Speakers to hang on to for LIFE


After 9 years with my Proac Response 3s, I recently decided to change speakers. As you can tell, I'm not an upgrade fever patient. I want something I can live with for years & I think the best advice I'm gonna get will be from those who have & are still living with their speakers for an extended period of time. Please tell me why too. Thanks.Bob.
ryllau
Vandersteen 2CE signatures. I have gone through five preamps and three amps this year and settled down to the McCormack DNA-1's which I will be upgrading and the new Tube Audio Design -150. Each piece change was an improvement for the Vandersteens.

Eagleman
On Prinicple, I will not hang on to any stereo component for life; Stereos just aren't that important. :)
Regarding whether I believe I will still have the same speakers ten or even five years from now, it's unlikely. With the rapid changes in technology, it seems to me very short sighted to think that audioholics would turn a blind eye to new toys/technology in favor of the "good 'ol" speakers they own.
I'm sure that in the past 20 years I've been in this, I've gone through at least a dozen different main speakers. And if, God willing, I get to play with electronics another 20 years, I hope I see the advent of an entirely new technology that blows away anything we currently conceive as good sound.
So, here's to ingenuity and consumer curiosity; long may they live.
Having said, this, I currently use Magnepan 1.6QR's and they seem to have plenty of surprises left in them.
Fernando
good evening
Relaxed I am with the ascent 2. Great product. I was wondering if there was a special set up for the tri wired system of the avalon and the audio research 300 mk2. The manual is a little confusing to me and I needed some help regarding connection balanced or unbalanced .
I do run them now on a rowland model 8 hcti. I just open some boxes for christmas . There was the 300 from audio.r.
They seems to have so much power . I don't want to make a wrong move and blow a tweeter of even worse.
thanks for your answer.
didier
Wow...very interesting thread. I am not qualified to even be part of this forum since I just bought my first "high end" component this May, (better late than never), but here goes....but I am definitely a convert..no, addict now!
Here's my repetoir of in house speakers that are up for listening and discerning...some will eventually have to go. Especially if my wife ever comes into my listening room!
1) Older Vandy 2C's upgraded to "Ce's" by Mike at Soundscape Santa Rosa (my first speaker).
2) Hornshop horns with sub.(Had to try horns...)
3) Gallo Ref III.
4) Oskar Heil Khitara's, just arrived last week. Amazing out of the box.
4a) Almost forgot, in the family room...Harbeth HL-P3ES-2. These are keepers, extreme positive WAF. With Musical Concepts Hafler 220 with Platinum Ultra mods, Rega Jupiter and Melos SHA Gold.
Coming this week...
5) Silverline Sonata MkII
6) Dahlquist DQ 10's
7) Older Kef with the LS3/5A drivers, the floor standers.

Except for Vandys, all purchased on Agon.

Amps for my listening pleasure...

Pilot 240 integrated
Stromberg-Carlson amp and pre
Cayin TA 30 with NOS tubes
Mastersound Reference 845
Decware 84C "Mighty little amp"
Cary 811 on the way
Custom 300B amp being built by Alex Dondysh
NY Audio labs pre with phono and with Harvey mods

Denon 2900 with EVS supermods, CalAudio Alpha and Delta

Audiomeca Analog with Denon 103R on the way.

Please, no suggestions for any new speakers...I am, needless to say...tapped!

How long will it take me to find the "speakers for life"...stay tuned.
Lafolia: Congrats for your Model 8. I also had that amp with my Avatars and really, you are cooking with gas !!!!.

Don't bother too much with the spkr wire setup, just ask your dealer to work for you a tri-wire config (three pairs of wire for the speaker side and 1 pair for the amp side) and you are set!!.

A simple version would be to just work for a single-wire at both ends and place the cardas wire bridges between the rest of the terminals at the speaker side. This wires should come with your Ascents.

At the amp side, you can run either balanced (XLR) or unbalanced (RCA) cables to your amp. My experience is that you wont find any sonic differences unless all your audio chain is balanced (mean: CDP or table). You wont place any damage to your system if cables are setup correctly, but on a doubt, ask your favourite audio dealer to install it for you at a cost. It will take less than an hour and a hundred bucks or so.

Hope this helps

Fernando