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Vandersteen 5a vs. B&W 802D vs. Maggie 3.6 vs.?

I've had this addiction for over thirty years and am ready to purchase my "last" set of speakers. I currently have Vandersteen 3A sig's. with v2q (pair) driven my Mac c2200 and mc402. I'm looking for the best MUSICAL speaker I can find. I've owned a ton of stuff over thte years and know that I want to stay away from anything bright or even remotely tilted in the high end. I listen to mostly rock although I don't like to listen at terribly loud levels.

I know my choices seem diverse in cost as the 3.6's are signifigantly lower but I would retain the Vandersteen subs with these.

I'm looking for advise from fellow A'goners as I believe I can trust your opinions far better than any dealer. I have heard from way too many dealers a promise of musicality only too find a product that may be rated highly but sounds like sand paper to my ears.......Thiel 3.6's!

Unfortunatley, the only high end dealer near me sells only B&W. I must travel three to four hours to find any other brand.

I'd love to hear others thoughts and input and I thank you one and all in advance!

Tim
128x128timball
aball
2,016 posts
 
Another vote for you to stick with Vandersteen. The B&W will probably not be to your liking in the top end - they can be bright, although McIntosh amps are about as good as I have ever heard on B&Ws. But I still think 5As would suit your tastes the best.

Arthur
beerdraft
198 posts
 
I'm not sure if your local dealer has the mac, but my local dealer sells both b&w and mac and they sound great together. I haven't heard the other speakers you refer to. Also the manager of my local dealer is a rock/classic rock guy and he has mac paired with b&w 802d. for what its worth he loves it.
good luck
timball's avatar
timball OP
5 posts
 
Thanks for the response. I do have the space and I think my Mac 402 has enough juice. I am very sensitive to soundstaging and my brief experiences with Maggies have enamoured me. I was always worried though about the dynamic ability and slam that they could provide. I don't listen that loud but I still want the viseral impact of a cresendo.
timball's avatar
timball OP
5 posts
 
The brightness really scare me. I owned numerous Thiel's and all had some excellent attributes but I could never get past the brightness. This was regardless of associated equipment. I used ARC and c-j.
timball's avatar
timball OP
5 posts
 
Yeah, many rock recordings do suck. I have extensive vinyl and that helps a bit but it's such a apin to use. The best system performance I get is with later recordings. I do listen to a lot of jazz and find they offer far greater results.
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