As a proud Vandersteen owner I’d suggest you add something from their line to your list. While they are not planar, the drivers that Richard has designed are incredibly light yet stiff so they are incredibly accurate. The models that don’t have a powered woofer (2, 3, Treo) can be a bit challenging to drive but the quatros and up all have a tunable powered sub built in that makes the remainder of the speaker an easy load despite the listed efficiency. I find them to be accurate in all frequencies without being to all sweet in the mids or fatiguing in the highs. When you listen in a store they’ll sound boring compared to a pair of B&W but will be infinitely more enjoyable for long periods of time. The have speakers at all different price points. I’d encourage you to find a dealer and take a listen.
New speakers for a new start?
Hi all, this is my first thread on this forum. I am returning to audio after a 20-year hiatus, and I am planning a new-to-me, music-only, 2-channel system. I'm pretty excited!
Other than my Thorens TD-320 series I, I am (re-)starting from scratch. I plan to focus on speakers, then build the rest of my system around them.
I look forward to hearing folks' feedback and advice during this process.
How I listen: I have a pretty big room, 9' ceilings. I can set speakers in a 10' triangle with about 16' clear behind them and 3' to 6' to the sides. I normally listen around 75 - 85db at 10', but sometimes I like to crank things way up. Also, I can't sit still for extended periods of time so I tend to move around quite a bit.
What I listen to: 30 - 40% blues, 30 - 40% industrial, punk, post-punk, noise, and hip-hop, 10-15% ambient, 10 - 15% various pop styles, 5 to 10% jazz and classical. Nearly all are studio recordings. Source-wise, 75-80% digital streaming, 20% vinyl and (very occasionally) CDs.
Things I like in speakers: A generous amount of fast, tight, well-controlled bass with great extension. Little to no coloration - it can always be added in later through component selection. Fast transient response. Detail. Coherence. Transparency. Great dynamics. I'm OK with "analytical" or "dry" within reason.
Things I don't like: Boominess. Flabiness. Ear-piercing mids.
Here are a few speakers I'm interested to learn more about (in no particular order):
- Thiel CS5
- Dunlavy SC-4, SC-5
- Tyler Acoustics D1x, D10
- Nearfield Pipedreams 21
- Infinity IRS (probably not the Reference behemoths though... realistically)
- I am also intrigued by open baffle designs (Spatial, Jamo R909)
I prefer full-range speakers because I don't love subs with music listening. They're a must in a home theater though.
I love planar speakers for their speed and transparency, but the fact that I can't sit still in their minuscule sweet spot for very long, coupled with their general lack of bass probably makes them a less than ideal choice for me.
I will buy used gear unless something I want happens to be available new at a huge discount. I am more interested in value than in staying within a specific dollar limit and be able to resell at par or at a modest loss if, as time goes by, I find I'm no longer as enamored with them as I once was.
I am interested in your experiences, especially with the speakers I mentioned above, but any and all feedback is appreciated. Thanks in advance!
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- 83 posts total
- 83 posts total