NO SMALL ROOMS! MATCH THE SPEAKERS TO THE OTHER EQUIPMENT.
Sean has never heard probably set up Focuses. Robert Pincus of Cisco Music, Tom Port of Better Records and Steve Hoffman (you should know who he is) love the Focusus. Steve Hoffman mastered a very high percentage of his LPs on them, in a small room yet, with heavy e.q. In a large room, he wouldn't have needed to do that.
My original Focuses are fabulous in the mids, slightly attenuated in the highs and a little bass heavy. I run all EAR gear using Grover ICs/speaker wire (latest 11/07 wire). VPI TNT VI/Benz/SME IV mod./Superplatter/SDS, etc. EAR ACUTE, other quality analog front end, all types of vibration control and a pair of Holographs. I've had all types of electrostats (Acoustat Xs, 2&2, ML Monolith IIIs, tried Tannoy 15" reds, etc). My wife had me get rid of the Monolith IIIs because they had no ability to play rock and metal (we're 50). When I first purchased the Focuses, I also thought they sounded like crap but my gear was AR SP14 and Classic 30s with Cardas IC and OCOS speaker wire. Changing the rest of the system became a believer experience. The Focuses kept improving until they are of high fidelity quality without the problematic frequency response or beaming problems. Without getting some semblance of good ancillary eqiupment, they don't sound good.
Another friend uses a Yamaha CR 620 to drive them and they sound fabulous. He makes a living by grading records using the EAR 324 phono stage and the CR 620 into them. They rock, they play metal. For me, voices sing sweetly in opera, pop or chamber. So, every type of music is easily accomodated. I also perform with a professional orch and know what live and recorded sound is like (different in most cases). I'm the archival transfer engineer for the orch and various choral groups, universities, etc. I don't have a golden ear. Three of my friends claim they do and all prefer the Legacy Focuses (one liked the Whispers which he previously owned as well).
Sorry this is so long, but I hate it when these really inexpensive speakers (used $2200 to $2500) are trashed in posts. I would like to hear the HDs though. The originals can sound fantastic in large rooms with higher current tube amps (I have Grover 125w. push-pull amps and EAR 790 70w. amps).
Vandersteens 5s-not my cup of tea.
Sean has never heard probably set up Focuses. Robert Pincus of Cisco Music, Tom Port of Better Records and Steve Hoffman (you should know who he is) love the Focusus. Steve Hoffman mastered a very high percentage of his LPs on them, in a small room yet, with heavy e.q. In a large room, he wouldn't have needed to do that.
My original Focuses are fabulous in the mids, slightly attenuated in the highs and a little bass heavy. I run all EAR gear using Grover ICs/speaker wire (latest 11/07 wire). VPI TNT VI/Benz/SME IV mod./Superplatter/SDS, etc. EAR ACUTE, other quality analog front end, all types of vibration control and a pair of Holographs. I've had all types of electrostats (Acoustat Xs, 2&2, ML Monolith IIIs, tried Tannoy 15" reds, etc). My wife had me get rid of the Monolith IIIs because they had no ability to play rock and metal (we're 50). When I first purchased the Focuses, I also thought they sounded like crap but my gear was AR SP14 and Classic 30s with Cardas IC and OCOS speaker wire. Changing the rest of the system became a believer experience. The Focuses kept improving until they are of high fidelity quality without the problematic frequency response or beaming problems. Without getting some semblance of good ancillary eqiupment, they don't sound good.
Another friend uses a Yamaha CR 620 to drive them and they sound fabulous. He makes a living by grading records using the EAR 324 phono stage and the CR 620 into them. They rock, they play metal. For me, voices sing sweetly in opera, pop or chamber. So, every type of music is easily accomodated. I also perform with a professional orch and know what live and recorded sound is like (different in most cases). I'm the archival transfer engineer for the orch and various choral groups, universities, etc. I don't have a golden ear. Three of my friends claim they do and all prefer the Legacy Focuses (one liked the Whispers which he previously owned as well).
Sorry this is so long, but I hate it when these really inexpensive speakers (used $2200 to $2500) are trashed in posts. I would like to hear the HDs though. The originals can sound fantastic in large rooms with higher current tube amps (I have Grover 125w. push-pull amps and EAR 790 70w. amps).
Vandersteens 5s-not my cup of tea.