2. member-reviews
  3. 1060262422

Looking for a Speaker in the $15,000 Range

Category: Speakers

MY SYSTEM CURRENTLY CONSISTS OF QUAD 988'S, THOR AUDIO
TP-60'S, THOR AUDIO TA-2000 PREAMPLIFIER WITH PHONE STAGE
AND A CARY 306/200 CD TRANSPORT/PLAYER. I AM VERY HAPPY WITH
THE SYSTEM BUT MY QAUDS LACK BASS AND DO NOT CREATE ANY SENSE THAT 80-100 PEOPLE MAY BE ON STATE AT ONCE, AS IN A LARGE ORCHESTRA. DOESN'T CREATE A LARGE SOUNDSTAGE. PERHAPS,
ANOTHER SPEAKER WOULD HELP? MY POTENTIALS ARE:

1. VANDERSTEEN 5A
2. WILSON WATT PUPPY 7
3. AVALON EIDELON
4. VERITY PARSIFAL ENCORE

HAS ANYBODY HEARD ANY OF THE ABOVE 4?. MY THOR POWER AMP
PUT OUT 60 WATTS OF ULTRLINEAR POWER PER MONBLOCK AND
REALLY CAN DRIVE MOST SPEAKERS WITH GREAT EASE. I AM WONDERING IF THERE IS A SPEAKER SYSTEM THAT WOULD HAVE THE
MAGNIFICENT CLARITY OF THE QAUD 988 MIDRANGE, WITH A
LARGER SOUNDSTAGE AND THE ABILITY TO A MORE REALISTIC AURAL
PICTURE. I HAVE LEFT OUT THE KHARMA 3.2 BECAUSE AT $19,000
FOR THE PAIR IT IS MISSING BASS AND THERE IS NO DEALER
IN NEW YORK STATE TO EVEN AUDITION KHARMA. THANKS FOR ANY LIGHT THAT YOU MAY SHED ON MY SEARCH.
kjl
sdcampbell
2,136 posts
 
Your first item on the list would have been my suggestion: the Vandersteen Model 5A. With good electronics, the 5A's are a superb full-range speaker that are as good as many speakers costing up to $25k.
pbb
1,140 posts
 
Of all the speakers you mention, I have only heard the Vandy Fives. If I was willing to part with the kind of money you are quoting, I would get a pair in a heartbeat. In Canada a pair of Fives is around $18K. That probably means that the Five As are over 20K. Too rich for me. But there you have it, in this instance, thank the Divine Providence that you live in the USA and get yourself out to your nearest dealer. The Fives are not much to look at, but boy do they sound great!
pbb
1,140 posts
 
Any speaker in that price range that does not deliver good response at or close to 20 Hz should be ashamed of itself!
tedkurtz's avatar
tedkurtz
18 posts
 
You may want to consider the Quad 989's. They cost less, you will still get the Quad sound and more bass with the two extra bass panels. Before you consider the other choices (all of which are excellent), consider trying to audition 989's in your current system.
If you rule out the 989's, then consider how wedded you are to your amp since you may have to change amps with many of the other speakers.
hearthis
9 posts
 
I'm mote than a little bit biased, but you really should put the Innersound Eros Mk111's on your short list. They have all the midrange magic of Quads, but without the volume and dynamic limitations...and they really do bass. Good luck!
More to discover