CONFUSED.. Moz vs Beeth..vienna acoustics at all?

I would also add the new Quad 12L monitors...made by a legendary company based on quality and performance...huge soundstaging, 3-imaging, incredible detail, dynamics,and tight, punchy bass...not to mention QUad speed and transparency...I have heard a ton of 1k monitors....and these were easily the best of the lot..check out their website....

Sorry to hear about your back Lrsky. For $1,000 the GR-Research Lucidity could challenge V-S. Similar to Rosebud (same tweeter but better bass and x-over I'm told).Demo is going around the country. I'm about 16th on the list.

I owned the Viennna Acoustics Mahler, their top speaker, and they are sweet and musical. There are better options however.
I am the former Director of Sales for THIEL, so my search for speakers is slightly more focused than the typical person, having been exposed to so many brands through visiting about a hundred stores all across the US.
I am currently at home with back surgery gone awry, and in desparate need of intellectual stimulation, so I started reading all the Webs, and threads I could absorb. My reading kept taking me to a small company which had sufferd the indignity of a toxic spill, which basically destroyed their entire operation, and cost the owner millions of dollars. But that is not germane to this story. I was introduced to Albert Von Schweikert, after having read his white papers, and being a techno geek, I could understand most of what he was talking about, so I emailed him. Thirty or so emails later, I got in a pair of his $1K VR-1, a small bookshelf speaker, which is small by any standards.
H11'xW8"xD11".
I immediately compared them to my Mahlers. Now, lets be realistic, here, $1K versus about $10K that is not fair to anyone. The psychology of such comparisons, always run in favor of the smaller speaker because of a phenom I have quantified as "diminished expectations". Some people make a life out of buying cheaper through this odd behavior. On the other hand those with unlimited funds also make some decisions which may not make sense to the more average of us in terms of finances. But I digress. If you want a thrill, and I am sincere, call the factory and talk to Albert Von Schweikert. Then order a pair for evaluation. They will absolutely destroy anything costing multiples of their price. Bass, is the great bane of small speakers, since the laws of physics always prevail, but these little guys, when on a book shelf, call that wall loaded for the audio nuts out there, go down to about 39hz. To put that in perspective: The large double bass you see in Jazz combos, that is taller than most people. Well, it's lowest note is the open "e string" and it creates a sound which is 41.6hz (vibrations per second). That is low bass. These little guys can do that. Ok, so you may say, who cares about bass?
Well, put on Stacy Kent, a singer, reminiscent of Joanie Sommers, back in the 1960's, but better. The mid range is remarkable. These speakers destroy everything I have heard up to many times their price.
They are in limited distribution, but the are worth looking for.
If you have any problems finding them email me at lrsky@bellsouth.net. My name is Larry, and I will be glad to help. Finding speakers is the hardest journey for a music lover.

Best Regards,
Larry R. Staples

Personally I chose the Bachs over the Mozarts because I liked their sound better. Yes, there is a very big step up to the Beethovens in sound quality (from both the Mozarts and the Bachs). I love the VA line, but for the majority of the music you described I think there are many more appropriate speakers

Keithr
"Boring for anything with dynamics". I think you may have heard a bad set-up. What kind of speaker cable was used? The entire VA line needs at least solid copper for the detail to come out. I would like try some silver someday. The local Tweeter stores use B&K amp. with cheap Monster braided copper cable and this a very bad match for the Veinna's. I have a EAD powermaster 1000 amp with solid copper cable and get very good results.

If house or heavy metal is what your playing then get a pair of Klipsch corner horns.

Tim

I started djing house music (in addition to all the ecclectic music i listen to otherwise), and the VAs are definitely not the way to go. They are ok for classical, but boring for anything with dynamics. I listened to the Beethoven extensively, and it wasn't my cup of tea.

I think Dyns can rock (but need lots of power), and Talons do as well. The Ravens in particular I am looking at because they are down to 19hz and efficient.

I am also looking at Wilson Sophias (like the size, and soundstage), and Avantgardes (probably don't have the room, but the new Solos could work)

I currently own the VA Beethovens,Bachs,and Meastro. They have been in my house for well over a year and I am very happy with them. I am all over the board with my listening habits as well. Yes,there is a quite a difference between the Mozarts and the Beets. Speaker cable and I/C's make a big change in the sound as well as the positioning.

Enjoy
Tim

IMHO Vienna Mozarts are quite the do-all speaker, and depending on your sound preferences, one of the best speakers in their price range. I use my Mozarts for both music and 2-channel video (with no sub). The previous responder was spot on with the "warm and smooth" comment, and you can add very musical to that as well. The Mozarts have plenty of detail and are very involving. If you like the ultra-detailed sound, they might not be for you. If you are wondering about the amount of bass, four days after I added the Mozarts, I had a knock at my door from the local police. It seems that my downstairs neighbors called me in for too much bass while I was watching "Panic Room" (remember no sub). This was with a Creek 5350SE as the power source. If you have a Tweeter near you, buy from them as they have a no-questions asked 30 day retrun policy. Good luck

Steve, it sounds like you may want to look in another direction. I like the Vienna Acoustics line, I've owned the Beethovens and I currently own the Strauss, but they are not the most dynamic speakers I've ever heard. They tend to be warm and smooth, more suited for listening to Grover Washington Jr. or James Taylor than NIN. For slammin' rock, alternative, techno, you may want to look at Legacy Classics or Focus models. IMHO.

Regards,
John