Vandersteen-like "In-between" speakers


I have a pair of Vandersteen 3A signature speakers that came on loan from my brother and I have to give them up in about a month. I am using them with a McCormack DNA-225 and they sound great. I have heard from others that Vandersteen works well with McCormack.

I don't want to spend more money than I have to, but I have about $6K set aside to buy my own speakers. This amount is much more than the 3A signatures. There is no way that I can stretch to buy the Vandersteen 5 or 5A's. A friend of mine has them and they are fantastic.

Can anyone suggest a speaker in my price range, which falls between 3A and 5A, that will give me the same "flavor" as the Vandersteens and will mate well with McCormack? I listen to all kinds of music except very little classical - mostly rock, jazz, bluegrass, vocals.
motdathird
Thanks to all for the advice and those that have kept focus on considering the questions asked regarding the 3A in comparison to the 5A and what might lie between (having no interest in the 3 or 2ce).

If sticking with the 3A/2wq option the choices are new and used. I would, of course, like to save as much as possible but I would need to find these locally as to possible avoid shipping damage and costs. This could take awhile since I know my brother is not going to sell his! Buying new would be the easiest way to go.

The other option is to find something else in between the 3A and 5A and the consensus seems to be that there is little that will be too much better in that category based on what I like. This is about what I figured but I am still open to further suggestions.
Hi,
I have no inside info yet. The last I heard was still second hand...and until I hear it from Richard it's "gossip". Essentially, what I have been hearing for a while is that Richard wanted to combine a 3A Sig. with the 2WQ. The new Quatro is that speaker. Once I get tech specs I'll let you all know about it. Although I doubt I'll be first. Vandersteen will let the world know as soon as they feel confident that the design is final, etc.

In summary, nothing above is gospel! I expect to have more un-official news this week.

Cheers,
Mike
Before you pull the trigger...audition the Green Mountain 1.5i at 5k...I have a strong sense you will not be dissapointed...it is also Phasecorrect like the Vandies...good luck...call Roy at GReen mTn with any questions...he is one cool dude ....
From the Vandersteen data sheet they had on hand at CES--

Quatro Components:

Tweeter: 1 inch dual chamber, critically amped, ceramic-coated alloy dome wteeter. 5kHz-30kHz.

Midrange: Patented open basket 4 1/2 inch midrange with a curvilinear filled polycone. 900Hz-5kHz.

Woofer: 6 1/2 inch woven fiber cone, and a precision formed magnet assembly, with a copper Faraday ring. 100 Hz-900Hz.

Subwoofer: (2) 8-inch carbon loaded cellulose cone subwoofer with a long throw motor assembly. Built-in 300 watt amiplifier with multi-band room response compensation. 20Hz-100Hz.

Specs:

Frequency Reponse: 24Hz to 30kHz +- 2dB.
Sensitivity: 87dB @ 1 meter with 2.83 volt input.
Impediance: 6 ohms +- 3 ohms.
Crossover: 100Hz, 900Hz, 5000Hz, 6dB per Octave.
Physical: 43" high, 10" wide, 19" deep. 110 lbs.

I talked to Richard and he said that he was releasing this speaker as a replacement for people who are using 3A sigs with 2 subs. In that regard, the price is almost spot on, plus you get the added bonus of the bass contour controls.

Hope that helps!
Part of my concern with using subs is practical. It is another connection to be made and more wire to buy. Also, I've always understood that sub placement can be tricky in a lot of rooms, especially using two. But, the right placement can work wonders. I wonder if these Q's will be a tradeoff. Some sort of convenience for lack of flexibilty of positioning.