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Which speakers... B&W 802D or Vandersteen 5A's?

I have a rather small room 12 x 25. My listening area is against the long wall about 9 feet away, and between both speakers (triangle). I live in a high rise so my walls are floor yo ceiling glass and sheetrock. i have the Rouge audio 180 monoblocks and the Rouge audio 90 pre amp. I have the paridigm S-8 speakers(6 years old without the brillium tweeter). I am wanting to upgrage the speakers to either the B&W 802 D's or the vandersteen 5A's... any thoughts? Also, with the equipment that i have should i be upgrading something else before upgrading the speakers?
bobmclean
bjesien
1,283 posts
 
I've yet to hear a B&W sound better than a Vandersteen but that is my taste. Why these two? If I were you I would list all of your preferences and priorities in a speaker and have the this vast vault of vernacular but sometimes venomous victims of audio addiction make a few valued and often times victorious recommendations. Do you have a veneer preference?

You will be much better off than deciding between two, unless you've heard them both but can't make up your mind.
unsound
7,329 posts
 
IMHO, Vandersteen 5A's. I'm not a big fan of the B&W's, and really like the Vandersteens. To top if off, the Vandersteens would appear to be a better fit in your room.
stevecham
3,340 posts
 
Vandersteen 5A. One of the finest designs and executions ever. Time and phase coherent with linearity flat to 20 Hz. Pinpoint imaging, incredible soundstaging. B&W cannot compare but you need to personally verify as this is too important an investment.
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
Listen to both and choose the speaker that rocks you.

Your ears and your money.

IMO
bifwynne
2,206 posts
 
Bob, I am going to regret this post because I may touch off another speaker war. We lost a lot of A'gon members at the last "Clash of the Titans" (pun intended). RIP guys. :( Btw, as an aside, there's a post currently running asking members to list their favorite speaker. There's more than 1300 posts!!

Ok, I am taking a deep breath and am ready to take cover. You mention that you currently own the Paradign S8, presumably version 1 (Go-Pal tweeter). Since that time, Paradigm has made numerous changes and improvements to the Signature line, probably the most significant being the beryllium tweeter. The new S8 (now version 3) has received rave reviews, e.g., Marc Mickelson, May 28, 2010, TAB.

Another point is that the S8s (v3) are considerably less money than the Vandy 5As, if purchased new. (I guess that means the Vandys and B&W speakers you list MUST be better than the S8s because they cost more.)

All I'm saying is that you may want to treat yourself to a listen. Having said what I did, perhaps another "speaker skirmish" can be avoided by saying that the other speakers you mention in the OP have great reputations and should be seriously considered.

Cheers
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