Vandersteen 3A Sig vs. Von Schweikert VR4 Jr.

VMPS ribbon monitors may be the best choice. The speed and naturalism with acoustic instruments must be heard to be believed. It's a serious contender in your price category and at least two reviewers have bought the speakers they reviewed. Also Best of High end at CES for technology and value. The judges saying the 4600.00 retail speakers sounding as good as 20,000 dollar speakers they heard.
I suspect Selah Audio arrays are also a super bargain. Both of these are world class companies and build speakers that are Outstanding for the money. Ask Audio_girl how planars are with acoustic music. The Magneplanars are a great speaker if your listening room can accomodate them. Also the VMPS speakers use planar drivers. I would do as much research as I could before I pulled the trigger. Maybe try requesting for people in your area to let you audition their speakers on audioasylum, audiocircle.com and here. List what you're interested in after you do alot more research. This could give you a better idea of what they sound like. I had Vandersteen's and they are easily beaten for the dollar these days imho. Best of luck to you.

I am as small a dealer as is possible, I sell nothing else and just started a couple of days ago. If you check my posts you'll see I've posted recommendations of VMPS speakers, along with many others for a very long time. It's out of my house and any income is pure frosting. I make the minimum and haven't even sold but one pair. I stand by my recommendation that the VMPS soundly thrash Vandersteen's especially for what this person is wanting. It's no contest. Magnapan 3.6's will also do it. For acoustic music go listen to some planars and once you do you'll find the speed and naturalness make cone drivers, at least that I've heard, sound wanting. It's NOT subtle. I will disclose I am a dealer in the future but like I said I owned the Vandersteens. I also have a friend who owned the Vandersteens sold them to buy some VMPS speakers. That said the Vandersteens can do well on some music at low levels but omit so much of the music as to be useful only for quartets and background music imo. That's my opinion only, I don't believe any speaker is for everybody but that people should listen to as many as they can before they buy anything.

Just be sure you guys never have a shootout between the VMPS's and the Vandersteen's as it's no contest any way you want to listen to it. I like the Vandersteen's, don't get me wrong, but they have met their match by no small margin by a number of other companies speakers in their price range. Remember too that Richard Vandersteen's advertising budget per month is what some companies gross sales are too. Who's paying for that?

Fsarc: Why would it be endless fun with putty and pots? If you hear well you can just set them up and forget it. Any speaker takes significant time to set up properly and VMPS speakers are probably the most difficult to do right and are not for beginners. The reward as many people have found out is some of the most accurate sound available. Richard Vandersteen also feels pots are a good idea as do I and makes me wonder why so many manufacturers leave them out considering the ambiguity of room acoustics. As a matter of fact Vandersteen set up is basically the same minus the mass loading of the woofer.
I think you guys took my stand on the Vandersteen's wrong. As I stated I do really like them and have recommended them. The guy I work for now owns my Vandersteens so I get to hear them from time to time. They are not as dynamic as many other speakers and will not convey a live performance as well to me. The 5A's I suspect are in another ball park but so is their price. My bottom line feeling though as there is no one speaker that fits all people's tastes and requirements. The Vandersteen's will not play loud without compressing. They are not as accurate as planars or electrostatics in my opinion. All the Maggie, Quad, Martin Logan, ESL, Soundlab and VMPS owners will agree I believe. You're trying to defy the laws of physics if you think a cone can keep up with a planar/electrostatic driver. In the bass is the only place. Then again there's alot of people who don't like planars. To each their own.