Narrowing down floorstander selection.

I agree that the M20 is a fantastic speaker. I've owned it twice. I'm sure the F30 is good as well, although I haven't heard it. I would personally recommend the audio physic virgo. Used they can be had for about 2200 and will have the bass you are looking for I think.

If you like large scale classical then the Shahinian Arcs or Obelisks are perfect for you. Richard Shahinian designs his speakers specifically with classical in mind. The speakers are hand crafted in Medford New York. Richards loudspeakers are known for their deep bass so a subwoofer would not be required. I own the Shahinian Diapasons and love them to death. Last I knew the Arcs were $3200 and the Obelisks were $4000. You mighy even be able to buy the highly rated Shahinian Hawks with what you can save on electronics with the Shahinians. The Bedini 100 watt/side mono amplifiers are only $1500 per pair and do an excellent job driving my huge Diapasons. Richard designed the Shahinians using Bedini amps so they work very well together. You can find a review of the Hawks on the AV guide web site. Several of the reviewers from the big hi-fi mags have Shahinians as their personal speakers.

Sorry, but you really need to make this decision. It's kind of like asking 'what kind of ice cream should I buy' IMHO. It will depend on your musical tastes. I like my Vienna Acoustic Strauss, I used to own Beethovens and liked them also. My friend has a pair of Dynaudio Audience 82's, I also have a friend that has a pair of Dynaudio Contour 3.4's. They both sound good to me, but my VA's are a little warmer, to my ears, which I prefer. They think my speakers sound good, but they like the Dynaudio 'sound' better. I know of others that swear by their Vandersteen's.

I would recommend you audition them in as similar a setup as possible, and pick the flavour that you like best, instead of the flavour that someone else likes best.

Regards,
John

The only speaker on your list that is both time and phase coherent is the Vandersteen 3a, if those features are important to you. They certainly are to me. Also check out Thiel 2.4, also time and phase coherent.

I personally would go with the Vandersteen in that list too.The F30's are also an excellent choice. Though dont do it because they are "phase and time" correct. Phase and time correct speakers dont equal a better listening experience or better soundstaging for that matter. If our listening rooms didnt have reflective surfaces then this may be something to be worried about, but real world accoustics prove otherwise. But before you buy any speakers, audition them in the room they plan to be setup in first.