Vandersteen Mod 5 vs Coincident Tech Total Eclipse

I should like to add a bit of information to the above comments. While each has their own strengths and weaknesses, I would agree with the above choice. There are two important reasons I'd choose the Vandie's: 1) As stated above, they will do a fine joy on all types of music even country music (of which I hate); 2) They produce a more realistic 3D sound stage rather than the 2D sound stage produced by the Coincident. While this is true of the Coincident they do sound more "musical". That (musicality) is very appealing to many and sounds good and well in the show room; but three months later you may ask, why did I purchase these and where is the "realism of the sound stage"? Don't get me wrong, I like both; but feel over the long haul the "musicality" does wear off and all you are left with is 2D music... I know I made the mistake...
PS. Placement of the Vandie's isn't as critical as the Total Eclipse...They are very hard to setup and when done, bets are that the wife will have a fit about the location...at that point the full potential of the Eclipse will not be enjoyed. The Vandie's have larger feet print, they are however MUCH more forgiving when it comes to placement... PSS. The upgrade factor is a BIG plus as Richard Vandersteen is really eager to assist you with the process...and designs them user upgradeable.

Hope this helps...

OH! As a former Vandie owner, I wish I'd never sold them... BIG mistake, BIG mistake on my part...

Touching on some of the other comments, the Vandy's ( or is it "Vandie's" ??? ) offer in-room tuning of the low frequency section. This this is probably one of the hardest areas to get "right" in any installation, i would rank this feature quite high on the list desirable features.

To take this one step further, you can literally change low frequency response and output characteristics to suit individual recordings and then return them to "flat response" at the flip of a few switches. Like it or not from a technical or "accuracy" standpoint, there are some recordings that are just plain muddy or thin sounding and need some help. Being able to do something like this and do it easily can only make your listening sessions more enjoyable.

For the record, the Vandy 5 is capable of pretty thunderous bottom end. I'm not just talking about high output levels, i'm talking about TIGHT bass.

Would you like to guess which speaker i'd be buying ??? : ) Sean
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I haven't heard the Vandersteen Model 5s. I've have owned the 3s and the 2CEs. I now own the Total Eclipse. I can agree with the above comment about room placement to a degree. They are not hard to place, but need to be out into the room about 3 feet due to a large rear port. Wifey may not like the placement, but they are beautiful speakers. Mine loves them. You could place them on her head, and she would still love them. They just look great and sound great. Once placed appropriately, these things absolutely disappear. They have great detail, soundstaging, and a perfect midrange that works with about any amp. The deciding factor may be more complicated than just "which is the better speaker", in absolute terms. Cost would be one thing to consider. You can ocassionally find the Total Eclipse speakers used. Not very often, though. I've only seen two pairs in a couple of years of watching. One was from a reviewer, and the second I bought. I've never seen the Vandersteens used. That may say something for the owner satisfaction level of both of these fine speakers. The Totals usually sell for around $5000 used. Don't know about the Vandersteens.

But what really swings it for me is the sensitivity of the Total Eclipse, and their ability to sound good with ANYTHING! They are 94db at 14 ohms. What ever you want to use with them, you can. That can be from a 10 watt SET to 500 watts of solid state. I am waiting for my Wyetech Topaz to arrive. In the interim, I was driving the Totals with an Audion 12w Stering with Seimans NOS EL34s. They were absolutely stunning! The only cavaet was that the low bass response was a bit shelved because of the Sterling's roll off. But this 12w amp could drive me out of the room. I then used a Jolida 1501 RC. Again, great results. Now I have more bass from the hybrid 100w Jolida, but the SET midrange magic was gone, and the mids were dryer, less detailed. It was easy to hear the difference between the two amps, as it should be with a great speaker. The Totals give you versatility in spades. As I change out equipment to satisfy my audiophile insanity, the Totals will always be compatible with just about anything I want to try. Good thing, because speakers are a pain to sell and ship. I can deal with changing out everything else in the system. That's just one of the reasons they were one of Absolute Sound's Golden Ear Award winners.

With all due respect, Mikes, you are not going about this acquisition in the correct manner.

I am always baffled by this type of thread. It is no reflection on you, but when someone puts up two very different products, each with very different requirements, and asks which one should he purchase, I do not feel that anyone in this forum will be able to provide you with the right answer. Compound that with the fact that you have not settled on the room or amplification yet. Recipe for unhappiness.

I do feel that the members here can offer a lot of insight in terms of how something sounds, how it mates to other equipment, or their own personal experience.

One of the most important factors in an audio system is the speaker to room interface. It can not be turned away from. No ifs, ands, or buts. Add in that speakers are so different, just like people's tastes, and I feel that the first thing we need to think about it leading you down the wrong path.

My advice is ultimately this. BUY YOUR HOUSE FIRST. Once you establish where the speakers will be, you will be able to have a much greater opportunity for success. It may not even be these two!

As you are dealing with two world class loudspeakers here, I would say that they will be the pillars of your system. In my opinion, the road to success it to first match your room and tastes to a loudspeaker. From the two you present here, I would consider this a lifetime purchase. That is, if you pick the right one for you, and the room, which should be large and undersquare.

One more thing. NEVER buy a speaker without a thorough audition. That is, unless you just walked into a deal that will not be offered again - i.e. they are rare to the point of almost never coming up for sale, or if you had to sell them, you would make money.

I love both Coincident and Vandersteen speakers. But, they are voiced so different. It's the classic boxer vs. puncher debate. The right one in one sytem will be the wrong one in another.

The Total Eclipse are much more fast, revealing, and light on their feet. The treble is more fast, and at the same time, more airy and natural. The bass goes really deep, but doesn't have 'crack the door jamb' punch. The Vandersteen 5 is more full bodied, authoritative, and harmonically rich. These descriptions are most applicable in the bass and midrange. They will both play classical, jazz, rock, and evn hip - hop(if you needed to) music in a fine manner. They just sound different. Very different. I would say the Total Eclipse is more clear, while the Vandersteen 5 is more romantic. Which sound do you prefer? Only you can answer this question.

Both match well to equipment which is opposite to their nature. And, do not match well, at all, to upstream equipment that is similar to them. In other words, match the Total Eclipse to rich sounding equipment, match the Vandersteen to neutral sounding equipment. If you see either of these speakers in a good sounding set - up, you will notice this. Look upstream.

Amplification cannot be ignored in this debate. Can not. Along with the room, and your tastes, it will be a determining factor in whether you keep these loudspeakers, or not. Please do not paint yourself in the corner of deciding whether you need to find new speakers, or new amplification after this purchase. If you have an amp with a generous amount of power, the Vandersteen is a superior match. The Vandersteen needs a large monoblock push/pull tube amp with superior transformers and at least 4 output tubes per channel, or solid state. The Model 5 will not work well with anything less. With an average to lower powered tube amp of less than 8 output tubes, SET, or OTL amplifier, you had better opt for the Coincident. Driving the Total Eclipse with high power or solid state just does not work well. Especially, solid state, due to the high impedence of the speaker - it's 14 ohms.

So, in a nutshell. Figure out where they will be, what you will drive them with, and whether you like vanilla or chocolate. Then, you will ensure that you will buy the right speakers.

GOOD LUCK!

Thanks for the great responses. I really appreciate all this valuable advice.