Von Schweikert DB99 or Vandersteen 5A ??

Rx8man

Perhaps others who have heard the 99's sound forward may have heard them in improper set ups. When I first got the 99's I did think they sounded forward. What I discovered was that placement was key. Once I got them positioned in my room (my room is tricky due to an unfortunate sophit) the sound stage opened up to amazing levels and the forwardness went away with the exception of instruments which were mixed to sound clean and present from the speaker positions.
The 99 is a dynamic speaker which I think some also may confuse as forward due to there not being used to so much detail and impact in the sound.

I own 99's and they don't sound forward....they reproduce what you feed them.

Larry

Thanks for the pm Rx8man-

To avoid any confusion in my above thread I was responding to Samcclark not Rx8nman. Too much holiday eggnog.

Howdy! Given the price of the speakers you're considering you need to make a trip to listen to them. We can tell you all about the speakers in question, but in the end it's your money. I travelled to hear the 5s prior to purchase deliberately. I heard them in 3 totally different systems and that was what convinced me that they were for me.

It's worth it. Plus, you'll have a relationship with the dealer you purchase from. That will be worth a lot if you ever need anything like tuning on the 5As.

Good luck and happy holidays!

To those thinking Parsifal vs 5A, I'd bet that your preference will be clear pretty quickly, though which choice you make will reflect your priorities. I own Parsifal Encores and have extensively auditioned 5As. Verities can't begin to touch the power, extension and pitch definition of the 5As in the lowest 2 octaves. Then again, I'm not sure I've heard any speaker that does (Vandy's room tuned bass system works far better than any such alternative I've ever heard.).

However, the Parsifal sounds much more dynamic and open through the mid-range. Until you get to very high levels, the 5As sound polite and laid back by comparison. Also, the Parsifal is amazingly seamless, the dynamic mid to dynamic mid bass to dynamic bass. As you get lower in pitch, you'll hear the speaker's shortcomings only in ways specific to deep bass reproduction. Conversely, as you get higher in pitch, you'll hear the 5A get less convincing unless you get the volume really cranked.

Both are great speakers. Neither is perfect. Choose your poison.