Vandersteen Quatro

I actually have 2 great local Vandy dealers... unfortunately, as I stated above, the 2Ce is too wide for the alcove of my room where the speakers must reside. Hence the requirement of a more narrow width profile speaker.

Slightly OT, but... I have happily owned 1Cs for seven years. As my system has evolved, the 1Cs have taken advantage of every source or front end upgrade. Finally, I feel like I may have reached the limits of the 1C. The natural upgrade would be to 2Ce Sigs or 2Ce SigIIs. I have a pair of 2Wq subs and VCC-1 center channel (my rig is combo 2-channel and HT), and even a second pair of 1Cs for surround L/R. However, they are just too wide for my room. Slender towers work much better. I know why most Vandys are so wide - the dowels cause refraction if too close to the drivers. The Quatros fit my room, but not my budget (~3K max for the L/R mains). What's a Vandy lover to do? I wish Richard would offer a cheaper Quatro without the powered subs, designed for use with 2Wqs. That would be perfect for me. Oh well... I intend to demo a few things - Gallo Ref 3.1s, Vienna Acoustics Mozart Grands, Spendor 8se et. al. I am so used to the minimal baffle sound from the 1Cs, though, that I can hear box colorations instantly. That's why I think the Gallos might work. As one who appreciates the Vandy "house sound," am I missing any brands to audition? Remember - I need slim towers (the 12" width of the 1Cs is actually a little too wide).

Sorry to hijack.

Ozzy62: Actually, the overall dimensions of my basement room are 26 X 20 X 6 (low ceiling), but the area best suited for the front wall is an alcove about 10' wide. Considering I need the front mains to clear a RPTV screen (I know, but that's what I have to work with), speaker width is critical. The 1Cs are fairly far out into the room, and I would like to place their successors far out into the room as well.

Jkalman: It's just you. Vandersteen designs are somewhat unique, and like planars or other unusual designs, they have a strong following. Besides, since I basically asked for brand suggestions other than Vandersteen, I can hardly be called a shill. Proper etiquette on this board is to post to existing threads rather than start new ones when possible, IIRC.

Thanks, Mrjstark. I heard the Lipinskis at HE2007. The sounded very nice, but are beyond my price range (especially since I'll need to replace my Vandy center speaker with a matching center speaker as well). I've heard the Zu speakers at several shows, HE2007 and Vacuum Tube Valley 2006, and while they sounded nice, they just didn't create magic for me. I seek a real emotional connection to the music. I very rarely get that with my 1Cs, but speakers that reliably deliver that to me cost a lot more than I can afford right now. Thanks again for your help.