New speakers for a new start?

I hate to pile on, but Vandersteen is a speaker I would recommend, especially the newer models-If budget allows.

I heard the original 2’s in the ’80’s’ and never forgot how musical they sounded, I, too, had a long gap between listening and being able to buy a high end system, due to starting a business.

I always remembered how much I like the Vandy’s and was pleasantly surprised they were still being made. Not wanting to spend too much, I got the 3a sigs and, eventually, some Vandy subs. It all sounded great, but upgraditis struck and a pair of Treo’s were near me, used, I got them and was amazed by how much better they sounded over the 3a sigs.

One thing you might not be aware of is that upgrading a Vandersteen speaker can be done in stages. I kept my Vandersteen 2 subs and upgraded to 2wq subs, then to the latest iteration, the Sub 3’s. Everything just kept getting ’dialed in’ with each move.

I don’t know of any other speaker company that allows you to make incremental upgrades.

Of course, it all comes down to what you hear and like to hear. So, take all these words with a grain of salt.

B

PS- I just reread your post and wanted to comment your opinion on subwoofers-

Vandersteen uses a first order crossover that connects to the amp directly which eliminates a lot of the 'guesswork' in dialing in subs. In my experience, when the crossover is set up properly( matching amp impedance), things sound right, right away. The new Sub 3 has an equalizer to compensate for room discrepancies.

I too like Vandersteen's or better yet Dahlquist 10's or 20's.

@ditusa Thanks for the tip on the JBLs.

Similarly, member @chimpkin advertises a pair of older Legacy Focus right here on Audiogon; unfortunately, both listings are local pickup only and over 2000 miles from where I live in the Pacific Northwest.

That said, I totally understand folks' reluctance to pack, crate and ship large, heavy, and very fragile objects. Guess businesses like TMR saw that gap in the used audio market and are addressing it by shipping nationwide at relatively reasonable rates. Never used them though, so I can't speak to how expertly they pack stuff.

I cannot comment about their deep bass because I used them in conjunction with a pair of Velodyne HGS-18 subwoofers.

The need for two Velodyne subs is comment enough in my book 😂

@audiotroy was critical of Dunlavy's lack of deep bass too, but it's unclear which model they were referring to.

@devinplombier, see here and here!

Mike

@jmeyers +1. Forgot to mention in my prior post that I also own speakers from a defunct company, and it’s just not a fun way to go if you don’t absolutely have to — constantly feels like walking on eggshells.  In addition to parts/service being a legit concern, it’s definitely not a good selling point if you look to resell them down the road.  There are just too many good used speakers from manufacturers who are still in business to mess with this issue IMHO.  

I owned a pair of the Dunlavy SC IVs 25 years ago.  At the time, they were an excellent speaker in most regards. I cannot comment about their deep bass because I used them in conjunction with a pair of Velodyne HGS-18 subwoofers.

That said, I recommend that you do NOT purchase them because, if any component fails, true replacements are unlikely to be available.

Also encourage you to audition Vandersteen Speakers. The Quatro Wood CT would probably fit your musical tastes the best. Re-sell value?? Rare to find these on the re-sell market. Good luck with your quest.

If you narrow your search down to include Thiel speakers , I suggest calling Rob at Coherent Source Service or Tom Thiel on the Thiel Owners forum here on Audiogon . Rob can answer any questions about speakers or models and the availability of parts .  Tom can discuss the models strengths and weakness .

You can also ask your questions on the Thiel Owners forum to get first hand experience information . 

Here are a couple high-value options that I think meet all your criteria…

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650038931-acoustic-zen-crescendo-mark-ii-excellent-condition/

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650106664-pbn-montana-eps2/

I also think Legacy is a good suggestion.  Best of luck. 

Oh and +1 @stringreen on Vandersteen. 3A Signatures are another favorite of mine. Big, heavy and out of my wheelhouse but they are amazing speakers for sure capable of lighting up the OPs space beautifully. 

Don't have to be wary of Thiel. There are guys up in Boston who are experts on the brand and are deep in parts for all models. Rebuilt a set of CS 3.6 for me and they came back better than new. Drove them with a big classic Perreaux amp & pre. Wonderful speakers that I'd probably still have today but I've gone 100% stand mount. Easier to move around. There's a trade off for sure but for me and my room, its the best formula. Can be had for under $2K too and are about as good as it gets in that price range. Just my opinion  

Thank you to everyone for your helpful and informative comments so far!

asking a question like this on a forum like this really is quite useless and really is quite a waste of time, IMHO

Well @kennymacc my goal here is to listen to folks with more experience than I. As far as being "useless", this thread already alerted me to Legacy Audio Focus that were not on my radar and are now on my list, so, no, it is not useless - far from it.

Listen to Vandersteen speakers

Budget would be nice, vintage is cool

My thoughts entirely

thiel cs5 very heavy Thiel out of business, hard to drive.

Hard to drive yes, but not an issue since I am getting amps to match the speakers. And since I have an irrational fondness for massive monoblocks anyway, any pretext to buy them is welcome

you would be blown away by Legacy focus

These were not on my radar, but they are now. The active version is very cool. Would have to be sourced used though, because

What’s your budget?

Well... How about the projected resale value of the speakers a year from now. That's to be safe in case I did decide to sell after a short period of ownership, although that is NOT my intent. I am looking for speakers to live with for a long time,

Otherthan that, I don't have a hard dollar limit. I do think $5K should buy me what I want in the used market. But I very seriously considered a set of Pipedreams 21 with four, two-18"-woofers-per-sub subs and 126 speakers, finished in the most beautiful exotic veneer and simply stunning. They were offered far north of $5K

You know, speaker preferences and tastes are so incredibly objective that, asking a question like this on a forum like this really is quite useless, and really is quite a waste of time, IMHO.  Happy listening.

OP, I read your entire post. Your plan sounds much like mine regarding buy used for the ability to home audition alan. The problem I ran into with my plan was that after the first half a dozen, full range speakers I brought home (crazy how every single speaker I decide to try turns up!) didn't sound like their reputation or previous demo.

We're doing this without the help of experienced dealers so we don't know what combination of components will produce the specific playback desired. A good dealer will know thru trial and error what components play well together. I found a shop that is patient, knows I'm cheap and sells me demo gear at or very close to used prices and I get their wisdom, free home demos and often factory warrantees. I pretty much broke even buying and selling online, but I didn't really get to check any of those speakers off the list because I never really invested in reaching their potential. 

Maybe you'll get lucky, Good luck and have fun.

Go to Tektondesign.com website they have different size that will fit your room size. I agree with g2the2nd.

As much as I love Thiels, and I even owned some in the past, the fact that sourcing parts is getting harder and harder worries me.  

If you're open to open-baffles, check out the Caladans from Clayton Shaw.  They look interesting, for sure.

As a proud Vandersteen owner I’d suggest you add something from their line to your list. While they are not planar, the drivers that Richard has designed are incredibly light yet stiff so they are incredibly accurate. The models that don’t have a powered woofer (2, 3, Treo) can be a bit challenging to drive but the quatros and up all have a tunable powered sub built in that makes the remainder of the speaker an easy load despite the listed efficiency. I find them to be accurate in all frequencies without being to all sweet in the mids or fatiguing in the highs. When you listen in a store they’ll sound boring compared to a pair of B&W but will be infinitely more enjoyable for long periods of time. The have speakers at all different price points. I’d encourage you to find a dealer and take a listen.

Go to Tektondesign.com website they have different size that will fit your room size. I agree with g2the2nd.

Budget would be nice, vintage is cool I’ve IRS Betas tuned up set up and well amplified, Old or New they’re hard to beat IMO. 
Cheers 

I have a room setup very similar to yours, with the exception that it has 9 foot walls and a vaulted ceiling.  I am using a pair of Legacy Audio Signature SE,  and I absolutely love them. Large sweet spot,  great bass extension,  and a very wide and  deep  sound stage with great imaging.  I originally started with a pair of Classic HD, but after a couple of years decided to upgrade to the Signatures.  Both are great speakers,  but the Signatures just have more of everything.  Legacy gave me a very generous trade in deal. I  would have moved up to the Foces SE,  but the WAF factor kicked in! They are fairly large and heavy,  but have nice,  modern design. No parallel surfaces to avoid standing waves.  The  dual AMT drivers provide great accuracy and detail. I suggest you check out their website and then read the reviews.  Happy listening,  and good luck with your search. 

You should definitely look at the monitor audio gold 300 G5 or the platinum 200 or 300 G3 they will definitely outperform any of the speakers on your list.

Add Tekton to the brands you exploring. They are a good match to the type of music you list.

If you want to move around the room while you listen I think you might like an omnidirectional speaker like the MBL 101s (most recent versions or even earlier), provided you have the amplifier that can drive them.  They check most of your boxes of the things you like in speakers, though they could be a little bright, and they don't give you all of the last octave of bass like an IRS, the Pipedreams or the Dunlavy SC-V can.  Love the Pipedreams and Sceanas, but they're actually nearfield speakers and not best when you stand up and walk around.  Haven't heard the latest Legacy speakers, but as you can see a lot of people like them.

Legacy Audio Focus SE. Coda Continium # 8 Amp.

Hello devinplombier!  Magnepan .7i with one or two subwoofers. No narrow sweet spot with these. Enjoy the music!

I would look at the GoldenEar line. They have a variety of options in a good price range. I've been very happy with the Triton 2+

What’s your budget?

I concur with Dave and Troy!!!

devin we have a few comments on your selections

thiel cs5 very heavy Thiel out of business, hard to drive.

dunleavy way big and poor deep bass impossible to service

near field pipe dreams were okay later scaenas far superior does not work well in smaller rooms

you would be blown away by Legacy focus

very efficient, plays loud, extremely deep, tight bass, great clarity with heil amt tweeters and midrange, huge sound stage, easy to drive, easy to service, works well in smaller, and larger rooms.

Dave and Troy

Audio intellect NJ

legacy dealer