Which would you rather have?

Between the two, I also like the Veritas much, much better. Energy makes a pretty good speaker, I've never heard the Veritas sound "like crap" in a proper setup, far from it, but for $4K there are a whole lot of options to look at as well, especially on the used market.

Hey guys (gals?... nahhh)

This is mhubbard responding to the puzzled people. I can get either of these speakers for aprox. 2000.00.

So thats why I ask about these in particular.

also wondering what you think I should be paying for a used pair of Veritas v1.8 speakers.

Look in the the classifieds here, there are 2 sets of 1.8s up for sale, under $2k.

With due respect to you, Mhubbard, I think you need to consider a number of other speakers before deciding on either of the two you mention. Albert (Porter) is correct that there are lot of fine speakers in this price range that offer better sound quality. If you have not taken the time to research the posts in the Audiogon archives, you may want to do so -- there is a LOT of information in there. Ultimately, you need to audition some speakers in your OWN SYSTEM to really know what works best.

If I was looking in that price range and considering those two speaker lines, I'd recommend listening to a pair of Vandersteen 2Ce Sigs.