Troy, let's get into this if you want to so badly. First off please let us at least know what dealership you work for. That would be the best start. I'm not a dealer. I've been in and around this hobby since I was 9 (1969). Got to meet Mr Klipsch and he showed off his corner horns with Crown and Phase Linear amps and I was hooked. Bought my first system with my Bar Mitzvah money and haven't looked back. I'm not a big buy and sell guy.
I decided two years ago to finally get what I wanted, but I also needed to sell off all my old gear. I have sold much of it and it amounted to over 4 full HI END systems.
I have been going to live events since I was a baby. I know what live music sounds like and for me most of the 'high end' gear doesn't sound live at all.
I won't be disrespectful like you were. I won't be putting down others products like you did. When I started my quest for a new system, I decided that I would go to stores all over the country and abroad when I was there to hear what is really out there. I wanted to hear all the major brands as well as the smaller companies. I decided to give everyone a fair level playing field from what I have heard of their products in the past. I originally felt that I would just get the upgraded speakers from the company who's speakers I've been using for many many years, however I didn't love the way the sounded. As I've been posing on here for years, most products are tilted to the high end too forward for me. That excitement that folks talk about is just distortion and it's not what you hear at a live event. It's like buying a new TV and they have the brightness turned up in the story and folks talk about what a vivid pic it is. Well, go calibrate it and you'll see that movie mode is much better for MOST folks.
I have to ask you HOW you heard the Vandys that you talk about hearing. Did you hear the 5A's that this poster was asking about? If so, what was the gear and what was the room like? How many folks were in the room? I don't know about you, but I can't hear a product properly in a room full of people. Thats why shows aren't the best place to listen. You are rarely in the sweet spot and when it's first order and phase coherent like any Vandy, you need to be in the sweet spot..Any dealer will share that with you before you purchase. How long did you audition? Did you go back and hear them again? I know I have never heard a Wilson sound good in the past and they were set up correctly. I have heard them over the years in stores and friends houses and they were always a bit bright for me. I recently heard a few pair and they sounded nothing like what I've heard in the past. I could live with them, however I then went home and heard my Treo's and they were more musical. The bass didn't go as low, but I was toe tapping again. I listen to music not the components. I want the components to get out of the system and the Vandy's I've heard do that. They don't have a high end sound, but most high end sound is just tweeted up treble and you can look at so many speakers measurement in the mags over the years and it proves my point. The Vandy's are all flat. If you really have heard the 5's set up properly with the right equipment and haven't felt like you were sitting in the Blue Note listening to Dr John's fingers clicking the key's are hearing Candy Dulfer's hot sax then you aren't being fair and honest. I know a bunch of guys and gals who have totally different hearing than I do and they don't own Vandys's, but when they've heard them set up properly, they realize how HONEST they are and why folks do love them.
I've heard all the speakers you mentioned and yes, there are some excellent choices there. Are they in his price range? Possibly.
Do you live near NJ Troy? If so, let's set up a meeting at Audio Connection. I'd love to hear what you aren't hearing. Wet blanket? Really? Come one now man, that's just wrong. There is a reason that you don't find many of the high end Vandy line used ;)....
Oh yea, your reviewer comment I found intriguing. Do you know that Vandy's use a high pass filter because he allows you to control the bass? Bass is the most difficult thing to control in any room and speakers with subs allow you to control it for setting them up easily. Reviewers can't use a speaker that needs a high pass when they review. That's about as basic as it gets I would think. I personally know of a distributor of a high end speaker line who uses the Vandy 5CT's in his own home for his personal use. THAT to me is telling. Also, I wonder why reviewers who review his speakers over the years seem to love them. Are they everyone's cup of tea? No speaker is and they don't pretend to be anything other than what they are. Open, fast, flat, no smearing, sound staging, imaging reproducers of what they are fed.
Tubes are great with them. I think I may have posted above, but I recently heard the 5's with the AR Ref 75's and AR ref pre with AQ cables and AR Ref CD and WOW....they just sounded right. Everyone who was there went NUTS over them and these were Maggie owners, Vandy owners, Proac owners and the list goes on. Seriously Troy, what store do you work at as I'd love to meet you and have you demo for me. I'd give everything you demo a level playing field and I'd even be willing to make a nice post on this thread.
I hope the OP goes and listens (you should anyways) and comes back and shares his thoughts.
