Full Range Speaker $15-$20000 Range?

I find interesting in that of the five speakers that people have mentioned I have owned 3 of them and of the two others I have owned speakers from the companies. I have had the Andra II's that I sold to upgrade to the Savoy's and also own every speaker in the eggleston works line except now the II's and the Ivy's. I loved the sound of the Andra II's so much that I bought a pair of Savoys. So my home Theatre consists of a pair of Savoys a custom made Andra Center Channel attached to an Andra I bottom and 2 pairs of Rosa's with a Wilson Whow III Sub. I also have a pair of Andra's in my den. The sound of the Andra II's were complete They were excellent sounding and relatively eay to drive. They reproduced piano extremely well as well as resolved female vocals flawlesly. The bass was deep and defined, truly amazing. The upgrade bug grabbed a hold of me and I went for the Savoy's. They are a bit more difficult to drive but I biamp and they truly sound amazing.

The Vandys also sound exceptional in the right room. Because of the integral bass amp they too are relatively easy to drive. The only drawback was that for them to sound their best I had to have them well into the room. about 6 - 7 feet away from the rear wall.

The Wisdoms I already spoke about and wish I could Keep. They also are amazing and provide great dynamic Contrasts.

The Innersound Kaya's I did not own but I did have a pair of the Isis. Extremely quick and resolving but too directional for my tastes. Also the bass could have intergrated a little better. The Current Martin Logan stuff sounds a little more coherent top to bottom but does not have the resolution in the upper octaves like the Innersound.

I have also owned Infinity Beta's (twice), Infinity Gamma's, Odeon 26's & Double 6's, Genesis V's, Mirage M1si's, M3si's & M7si's, Martin Logan SL3's, Apogee Centaur Major's, Maggie 1.6's, Wilson Watt/Puppy V's, and Gershman Avant Garde RX-20's.

Like I said right now I am extremely happy with the Egglestonworks line and Wisdom M75's. If you want to see some pics let me know.

Some pretty good suggestions above (e.g., Andra and the Innersound Kaya). I like the pair of speaker I own (S.A.P. J2001 (twin woofer)), but it is no longer made and is a bit above your specified range.

Some other models to consider that I think sound good and would do a good job with large-scale classical music are:

Gershman GAP 828
DeVore Silverback
Edgarhorns

Among the speakers mentioned, I could recommend the Vandersteen 5As and the Eggleston Andra IIs. The latter really benefit from lots of power, in many cases using big solid state amps. For example, Parasound JC-1s make them come alive. I wouldn't assume your Thor monoblocks would work well with them, but they might.

I cannot recommend the Wisdoms, mainly due to the crossover which not only is extremely complicated (thousands of possible settings) but also veils the sound. Wisdoms also tend to be used with big solid state amps.

It's hard to change from dipole speakers such as Quads to moving coil speakers, given a good setup. You didn't say how much room treatment you have, but it's easy to overdo it and in doing so rob the music of life. Other than preventing slap echo if it exists and getting the bass right, there isn't much to do. The Sound Lab full range ESLs I sell work well in a wide range of rooms and don't require much treatment, and the larger models are rarely used with subwoofers. The sensory experience of full range ESL dipoles, especially in the bass, is quite different from that of cone woofers. With woofers you can get more chest thumping bass, whereas with the ESLs you hear the bass that tends to envelop you more. An ESL that extends well down into the 20's can make the hairs on your neck stand on end when hearing things such as tympani at fortissimo levels, and you experience the space of the venue.

Your square room presents a challenge. I suggest you want a speaker that is more independent of room nodes, especially in the bass. I suspect the Quad 988s may not work quite as well as hoped due to their radiating characteristics as virtual point sources. An option to consider is positioning your speakers 45 degrees diagonally across the room, if possible. It may sound far-fetched, but try it if you can.

If you're seeking maximum dynamics then I'd second the recommendation of the CAR speakers, especially with TAD drivers. It's a very different sound, but they're quite efficient and can play very loudly. With the right electronics they can work very well.

Brian

vip428,Boy did I love my Infinity Beta's.Had to sell them,as I moved to another state!

I'll second the Vandersteen 5A's: I have over 2000 CD's (including about 75 SACD's) and about 2500 LP's -- 98% are classical. Rameau to Revueltas, Dufy to Dutilleux, Praetorius to Prokoviev...hell, I love 'em ALL, and LOUD! I have season tickets to Disney Hall (live music...the best bargain in audio!). The Vandy's will do them all justice. In this exalted price range, though, you should listen around a bit, because we all have different ears, different selective memories of what "live" sounds like, and different emotional hot buttons. Be sure to try the Revel Salons (I prefer the Vandy's, but you might not), the Avalon Eidolons, the big Egglestons, and the Avant Garde Duos (did I spell it right?). The Vandy's have the advantage of INFINITE versatility of placement, as Programmergeek mentioned, and this is a HUGE plus in addressing the practical reality of getting great sound into YOUR room.