Speaker recommendation for married couple

+3 on a pair of Vandys, I too owned a pair Harbeths. My wife liked the sound and look of Harbeths but they sounded a bit thin on the top and bottom. The mids were beautiful. With that said, comparing the two, the Vandy Treo CT was the clear winner, we both love the sound and look of the Vandy Treo CT. Plus, it has the full range sound and beautiful mids I wanted. She hated the boxy look of the 2 and 3 series but the Treos were perfect. Johnny set me up. I’m still breaking them in but I’m very happy so far. Take his advice and check out Vandys.

Vienna Acoustics. More in line with with the SF speakers sound but not as warm. Never bright. Amazing furniture finish. Much cheaper than SF used. At least worth a look.

Posh on all of you! How can you guys just recommend a set of speakers without finding the WHY and WHAT she liked about the Sonus Fabers and the KEFs.

First I find this rather odd but it could be system setup. Sonus Fabers are usually a bit on the warm recessed side with a prominent midrange, the KEF LS 50 are very clean with much greater detail compared to the Sonus Faber and is a leaner sound.

So the real question should be to find out what she liked about each setup with each set of speakers and then go from there.

You are also not mentioning what kinds of music you like, she likes, are you getting new electronics, what you currently own,  budget, how loud you play, room size, positioning in room, and are the visual look and or size of the speakers important.

As per ATC which ones did you listen to and with what gear? The ATC 19 around $4k a pair are really outstanding and have great detail and a very panoramic sound stage, also have great dynamics they sound very real and lifelike.

You both may love Dali loudspeakers which have similar detail to the KEF LS 50 but with a warmer midrange like the Sonus, the Rubicons are great so are the Opticons, Legacy are also a similar voicing. The Heil tweeters are warmer then ribbons, Jantzen speakers are also a nice blend of detail plus warmth. 

So in retrospect you need to evaluate what are the traits your wife loves vs what you love and how the system is setup. Different electronics, cabling, front ends all produce different sonic effects. So you may also be derailing your demo by listening to many different setups at different dealers.

Try to find a large dealer with a great selection of speakers and mimic the sound of your electronics or better yet bring your gear to the store and then demo.

Identify what your wife liked about what she had heard vs what you like and try to find something which may be of middle ground.

As per floor standers that sound like a mix of detail and warmth, Dali, Legacy are two brands which spring to mind.

Look for the Stereophile recommended components issue and look to see which speakers have similar attributes and then see if you can hear them.

Depending on what part of the country you are in this may be an easy assignment or a difficult one.

If you visit the NY Metro area there are a ton of good dealers that have many of the brands you will read about.

First, the basics. Use lotion soap like Nivea to wash your ears out extremely well.   You may come to like her tastes a lot more. :)

Best,

E

audiotroy

+1.  The man speaks the truth!