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Snell Type A/II or Type E/III - opinions wanted

Hi,

I've recently been bitten by the Snell bug. My first pair was a nice Type J/IV which I sold to "upgrade" to the highly touted Type E/III. I LOVE these speakers and they didn't cost a mint either! However I want to move up the aisle in vintage snell and have located a pair of Type A/II I could buy. Include the electronic crossover, all the original boxes, and receipts for $1800 worth of recent (last couple of years) mechanical overhaul including caps, surrounds and replacement snell drivers, where needed.

This pair of A/II will cost me a premium though, above what is listed here as average "used", and I may not get much opportunity to demo them beyond making sure they work correctly. My question is will the A/IIs be a significant upgrade to my E/III? I'm hoping someone out there will have experience with both models and will be willing to share?

Thanks in advance!
oktyabr
oktyabr OP
7 posts
 
Briefly, some time ago. A pair of K was what really spurred my interest in Snell in the first place. Similar to the J/IV that I so much liked but without the same bass extension due in part to being in a smaller cabinet. I wouldn't pass up the chance to own a pair of K's either if they popped up locally. You would of course need stands and maybe a subwoofer to fill the in the bottom.
tonyjack
102 posts
 
I've owned a pair of E-III's since 1997 and recently had them re-foamed. They are incredible speakers and always sound great in every room in my home. I also have Vandersteen 3A sigs, Maggie 1.6, DCM Timeframes and the Snells in many repects bring me more pleasure than all of them, although they are all VERY GOOD! I recently put Quicksilver V4 amps and a Counterpoint SA1000 preamp with the Snells and I am blown away. These speakers really show their stuff with tubes!!! The bass is just stunning from such a simple box!!!
Good luck with moving up the Snell line. I've heard the D's and the C's and they are much like the E-III's but of course better the further you go.
Try your E-III's with tubes. Match made in heaven!!!
gerryjones
13 posts
 
Tonyjack is right on the money with tubes being a heavenly match with the snell e III's! I was originally powering my e III's with an Aragon 4004 mk II power amp and 18K preamp. Great combination that everyone knows about and is a 200 watt powerhouse. However, I recently came across an absolute steal on a beautiful little Italian Synthesis Nimis 15 watt integrated amp. Go to the Synthesis Art in Audio website to check out this beauty. Anyhow, I installed a matched quad of the awesome new TAD EL84-STR power tubes, and the jawdropping sound that emerged from the e III's when I dropped the needle on Melody Gardot's wonderful new album was breathtaking! This little 15 watter put my 200 watt Aragon to shame. The Synthesis Nimis was so full bodied, spacious and dynamic. Vocals were incredibly realistic, with such body,lushness and tons of 3 dimensional detail. This little tube amp brought out all of the wonderful qualities of the Snells that much more. The solid state Aragon sounded two dimensional and dry in comparison. I've since relegated my Aragon to home theater duties.

Tubes with your e III's...definitely give it a try, you won't be disappointed!
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