You can see how people's opinions/tastes vary. I totally respect others opinions on gear selection, and everyone's taste. That's a good reason most everyone ownes different gear!...including the professional reviewers.
I've been around high end biz for almost 23 years, and it's all stuff, it's all for sale, and everyone likes something different, not to mention lifestyles.
That all said, I know the Vandersteen's sold like millions of their 2c's alone! I also know Meridian pre's are highly talked about and such. But then, I've worked in 6 high end stores over the years, and probably have known a 100 or more audiophiles personally that I've worked with/around...and none of them own Vandersteen or Meridian, nor would they ever, including me. I also understand B&W makes some nice stuff, yet I'm not intersted personally, and I've sold it in 2 different stores...just not for me, but maybe you?
I can get most any audio product for cost or bellow, and I still know what works right for movies. Music, you have choices, depending on room/setup/lifestyle/syset matching, etc. Multi-channel effective movie speaker systems need to work well in your room/setup, and be effective at delivering the dynamics, intelligibility, focus, soundstage, coherence, and detail that was intended in the mixing process. Many audiphile home offerings can't do justice to what mixing engineers of DD/DTS soundtracks intended. If you think not, just go to any good local cineplex, or even Vegas IMAX ride/experience, and see what they're using to deliver these muli-channel experiences to you, and you'll understand what works best for movies in the home...or at least what is to be accomplished. You cannot substite the speakers these venues choose for, say, some "Vandee's", B&W's, or even Logan's and such. They don't work. Anyway, even in a smaller home setting, the same attributes must be considered to get the job done. I just think the dainty audiophile offerings mostly mis the target...chose wisely.
I've been around high end biz for almost 23 years, and it's all stuff, it's all for sale, and everyone likes something different, not to mention lifestyles.
That all said, I know the Vandersteen's sold like millions of their 2c's alone! I also know Meridian pre's are highly talked about and such. But then, I've worked in 6 high end stores over the years, and probably have known a 100 or more audiophiles personally that I've worked with/around...and none of them own Vandersteen or Meridian, nor would they ever, including me. I also understand B&W makes some nice stuff, yet I'm not intersted personally, and I've sold it in 2 different stores...just not for me, but maybe you?
I can get most any audio product for cost or bellow, and I still know what works right for movies. Music, you have choices, depending on room/setup/lifestyle/syset matching, etc. Multi-channel effective movie speaker systems need to work well in your room/setup, and be effective at delivering the dynamics, intelligibility, focus, soundstage, coherence, and detail that was intended in the mixing process. Many audiphile home offerings can't do justice to what mixing engineers of DD/DTS soundtracks intended. If you think not, just go to any good local cineplex, or even Vegas IMAX ride/experience, and see what they're using to deliver these muli-channel experiences to you, and you'll understand what works best for movies in the home...or at least what is to be accomplished. You cannot substite the speakers these venues choose for, say, some "Vandee's", B&W's, or even Logan's and such. They don't work. Anyway, even in a smaller home setting, the same attributes must be considered to get the job done. I just think the dainty audiophile offerings mostly mis the target...chose wisely.