“Almost” exclusively, and that’s the descriptor for my primary systems. My first speaker was a self constructed “sweet sixteen”; one was even based on a guitar body as a baffle so it was unclear perhaps to have worded my post the way I did.
Comments regarding new setup
It’s been awhile since I last contributed here but I’ve just redone my setup again and wanted to share this very satisfying experience. As background, for the last 50+ years I’ve almost exclusively used panel speakers thinking that this was the most accurate and realistic way to reproduce sound. I still do but there is a factor beyond accuracy that brings listening satisfaction which term for me, is musicality. I first felt this when using a good tube amp (Cary 808R) with Jamo Concert 8 speakers which I thought was magical but being a creature of habit, bought the Martin Logan Ethos speakers when they were announced. I liked them very much but recently discovered a rare pair of used Cello Strataveri Legends and fell in love thinking that these, as others before them, would be my forever speakers. However, a friend wanted the Cellos and offered his Von Schweikert generation 3 VR4 HSE speakers for them. After only a few days of listening to them using a Jolida integrated amp I enthusiastically accepted the trade. What a beautiful combination this is. The detail and accuracy in every way discernible to me matches or exceeds my experiences with the myriad electrostats I’ve owned but with a more full range capability than even the Martin Logan CLS 3’s. This is especially the case in the lower bass frequencies. By far, though, one of this combination’s most outstanding features is its ability to reproduce very musical sound at low volumes. Nothing I’ve used in the past even comes close in that regard. I believe, from what I’ve read about them, this observation is based more on the VS speakers than this particular amp. Although I own competent CD players my primary listening source is streamed from Amazon HD or directly through Echo devices. I started doing this primarily as a convenience and for sampling new music but I, personally, cannot discern a difference in quality so have no good reason to add to an already more than adequate collection of plastic. Anyway, I’m speaking only from my own personal experience and subjective tastes which have become somewhat fluid with my advancing age.
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