All of them are decent speakers. Due to the laws of physics you can only get a smaller stand speaker to go just so low. Lot's of designers play games to make you think you are hearing more bass, but the fact remains you can only get just so much out of it. What most do give you is better imaging and sound staging. Proacs of any model will equal or beat nearly any other monitors. This is why they've been around forever and are the top choice for major recording studios/artists for their own useage. They aren't easy to find used for a reason. Like Vandy's the original owners LOVE them and rarely sell them. I'm selling off my three pair ONLY because I fell in love with the new Vandy's and it's a huge step up for me. Selling three full systems to pay for my upgrades so my loss is someone else's gain. I have always liked the ref 3a's, but the Proacs, to me, are more detailed and get the imaging and staging right. The sound doesn't stay inside the speakers. It will emanate from either side of the speakers if you have good amplification. The wavetouch has the Heil air motion mid/tweeter that in past generations has been very fatiguing for many people. I don't know if Wavetouch is using a new design, but I heard a pair a couple of months ago and the top end was very pronounced and the drivers didn't seem to mesh well. There were four of us listening and we all said the same thing. We tried a variety of amps, including tubes. It may have been the room as I know many others love them. I think you need to listen to speakers before purchasing them. That's why I'm selling much of my gear through Johny at Audio Connections in Verona NJ. I just think it's easier to demo speakers with a few different amps or bring in your own. Just a though since you are in NY anyways.
