2. speakers
  3. 191050-178933

Decisions, decisions, decisions

I initially had a short list of potential speaker upgrades for my 2-channel set-up and I find myself in a bit of a quandry. I've narrowed the list down to 2 speakers and neither are remotely like one another. I currently have some mid-level Polks and they're "ok" in that they get the job done for low-level listening enjoyment but I really want to step it up a bit. I can justify $4K for my budge which puts me in a bit of a sweet spot for my preference for stand-mount speakers vs floor-stand speakers. However, my short list consists of either the new Sonus Faber Sonetto II G2 stand-mount or the Vandersteen 2ce Signature III. Because the SF Sonnetto II G2s are brand new, a used option is out of the question. The Vandy 2ce III's come up used occasionally but where I live, previewing either one is not a viable option because there aren't any nearby dealers. That being said, I can get both of these from Audio Advice. If I went with SF Sonnetto, I would probably supplement those with a subwoofer down the road after sometime. At that point, I'm nearing the price range of the Vandersteen's. The question I have for the forum is does anyone have experience with the SF Sonnetto II pre-G2 and what are your thoughts about them?

I have a Marantz integrated at 50W and my only concern w/ the Vandersteen's is not having enough power to get great sound out of them without adding an amp (while I have a vintage Adcom GFA-2 at 100W/ch) that I could use, I"m not against getting an amp for either the SF's or the Vandy's.

I listen to a wide array of music genres but lean towards rock, jazz, electronic/industrial, dub, funk, and classical with some pop and old-school country thrown in on occasion. 

I've the impression that those with the Vandersteen 2ce's are very pleased with the SQ. But does anyone have experience with both speakers? 

 

 

 

bipod72
bipod72 OP
133 posts
 

Thanks everyone for the input. I may take another look at the Monitor Audios. The visual acceptance of the speakers by the wife is another factor I have to consider until I'm able to build a dedicated listening room. That being said, I'm not in the position to drop more than $4k on speakers at the moment. 

My planned upgrade path is as follows:

1. Upgrade my speakers first. Almost anything I upgrade to will sound far better and will make my current set-up sound much better I believe. 

2. My Marantz currently has a pre-out for a separate amp. The Adcom is fine for its age and while I plan to recap it this Fall, I'm leaning towards getting a better-quality amp anyway but nothing exotic. I still have kids to raise!

3. I'll keep the Marantz/amp set-up for a while and then decide if I ditch both for a higher-end integrated or a better pre-amp/amp setup. But I would like to land on a pair of speakers that I can keep for some time.

I'll keep you posted on my decision. I'm hoping to upgrade later this year unless I stumble upon a deal I can't refuse before then. 

 

grislybutter
2,877 posts
 

maybe https://speakerchoices.com/

for 4K you have a lot of choices. 

I would determine it by room size and the need for bass

audio_guy_uofw
41 posts
 

I agree with your approach, the speaker upgrade will usually provide the biggest sonic upgrade. Dub and Funk can be quite bass heavy, which is where most of the power demands come from. You don't mention listening levels, but if you start to push it with bass heavy material this is where I would expect the Marantz to start running out of juice. If you keep this in mind, and let your ears be your guide, I think you can enjoy a significant upgrade in sound with new speakers and your current amp, and upgrade power as finances allow. Good luck!

rmdmoore
160 posts
 

I fully agree with your approach! Go as big as you can in the speakers. As a Vandersteen guy and as someone that used to own model IIs I'd fully support a pair of those. What I will say is you need enough space in the room to get them a few feet from the wall. The good news is they're very shallow speakers so it's not hard to get that front end away from the wall. If you do get model IIs definitely get the stands. I agree that it's likely that the marantz will probably do fine driving them, the adcom even better. But what I'll add is that you'll have significant room to grow. The speakers will keep getting better as you improve your electronics. I think the other benefit of a full range speaker over stand mount plus subwoofer is that the crossover is already integrated. It's much harder to integrate a sub than most folks think. 

bipod72 OP
133 posts
 

You don't mention listening levels, but if you start to push it with bass heavy material this is where I would expect the Marantz to start running out of juice.

I rarely get above 55db during normal listening sessions. 65-70db if I'm jamming out with no one at home to complain about it being too loud.  But that listening level is also determined by the limits of my current speakers!

More to discover