Legacy SE versus Vandersteen Quatros

(((Could you clarify your comment in the above conversation with Mitch4t, where you said, "Some say front firing woofers have greater impact.))
Ok try this
Go to the wall mart nearest your home that has a Car stereo display..
Listen to the pair of 6x9 pioneer speakers and adjust to a nice volume and music you like.
Next you have a choice to push the red button add the Upper positioned Add on woofer or the Lower positioned woofer.
switch between them both
now choose the one that blends together better.
my money if you can hear goes on the one closer to the floor.
Cheers Johnnyr

Ironic; I used the design of the coaxial driver to explain the superiority of the positioning of the drivers on the front baffle of the Legacy DSW.

Preferences like forward vs. downward firing woofers show that people hear things very differently. It's great that everyone can find a type of speaker to suit them. :)

mMy friend owns Legacy/Ksa250 and I had PMC and he sums it up perfectly.....
"I can play any of my bad recorded CD's and they sound great on my Legacy's"

Doug, is right, we all do hear things differently, and it explains why there are so many brands, and so many folks that love their particular speakers. There are two schools of thought on the issue raised by McInsound. As stupid as it might sound, I want speakers that allow bad recordings to sound bad, that to me is the sign of a good speaker. I tend to prefer equipment that editorializes the recording as little as possibile - even when editing is pleasant.

Pubul57, I know what you mean; however, we should clarify for semantic purposes.

I think we'd agree that a superior rig/speakers should allow the perception of the most natural/accurate/non-editorialized playback of the recording, whether good or poor.

I believe that superior systems/speakers will always make poor recordings sound better than on average systems. The better the system/speakers, the better the recording will sound. Now, perhaps we may not like the improved sound, due to being used to hearing it played back more poorly! We can have nostalgia, preconcieved notions about how it should sound, etc. That can color our perspective about the higher end playback. There have been many times I have had to adjust my expectations as I have heard an older/poorer recording played back far better, but it has sounded so dramatically different than I expected. That it was being played back at a higher fidelity level was incontrovertible; I had to get used to the fact that the music was different than I had imagined. One hears more of the flaws, but also more of the nature of the instruments, voices, venue, etc. If that is not the case, then I suggest there is a serious problem with the establishment of the rig. A poor recording is a poor recording, but an outstanding rig will make all music sound better, including poor recordings. A superior system is the tide which lifts all boats (recordings).

In that sense, then, I seek a speaker system/speaker which allows poor recordings to sound holisitically better. So, I think perhaps we are in agreement.

Disagreement over speakers is partly a function of the editorializing we all conduct when we establish our rigs, setting them up to suit our preferences.