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I love my Vandersteen's but . . . . . . . .

Over the last 35 years I have only owned Four different speaker brands . In the 70”s Radio shack ,In the 80’s ADS L-990's and Vandersteen 2ci , In the 90’s to present , Snell B’s and then back to Vandersteen 2ce sig’s .. You can see my current system here on Audiogon.. Do a search In virtual systems for Stumpies System ..This will give you a lot of info on my system.

Ok ,, Here is my question … I love the sound from my current system but there are times I wish I could get a little more volume out of it . Most of the time when I listen the Meters on the McIntosh amp are bouncing around the 40 watt area with “peaks” around 100 W . But there are times I wish I could turn it up some . If I try to turn the Vandersteen’s up the sound starts to get “compressed” ,, Instruments loose there air around them ,, everything gets thin sounding so I always turn it back down.
Is there a speaker out there that will play “bigger” in my small listening room ?
Speakers I have been considering are B&W N-804’s ,, Von schweikert VR4jr ,,, Green Mountain Audio ,, NHT .
I listen to all kinds of music . Light rock mostly . Eva Cassidy,,James Taylor,,James McMurtury,,Lyle Lovett,,Mark knopfler,,Bob James,,Larry Carlton,,Lee Ritenour ..

What to do ??? Any help would be appreciated ..
stumpie
kenscollick's avatar
kenscollick
276 posts
 
My first Vandersteens were about 20 years ago Model 2's they were a giant step up from my Utah speakers. since then I have owned Accoustat 3's Apogee Duettas and Diva's [both died] after quite a few years use. I went back to Vandersteen 2 Signatures then 3 Sigs. While they are very fine speakers in accuracy and soundstage, they are on the light less dynamic side. When I would try to get them to ROCK even with my Krell 100 I would light the led's in the speakers.
I am very happy with my current system. I love the vendersteens, but they just are not everything to everybody.
Happy listening. Ken
mcfarland
356 posts
 
IMHO, try the Dunlavy SC 4 or 5's. Happy Listening.
aktchi
273 posts
 
Congratulations on your "stability", I appreciate a kindred spirit. Some people move through four speakers in a year. :) It also means your next choice is relatively more important as you may be living with it for many years.

I don't share musical tastes with you, so won't make specific model recommendations. However, I agree with Bignerd100 in general: you need more efficient speakers. So look for sensitivity ratings at least 92 or higher.

Living Voice, Zu etc have a reputation for great efficiency and sound quality. Same with Green Mountains although they look like alien gadgets.

For another approach, there are great small companies like Tyler or Salk, basically run by one very gifted speaker builder, who build one speaker at a time and will be willing to tweak a design for your situation. At least it cannot hurt to give them a call and see what they offer.
rolloff
128 posts
 
I had a pair of vandersteens for about twenty years too. I now have the Gallo ref 3's. I love them, and they seem to be able to rock out with gusto. I've got the little sub amp attached, so there's no problem with base. Priced in the used market they're a steal!You can see them on my system page too.

enjoy,

Rolloff
mikej
171 posts
 
Hi, I'm not convinced it's your speakers. More likely it's your amp that you're hearing. I suggest trying a different amp (Maybe borrow one) before worrying about the speakers. The 2s will play plenty loudly with the right amp in place. Since you have an SPL meter you will want to see how loud you're playing in the first place. The wattage is really irrelevant.
Just my 2 cents!
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