Need help generating a short list

Isn't this essentially the same question you asked in an earlier thread?

It'd be helpful for those of us who contributed to that thread to know which suggestions you are considering and which you are dismissing. It'll keep the repeat suggestions to a minimum.

I'm going to once again recommend the VR4 Gen III HSE. I recently played a drum track for a friend (Steve Smith's Vital Tech Tones). He is a film production sound mixer in LA who also does work in sound studios. He said my system sounded more real than most studios he's been in. If you are not considering them, then please say so and I'll stop suggesting them in your threads. It's no problem either way, and I won't be offended.

Have you thought of auditioning the Zu Druids or Definitions? They are both very dynamic and would potentially suit your criteria. The Definitions are the most live sounding of the two, but they're twice your budget.

Sorry, I guess this is a similar question, and I apologize for not clarifying my intentions with this new post, as I had intended to take a different direction with this.

Specifically, I'm interested in getting away from the typical, conventional designs. My first step back into this hobby since 1995 was at the 2006 CES show, where I visited Thiel, Von Schweikert, Vandersteen, Montana, etc.), and aside from different voicing, very few of the speakers clearly bested my original VR-4's in overall performance. Sure, there were $20K+ systems that were impressive, but only in scale. It could be argued that the newer designs had more detail, but each had its good and bad attributes, as all speakers do. What I realized was that something was missing in all of these conventional designs, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

It seems there’s no shortage of companies putting SEAS, Scan Speak, Focal, Dynaudio and other high quality drivers in furniture quality cabinets, and with good cross-over designs, obtain excellent detail, sound staging, and spooky imaging. As I’ve mentioned before, how many Legacy, Avalon and Wilson knock-off’s are there???? At the risk of being objectionable, I’m really put off by the price of many of these speaker systems. Incredibly, my $50 PC speaker system with subwoofer offers similar attributes, albeit on a lesser scale.

When nothing I could afford impressed at the CES show, I decided just to keep my system intact. In the meantime, I had the opportunity to attend several concerts of varying music types. After attending the concerts, I finally pin-pointed what was missing when I listened to my VR-4’s; excitement. Yes they have spooky imaging, yes they throw a nice sound stage, yes they have great detail; but they’re boring.

A friend of mine is an “old school” audiophile, that raves about the ‘70’s designs, particularly those from Altec and JBL. He brought my attention to a speaker called the Iconic Stonehenge, that evidently utilizes what is regarded as the pinnacle of Altec’s coaxial designs. Interestingly, most of the recent fanfare seems to surround these “single point source” designs, from the simple Iconic Stonehenge to the ultra-expensive Cabasse and other horn based designs with a single, multi-function driver. Tannoy has been well respected for decades, and their primary technology remains unchanged, big drivers with coincident source tweeters.

What is the opinion of this type of speaker, such as the Iconic Stonehenge, Klipsch LaScala, Tannoy’s or Gedlee’s? Has anyone heard these speakers, and how would you compare them to they typical Legacy-type speaker? From what I understand, they provide dynamics well beyond what a conventional “stack of cones” design can, even though the drivers date back to the ‘70’s.

Thanks for the clarification. Considering you want to try something other than conventional dynamic designs, I'll retiterate the Zu Audio products, which can be auditioned in-home.

Also, the single driver designs from Omega Speaker Systems which utilize Fostex and Alnico drivers might be interesting for you to investigate.

>> Considering you want to try something other than conventional dynamic designs...<<

Tvad made a good recommendation, the Zus are getting GREAT reviews. So, too, do the Gallo Ref 3s - talk about unconventional!

I am, however, biased: I have an all-Gallo system and I don't see me changing it for many years to come. It rocks my world every single day! And, by purchasing them via Audiogon, I got a pair of Ref 3s and 3 Dues for < $2700 delivered. Talk about SMOKIN' deals! Color me one HAPPY camper...

-RW-