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Advice on replacing Vandersteen 2's

A close friend of mine needs to relace his old Vandy 2's (they are probably the original 2, dating from the late 80's). He needs something smaller and more decor-friendly. The rest of the system is modest: the small Eagle amplifier, a Bryston pre, Rega TT, JVC 1010 CDP. Nevertheless, this system really sings. It has tremedous drive, tons of bass, and never fails to sound musical on just about everything.

My friend is not an audiophile but he is very much a music lover. He doesn't sit in the sweet spot and listen critically to the system. He bounces around the room and the house when music is playing, and sometimes he plays along on his alto sax. He listens almost exclusively to jazz, mostly be-bop.

The Vandy 1C is his gut instinct, but I want him to explore some other possibilities. Let's say under $2500 new. I'm wondering about speakers from Totem, the Meadowlark Swift, Triangle? Any suggestions?
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swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
Paradigm Studios VERY different from Vandys. Brighter, with good imaging but not laid back jazz type speaker, IMO. If he's really used to the Vandersteen sound, he might want to demo something for at least a weekend; Thiels I believe also would sound very different.
chelillingworth
309 posts
 
The new Meadowlark Osprey is amazing if he can stretch to $2995. Otherwise I would go for The Kestrel Hotrod which has a much more focused sound than the Vandy's and will give you goo bass, they have to be one of the best Jazz speakers out there.
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drubin OP
3,267 posts
 
I should have provided this information: his room is 13' x 19'. The speakers will go on the short wall, on either side of a fireplace. My guess is about 2' out from the side walls and maybe 12-18 inches out from the back wall.

Again, imaging is not important. What has been so great about his system with the Vandys is its drive and pace and energy of live music. It just has the snap and power and sparkle that can fool you, from the other room, for instance. My own systems, for all of their nuance and refinement, never quite deliver the illusion he gets, and that's what he likes. He needs to replace the Vandys for aesthetic reasons, not because he is unhappy with them.

I appreciate everyone's suggestions.
suits_me
121 posts
 
First, the time-aligned speakers everyone is suggesting are not ideal for off axis listening due to lobing effects.

Smaller and better looking than Vandersteen 2 speakers might include floorstanders from:
Opera
Reynaud
Joseph Audio (pricey)

And in addition to smaller and better looking, the following are designed to have smooth, controlled off axis frequency response and/or wide dispersion:
KEF Q or Reference
Amphion
Infinity MTS or Intermezzo (depending upon your tolerance for a modern look, and the budget might indicate 2.6 monitors only)

With you requirements, it may be difficult to match the Vandersteens' low end, although the previously mentioned Totem Hawks and the little Reynaud's go surprisingly low.
sek
105 posts
 
They are smaller but sound similar to the Vandersteen 2Ce's, and one of their virtues is, to my ears, even better off-axis response. I know, because I also often move around a lot while I listen. I also listen to a lot of jazz, and I groove mightily.

With the money saved, your friend could buy a subwoofer (BTW-FYI I'm now running my 1C's full-range; my ACI Titan II LE subwoofer adds extra impact and extension in the lowest octave when needed). And/or he could buy more music, reeds, etc.

I think it's exciting when one has the opportunity to audition new gear for purchase. Meadowlark has been getting some credible attention and is often considered to share some qualities with the Vandersteens. I would check those out, along with the 1C's and a wide variety of other likely and even unlikely (for contrast) candidates.
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