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Originally Posted by seacard /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Thanks Jon, that's very helpful.
Given that I have a smaller room (17 x 15 with 8 foot celings), ..
Do you have any thoughts on:
Sonus Faber Cremona
JM Lab Focal 1027 Be or 1037 Be
Von Schweikert VR-4 SR Mk. II
Thiel 7.2 or 3.7
Revel Ultimate Studio
Usher Dancer
Vandersteen Quatro
Linkwitz Orion
Something else that I can get in the $7,500 - $8,000 range?
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I'll just say VSA VR4 SR MkII is NOT the VSA speaker to buy, especially after the recent price hikes. If you want to go with VSA in your size room, I would go for a used VR4 Jr or older VR4 III, etc.
Avantgarde speakers are pretty nice-sounding, Except all the models with those conventional woofers sound seriously incoherent at the x-over point, much like earlier Martin Logan hybrids. I personally would not be able to get over that flaw long-term. You *could* get the Avantgarde basshorns, but the price they are charging is criminal IMHO. Those horns ARE plastic after all...
I would strike Quattro off the list as well. Even Mr. Vandersteen himself has called it a mistake. Vandy 5A's are very nice but surprisingly finicky about the amp driving them to reach actual greatness IMO.
I don't think anyone's really been able to seriously demo new Thiel's, but the bigger ones will be too much for your room. In fact, for your room, the older 2.2 might be the ticket. All Thiels require tremendous amps, but 2.2's are better in this regard and sound wonderful if fed correctly. In fact, I prefer 2.2 to VSA 4 Jr's head-to-head.
One can't over-emphasize the importance of what amps one would need for each speaker. I truly believe deep in my heart that a well-designed 2-10 wpc single-ended amp around $1000-2000 used will get to the heart of the music much better than big, hot $10K+ amps you will need for the "normal" speakers.
I would personally get a terrific low-power amp, and for your room size, get something like Edgarhorn Slimline Signatures. You *could* use the box sub from Edgarhorn, which blends much better with mains than Avantgarde's BTW, but I would personally buy a Edgarhorn Hornsub in basic finish (Much cheaper) and paint it myself. Slimlines Signatures + Hornsub is very, very close to the Titan II + Hornsub, and may even be better for your room size.