Warmest speaker?

I would say that the earlier versions of the Vandersteens, particularly the ones made before the 5 and the Quattro were introduced, could fairly be characterized as warm, but not their newer models. The latest iteration of the 2ce-whatever speakers that I have heard are not nearly as warm-sounding as prior versions, so perhaps the 5/Quattro technology is trickling down their line.

Early Quads were known to arc on occasion.

I've heard several vandy's in many settings. Dealer in new orlaens and lately at a friends house. was the 2ce and 3A. Way too much distortion for my taste. Sorry, just my opinion. Its a bloated sound. my friend lovcs his, and finds my Thors 'abit thin", to me its neutral and waiting to see what my new amp does with them.

I heard the vandersteen 2ce yesterday--not warm and rather disappointing overall. Right now, I am leaning towards Quad 22L2. In my audtioning of different speakers I have found it interesting how we all differ in what we feel is warm. My old ProAc Response 2's were the speaker!

that is the simple clarification i was looking for :) what are we meaning to convey when we speak of warmth. imo warmth is not a positive attribute in a spkr sound. if listeners want to add bass boost etc that's great, but i prefer a neutral spkr as a starting point. maybe 'liquid' or 'non-analytical' might be closer. semantics in audio discussions can be problematic. so much has to do with room and upstream gear that it all gets blurred. i heard thiel 7.2(?) at a dlr and they sounded distant and lifeless but i know from others they can be breathtaking.