Vandersteen 5A or Sonus Faber Stradivari Homage

Prolly should go with the Vandersteens, I have heard them and thought quite differently than Zd542 in that they were on the warmer richer side of the scale. They are fantastic with analog if you have a turntable.
That said you already favor the Sonus Faber "house sound" so you should listen to the bigger ones you want and see if they retain the sound you like so much. It's your set up so go with what really pleases you. Sorry for stating the obvious.

Apples to oranges: The 5As are time and phase coherent with a bass response to 20Hz. The Sonus Fabers are neither of these. For me, the choice of Vandersteen over Sonus Faber would be easy.

Thanks very much for your responses. I kind of think the Vandersteens are the way to go too. It is also cheaper than the Stradivari, and does go deeper. There is one concern I do have with the Vandersteen 5a, however. I tend to play my music loud at times, and I have read that the 5a does not play loud. I don't need Rock concert levels, just like to "FEEL" the music sometimes. Any thoughts?

I have 5As, not carbon, and they certainly can and do play loud in my large room, the rumor is a myth.

Actually the Vandy's don't use an aluminum, they use a ceramic coated tweeter. This thing is amazing. Yes, it's detailed and it's extended, but it's natural. I have Proacs and love their staging and imaging, but they can be forward and a bit hot on specific recordings, but the Vandy's from the Treo up are unreal. Best I've heard for price and the 7's are the best I've heard adn I've heard many 100k plus speaker systems. I think the Vandy's do EVERYTHING good. They sound best on all types of music, but can be forgiving enough. They are easiest to set up too due to their subwoofer controls. You can put them right up against the wall. Just set them up for their best staging etc and then dial in the bass. That's a huge deal for any room to me. Good luck and let us know.