Snell Type A/II or Type E/III - opinions wanted

I never said I wasn't happy with my EIIIs, in fact I love them! Only that I'd like to move up the family tree, within reason, if there is some greater height to be achieved in vintage Snell ;)

I have yet to hear a Snell I don't like. There is something special about Snell, even in their relatively simple looking two-way designs (yes, the J/IVs blew me away too!) that has made Snell the brand I just cannot easily shake.

My living room has been home to many good, large speakers over the years but for whatever reason none of them so far (with the possible exception of the Dahlquist DQ-20i) were ones I really missed once they were gone. The Snells I've owned recently have probably been the cause of doubling the amount of time per week that I listen to music. It's like rediscovering my music collection all over again!

I also run a pair of AKG-K701s and a Creek OBH-11 headphone amp for those late night music sessions and E/III and the J/IV that preceded them came closer to my AKGs in detail than any speaker I've owned previously.

Ideally I hope to discover that the A/IIs will keep the lovely mid-bass and upper end detail of my E/IIIs but with better bass extension. I use Copeland's "Farewell to the Common Man" as one of my ultimate speaker survival tracks, played back at something close to "realistic" levels (front hall) and while both the E/IIIs and the J/IVs are beautiful speakers they just can't reproduce the full power of those huge kettle drum hits with much realism... there's only so much an 8" woofer in a two way box can achieve! I hope that the A/IIs might be up to the trick?

Has anyone had experience with the Snell K?

Briefly, some time ago. A pair of K was what really spurred my interest in Snell in the first place. Similar to the J/IV that I so much liked but without the same bass extension due in part to being in a smaller cabinet. I wouldn't pass up the chance to own a pair of K's either if they popped up locally. You would of course need stands and maybe a subwoofer to fill the in the bottom.

I've owned a pair of E-III's since 1997 and recently had them re-foamed. They are incredible speakers and always sound great in every room in my home. I also have Vandersteen 3A sigs, Maggie 1.6, DCM Timeframes and the Snells in many repects bring me more pleasure than all of them, although they are all VERY GOOD! I recently put Quicksilver V4 amps and a Counterpoint SA1000 preamp with the Snells and I am blown away. These speakers really show their stuff with tubes!!! The bass is just stunning from such a simple box!!!
Good luck with moving up the Snell line. I've heard the D's and the C's and they are much like the E-III's but of course better the further you go.
Try your E-III's with tubes. Match made in heaven!!!

Tonyjack is right on the money with tubes being a heavenly match with the snell e III's! I was originally powering my e III's with an Aragon 4004 mk II power amp and 18K preamp. Great combination that everyone knows about and is a 200 watt powerhouse. However, I recently came across an absolute steal on a beautiful little Italian Synthesis Nimis 15 watt integrated amp. Go to the Synthesis Art in Audio website to check out this beauty. Anyhow, I installed a matched quad of the awesome new TAD EL84-STR power tubes, and the jawdropping sound that emerged from the e III's when I dropped the needle on Melody Gardot's wonderful new album was breathtaking! This little 15 watter put my 200 watt Aragon to shame. The Synthesis Nimis was so full bodied, spacious and dynamic. Vocals were incredibly realistic, with such body,lushness and tons of 3 dimensional detail. This little tube amp brought out all of the wonderful qualities of the Snells that much more. The solid state Aragon sounded two dimensional and dry in comparison. I've since relegated my Aragon to home theater duties.

Tubes with your e III's...definitely give it a try, you won't be disappointed!