Non fatigueing speaker under 1500

Dan, I am just talking about what may be causing the fatigue is all. And clipping is a real reason and could at least be tested by putting something in the chain that wouldn't do that and see if it "sounds" better. That's all I am suggesting. I am a fan of getting to root cause and I think that you would save money in the long run to find out what is really causing the problem, then buying this and buying that and then buying something else. My intent was to get some thinking about what is really causing the problem, than just jumping to the conclusion it's the speakers. Does that makes sense? -aj

Angela - Makes sense...although I guess the easiest solution would be to turn it down and see if that sounds any better. We don't even know what speakers Gooddomino is driving with his 200wpc. Unless they're grossly inefficient, or he listens at extremely high levels, odds are good that there's no clipping taking place.

While I feel that it's important to find the right speakers for you personally, they're only going to sound as good as your room (and setup) allows. You mention that your room has hardwood floors and little furniture. Once you decide on a pair of speakers, I would strongly consider doing a few simple things to "tune" your room. A couple of rugs in front of (and maybe behind if you buy dipoles) the speakers would be a good start. Maybe a couple of tapestries or other wall hangings in strategic places. Nothing gawdy or expensive, mind you, but simple and tasteful additions that will greatly enhance the listenability of your system.

You haven't told us what speakers you're currently using, so we can't speculate as to whether or not they're known for being too bright or forward. I would hazard to guess, however, that the most likely suspect contributing to your fatigue is the room itself. A very "live" room with a lot of hard surfaces causes sound to reverberate all about the room and arrive back to your ears at various times. It's a lot for your brain to process.

Dan -I owned Vandy 3's for 10 years. They were just too big so I sold them. They also gave me fatigue at higher listening levels and just not enough detail. I then purchased Thiel .5's. Great detail,I heard things I never heard before on my CD's. They just couldn't "jam" and when trying to jam they became fatigueing fast.

I heard that the 2CE Sigs had the 3A's tweeter so they might further reduce fatigue. It looks like I might need to just do the best I can at this price level.

Jack

Hey Gooddomino-- I would say that the Swifts and ProAcs are your best choices. The Swifts represent a great option but can be amp selective. The better the amp, the sweeter they are. I have not heard the combibnation that you mentioned, but the Rouge amps just do not do it for me. I think the Miles is a good player, so look at some different amps and take it with you. I have a CJ MV 60 and old Music Fidelity A1 and love them both. They both sound great at different times and moods, but I keep coming back to the Meadowlarks. There is something about the Meadowlarks that I like more than the ProAcs, but I can live with either. Maybe its my room or the speed of the Meadowlarks.

2CE Sig's with tubes. I am always amazed at how good the Vandy's are when properly driven. Even the little ones sound so much better than I expect even driven by modest gear. Otherwise, look at ML CLS's or Quads (57's or 63's). Dollar for dollar the Vandy's represent excetional overall sound and amazing value. BTW, I do not own them. They would, however, be on my short list if I were to stray from my large, hard to power esl system.