concentric, and come in 10", 12", or 15" size with commensurate cabinet size increase as you go up the line.

Best of luck, regards,
Dan
soix
9,947 posts
 
Here's a nice pair of Nola Vipers with upgraded drivers at a big discount. As dipole speakers they'll probably sound much "bigger" in your room.

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649450056-nola-viper1-ax/

You might also consider a pair of Joseph Audio Profiles or even Pulsars as they'll have the imaging you're used to with the Vandys but with a more even off-axis response that may do a better job sounding good in the rest of your room.

Just a couple ideas to chew on, and best of luck in your search.
gdnrbob
4,477 posts
 

You chose well with the Vandy 2ce's. I would not consider them 'directional'. When properly set up, they are one of the most transparent speakers for the money. Did you follow the set up for the Vandersteen speakers?
I won't disparage Ohm's, I really like the way they sound, but Vandersteen's are in a higher league In my opinion.
If you want to move upward, get a pair of Treo's-much better than the 3's and much more WAF'able.
I think you should contact John Rutan at Audioconnection. He is an Audiogon member, so you can PM him. He will give you the best information for free, and never pressure you.
caphill
678 posts
 
@2ruby

Out of those two speakers that you listed above I would definitely go with the DeVore Gibbon X but as one of the member said above that these speakers retail for $15k/pair new and I wouldn’t think that you would be able to find a used pair for within your budget of $2k to $5k.

I would also throw out some speakers that I think will be worth considering :
A used pair of Sonus Faber Olympica line, a used pair of an older Revel Ultima Salon, a used pair of Vienna Acoustics Mozart, and finally a used pair of either B&W 803 D2 or used pair of B&W 804 D3.

Your Classe CT-2300 amp will pair really well with these B&W speakers and will sound really good together. But your weak link I think is your DAC/preamp. You will need to upgrade your DAC/preamp. Upstream electronics such as DAC, preamp, etc are very crucial and will determine the overall sound quality of your setup and system. You already have a great amp. Your Classe CT-2300 is a spectacular sounding amp but your preamp/DAC needs to be upgraded to a better one. You should look for a used Classe CP-800 stereo preamp/DAC. It originally retailed for $6k but it was discontinued last year and nowaday can be had for around $3k to $4k used. This will pair well with your Classe CT-2300 power amp and it will be a big improvement sonically from your TEAC UD-301 DAC/preamp.
I highly recommend that you connect using USB cable from your computer to its rear USB DAC inpit port. The Classe CP-800 is optimized for use with its USB DAC input.

All in all, I think your Vandy speakers are fine. Your weak link is your TEAC UD-301 DAC/preamp. If you like, you can move up the Vandy line if you like their sound profile. Again, it's all about personal preferences / tastes and musical tastes when it comes to speaker choices. 
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