Speakers to hang on to for LIFE

Dalecrommie, if the cello is playing in your room, they are the "best" speakers ever. I like the Volti Audio Vittoras ideas.

Well I can't say for life but I can say I have owned the Merlin VSM-M longer than any other speaker I have owned dating back to the mid 1960's, I guess that "dates" me. To me what has kept me with this design is this question "What am I going to find that does what these speakers do so well (coherence, low level resolution, smooth high frequency extension, tonal balance) that is going to work in my room? Are they the best? NO are they a great compromise of virtues? ABSOLUTELY YES! What is remarkable about these speakers, some will disagree with me I'm sure, is their ability rise to the occasion. I have owned the speakers for 10 years and it hasn't always been a lovefest but I HAVE been patient, recognizing what they do well and sometimes how difficult it has been to realize their potential. Many have written them off as bright, lacking in bass and overrated. I can understand these criticisms as they might apply to any speaker and certainly with these as well. What is undeniable is that if one DOES have the patience and DOES listen to the designer and IS inclined towards long relationships vs. short romances, this speaker is going to work in any number of applications and rooms at a high level. Also a great value for the money for the music lover with room limitations but not lacking for want of great sound in a small package. I truly respect the designer of this product, it is a classic in the same vein of the Vandersteen 2 series.

I had Acoustat 1+1's for about two year and let them go. They rendered acoustic material and my jazz collection like nothing I've ever had. Take a high ceiling and room to breathe and I had that. Quite amazing.

Now I'm hooked on monitors on good stands and pulled way out into the room. I'm a sucker for sound stage more than anything else. My current collection is Vienna Grand Haydn's, B&W DM 601's, Usher S520's and Sonus Faber Concertino's first generation, which I just picked up today. All budget stuff but to me all well-performing.

- Jim

I have an acoustat spectra 33 w/spl 1 subwoofer I acquired a number of years ago with the original box from the original owner. Definitely a collectors speaker and the largest I have and one of the largest acoustat ever made until they came up with the spectra 44, 66 and the 4400,6600 series. It's literally the size of a room divider, sort of like the magnepan tympani series. I think my ohm walsh 300 mk 2 and my ess heil 1d, and now the janszen add on electrostat high/mid panel are loudspeakers and add ons worth holding on to. I also have a rare SRSLABS klayman signature that was made in 2002 that is also no longer made. One of the few flat panel loudspeakers that can only operate with a subwoofer and totally useless without one but create a good HT soundstage but no where in the same league as all the speakers mentioned. Srslabs did a great job for HT on them but could not sell them. That was the demise of acoustat, too much competition at the time and did have the marketing to keep the business going, but it was considered one of the great manufacturers of electrostat speakers. Janszens,quads and martin logans managed to survived over the years.

After spending many years with my Martin Logan electrostatics, my listening room has gotten smaller. I recently purchased a pair of Dynaudio C1 speakers. I am confident that will serve me for quite a long time in my smallish listening room.