Round Two: Best Speakers for LOUD music and rock??

I must be missing the point here completely. Sounds as if you are desiring live performance levels but with high end imaging, depth and they just do not exist together. When was the last time you attended a 'Tower of Power' concert and got imaging and tight sound staging.

I would build this system entirely differently with say Hafler DH-500s and Klipsch Horns which would play loudly enough to break glass.....literally! Tubes are not meant for this style of playback. Good luck sir.

Jeff: Out of the speakers that you listed, the Dunlavy's will be the closest to your NHT's but with a lot more "finesse" and "refinement" with much greater potential for volume. Other than that, the newer Legacy Focus 20/20 and the Montana's will probably do what you want them to do. VMPS speakers have a history of being kinda "fat & bloated" on the bottom end ( this may have changed ) and i don't think that the Revel's would be great R&R speakers. As to the JM Lab's, they definitely have a "house sound" and it would be up to you as to whether or not you liked them.

Scott: Personally, i think that Richard Vandersteen tries to discourage high listening levels for several reasons. First of all, his speakers will not play "THUNDEROUSLY LOUD". They simply aren't designed for it and you can tell when you try driving them hard. Second, he won't have as many warranty claims if his speakers are treated "gently". This keeps his customers happy as the speakers appear to be more reliable AND maintains a high profit margin since the cost of replacing drivers under warranty is reduced. Third, his cautions about high spl's make him come across as a concerned manufacturer and someone that wants you to be able to enjoy your equipment and his speakers for a long time to come.

When i talked to Richard and asked him about the SPL capabilities and power handling of his speakers, primarily the 5 but all of them in general, he would not quote figures. When i pressed him for greater detail with some specific conditions / figures, he about blew up and asked if i was "insane". The reason that i brought it up is that i was concerned with over-driving the woofer amp in the Vandy 5's. Given the conditions that i mentioned, he told me that i would. At least he's honest. If you've ever talked to Richard, you would know he's "too" honest at times : )

Other than that, i like Vandy's. They just aren't made to raise the roof and Richard will tell you that himself. Sean
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could you explain exactly what happens when you say your 300 amplifiers shut down? can not believe they are running out of power. Do you have dedicated circuits for the amplifier s

Jeff,

You might want to give the Infinity Prelude MTS series
a listen. I have the baby brothers and they rock very
well. I do have them teamed up with a sub (the model i
have doesnt have sub built in) and I have been very impressed with them. I also listen to mostly heavy rock... Tool.. Alice n chains.. ect @ VERY LOUD levels. I am a guitar player for 25 years and its just in my blood.
Im also pretty aware of what the music should sound like
and the Infinity's do a very good job re-creating.
I know (for what its worth) the MTS series did earn a class A in Stereophile. They also have active subs built in... i believe 750w? Im not sure. They also have the bass tweak rambass system. I can guarantee you they will be very revealing and do well under extreme conditions...

Sdcampbell... Can you speak up i cant hear you??? Just
kidding i appreciate your concern.

Jeff,

My last listening room was similar in size to yours (but not 18' high), I also like very loud rock music occasionally. The speakers that worked for me in this situation are the B&W Nautilus 801s, bi-amped with a pair of Pioneer Elite M91s. Believe you me, this system will play as loud as your hearing can stand and remain crystal clear. Furthermore, bass slam is frightening. In my opinion, the Nautilus 801s are among the very best in overall sound quality of any loudspeaker system I have heard. Although you can't in my opinion beat QUAD ESL 63s for pure musicality of sound (useless on loud rock unfortunately).

Incidentally; if you want to experience truly loud and dynamic sound, try the 43 second “The Garage Door” track on the HiFi News HFN003 test disc. I have had people run for the door when playing this loud. If you want to experience truly loud rock music with amazing bass slam, try Frankie Goes To Hollywood two tribes or the soundtrack from the movie Run Lola Run.

I too share the same point of view as Sdcampbell. Playing music very loud for protracted periods of time will definitely damage your hearing, there are plenty of aging rock musicians around to prove the point.

Regards,

Marcus