Lore vs Vandersteen ICi vs Ohm Walsh Talls

TO Zd542: Thank you for your comment. Yes, I was reemed by Mr V. for not reading the manual about setting up the rake angle. (what a joke!!) that is, a folded 2 page blue sheet.is a manual!!!.

A real Prince Charming. One wonders he sells anything. I owned the IC about 7 years ago, and liked them, but not enough to keep them. Supposedly, Vandersteen has upgraded the tweeter, and cross-over. There is a seller on AG who claims they are now competitive with the 2CE.I like to know how the ICi upgrades translates into better sound. I often think that audiophiles let these guys off the hook when they claim upgrades, yet too often, the results are nominal or nothing.

I am looking for a small floor standard as an alternative to my main speaker. I like experimenting with different speakers. I mentioned the Lore's because I have seen many testimonials from members about them I could easily live with the Lore M (Mini) which is $649, and not as big as the regular Lore.

The one significant advantage of the Lore is its efficiency and easy to drive nature. This offers flexibility with lower power but high quality amplifiers (SET and tube push pull of simple circuit design). Most owners of the Lores seem very happy with them.
Good Luck,

Hi SunnyJim

You still have those Red Dragon M500 monoblocks right? If so my vote is for the Ohm Walsh MicroTalls. I have Ohm Walsh 2 speakers and a lower wattage Class D Audio 120 watt/channel into 4 Ohms amp and it is a great match for the Ohm Walsh 2s. I find the Class D amp pairing with Ohm Walsh speakers is a good match. I tried a class A type solid state amp and a Jolida tube amp with the Ohm Walshs and the Class D amp was the best pairing.

Also this is just my feeling but I would got with a brand that is more established and has more longevity. I just think Tekton is the speaker company of the moment. Ohm Acoustics and Vandersteen have been around for ages. I'm shocked John Strohbeen from Ohm hasn't gotten back to your inquiries. Everytime I've called him he has been great to deal with. Even over e-mail he has been responsive.

Best of luck with the search.

Sunnyjim,

I think I gave you the wrong idea in my first post. When I said that Vandersteen yells at everyone, I didn't mean that he was a bad guy, or anything like that. Most of the time, I think he's just kidding around. At some point, he usually starts laughing. I'm not trying to make any excuses. I just don't want you to not consider a really good pair of speakers just because of anything I said.

As far as the setup instructions goes, he's right. Its very important you follow them for best results. If you didn't go through it, theres a formula you use to set properly set the back tilt. You take some measurements on where the speakers are in relation to your listening chair and put the results into the formula. Thats how you find out how much back tilt you need.

ZD542, No need to clarify or explain. I may not have followed the instructions to the "T", and the improvements were minimal when I studied the pamphlet.
Personally, I think the guy is a jerk who should be more careful what he says to potential customers over the phone. I once talked to Roy Johnson at Green Mountain speakers for two hours when I owned a pair of his Europa speakers. He was a gentleman and did not act I was wasting his time. It speaks volumes about a company when you get that level of customer service. In addition, I really don't think Vandersteens are that good sounding speakers and I have heard most of them.

I am sure the improvements to the ICi's speakers are legitimate and raise its performance level. BTW, I submitted my questions to just the customer service division of Vandersteen assuming my questions were too mundane for the exalted owner and designer. I have yet to hear back and don't expect to.