speaker suggestions for modest arcam alpha system

Thiels are indeed revealing, but when you pair them with good gear, I consider that to be a very good thing. It means that they aren't covering anything up. Not having the new ProAcs in my home yet, from my in store auditioning, I'd say that as a brand, they are warmer than the Thiels, though perhaps not as spot on accurate. With regard to reliability of Thiels, I happen to think that they have some of the best customer support out there. I picked up my 3.6's second hand, and before I did, I contacted Thiel to ask about the warranty. They said that technically, it is non-transferable, and lasts 10 years. However, they said that no matter if you are the original owner or not, and no matter how old they are, if they fail on the account of a manufacturing defect, they will generally repair/replace it for free. On the flip side, even if they are brand new, if they fail due to your own abuse, they don't cover anything. I recently had a chance to put that policy to the test when both of my woofers developed damage from aparently excessive excursion. This, despite the fact that I had never pushed them very loud. We could not find the source of the problem (and my amps were fully checked out, and came back fine), but Thiel fixed them for free, even though it is quite possible that it was something other than speaker failure that caused the problem (my amps were Adcom GFA-555II's run in bridged mono, one for each speaker, and this would have presented a 2 ohm nominal, 1 ohm occassional, load, which may have been the culprit). Thiel was great. The also had my other drivers and crossovers checked out, too.

That said, any of those speakers on your short list are capable of providing very good, very enjoyable music. It is unfortunate that you cannot hear them all, but such is often the case. What sonic traits do you prefer?

Tom.

Vandersteen 1Cs. Great resolution with a full range sound.

Hi Tom,
my experience is limited (paradigm monitor 7v2 and v3 and a pair of dynaudio floorstanders $4000ish of a good freind of mine that lives 1000 miles away..no way to compare, but i was very impressed with what i heard)

based on what i am hearing with my monitor7v2s, i would say i am most interested in having better definition in the bass/mid-bass frequencies (doesn't have to go as low, just be more accurately defined)...if the rest of the speaker sounded like my paradigms, i'd be pretty satisfied.

i prefer a warm sound...given my affinity towards rock and roll, i have always like the sound of equipment sounding "tube-like" :)...i do suffer some fatigue from overly forward high frequencies, so a little dark and laid back (hence the arcam and NAD gear...i thought NAD was a little too dark and slightly muddy, though)

i want a speaker that does imaging well (but i tend to believe alot of the imaging thing is room/speaker/setup stuff...a whole different part of the fun)...

I am sure my current speakers are overloading my room with bass frequencies and have crossover settings that prohibit details and nuances in the music to come through...i'd like to hear some of those details!...

dead on accuracy is not high on my list and most recordings i listen to are not top notch productions...(thus my fear with thiels).....

i don't want my music tastes to change because certain genres of music sound better on my equipment (i think jazz did that to my buddy with the dynaudios :)...he says it's just maturing musical tastes :) (i will admit that jazz did sound excellent and life-like on his system)...mark

Mark:

You hit the nail on the head with Paradigm's, especially the Monitor series. A bit muddy in the bass to mid-bass, a bit indistinct in the upper mids, but pretty fair for the money, otherwise. In truth, I much prefer the smaller Paradigm's to the larger. I have not heard Dynaudios in a long time, so they are not too fresh in my mind, but I recall them as being very pleasant speakers.

From what you are describing, with Arcam electronics, I am guessing that ProAc is going to be the way to go. This, of course, is the route that I am taking. I found the ProAc's to be both warm and very detailed, which are usually two characteristics that are somewhat at odds. If you went Thiel, the SCS3's I recall as being a bit more full sounding, and might be your best bet.

I also think that monitors are really going to do a better job for you. In general, monitors will give you a better soundstage and image (not much box vibration to muck things up). I may be able to pick up my ProAc's and Arcam FMJ A22 this weekend. Once I get them set up, I will let you know how they sound.

Tom.

I use B&W n805's with my Arcam alpha 8 integrated and alpha 7 CD and am very pleased with the match. I loved the Signature 805's in the shop but they were too expensive for my budget and I found I really couldn't appreciate the improvement over the standard n805 with my current setup.