Both are great speakers and I do not think you will be unhappy with either. My local dealer sells both and I purchased the PSB because I too listen mainly to Jazz and Classical and Paul Barton if I am not mistaken is a classical musician and it is evident in his Status Golds. Yes the Gold do need to be about 3 feet ways from the wall but most speaker will benefit from the boundry effects caused by walls. My dealer owns Vandersteens and tried to convince me that they were better speakers. They were good but to my ear the PSBs sounded better. This is just my opinion and you should go and listen for yourself.
PSB Stratus Goldi vs. Vandersteen 3A sig
Looking for opinions regarding relative virtues and vices between these two fine speakers, especially for classical & jazz. In addition to comments on the sound quality I'm interested in opinions regarding power demands, and whether one is more "forgiving" than the other with regard to room placement. My room is pretty small and I've read elsewhere that the PSB suffers if placed less than 3' or more from the back wall which could be a problem. Thanks!