Vandersteens, PSB or something else?

Like Tomic, I'm a Vandersteen owner (Quatro CT's in Havana Black) and have auditioned most of the speakers out there.  We all hear differently, but personally I've heard an incredible theater set up with Vandersteen Quatro's and subs to make a true 'swarm' set up.  It was plenty loud and plenty dynamic.  I won't get into semantics, but it was the most musical HT system I've heard in recent times.  I have heard some that are in the stratosphere price ranges, but that's not what we are talking about.

I personally like the newest version of the Legacy speakers much better than their previous models.  They are still too bright for my taste as I've always found with Heil drivers (my best friend Steve had a pair of the original Transtatic 1's that cost over 1k back in 73.  They were a transmission line bass.  I remember them being nearly as dynamic as his Klipsch Heresy's.  

I too used to love the highly dynamic, but no detail bass along with the bright highs.  Not musical, but it didn't matter back in the day, lol.  Things are much more refined now, but as I said that AMT driver complement is a love hate relationship.  Worth auditioning if all you want is dynamics for home theater I guess.  Lot's of other choices out there for you.  

Great post and thanks.  I agree on pistonic motion and also lack of smearing.  That album is awesome.  Very well recorded stuff.  A test I"m running going forward is using Diana KRall live from Paris.  Just a great jazz album if you love Jazz and man is her voice haunting on my system.  If a speaker can't get that one right, then good luck producing anything.  It's going to reveal the cracks in your speaker's ability to playback realistic voices, that's for sure.  My Quatro's are nailing it. I went to hear it in a local shop recently and even the owner couldn't defend his more expensive speakers non ability to deliver the goods.  

I like MQA too, but I also like true DSD.  I don't own any yet, but will get getting some soon.  

Very interesting about efficiency and how it may relate to distortion. Maybe that's why I find horn loaded systems to be difficult to listen to for long periods of time.  have no idea if they are related, but just a thought in my head, lol.

There are no absolutes unless we are talking about statistics.  That's why audio is so much fun.  I purchased the Quatro's over the Maggies adn I could have fit the 20's if I wanted them.  Maggies are not easy to fit in a room properly.  That's the reality of them.  They also have to be padded down a bit with those resistors for my tastes or they are too hot.  I like them and I like them a lot, so not just being a fan boy.  For my ears Vandy's have the best tonality.  Value for the money???  Yes, but that's also at the top of their line too.  I've had my Quatro's up against the Persona 9H's and they clobbered them (persona's are to hot on top for my ears as well as many of us who have heard them).  I like them better than the Magico S3 mk 2 (whatever their newest is).  Better timber etc...  Magicos for my ears aren't coherent.  I like them better than the new B&W's (all of them as they are was too up front for ME).

Marteen's are nice speakers.  I actually like Tidal's too, but too expensive and they have some issues also.  The problem I have with Marteen's is personal.  I won't do business with companies who sell out the back door and screw the dealer.  That's fine for us if we want a great 'deal', however it also clobbers resale value.  I have the same problem with Pass.  Again, just my thoughts and not saying you are wrong saying what you say about Maggies.  

You can't make a perfect speaker.  Just not happening anytime soon.  Teh best designers know what compromises to make. That's where I feel Richard is better than anyone going.  He's been around, has passion and knows what he's doing.  

To me it's exciting to see where he's taking things.  Those Sub 9's I have been told are amazing.  So easy to use that EQ to mate to the room.  I can't believe how great my Quatro's bass is as I have such a difficult room.  It's been a blessing to be honest.  

Stewart, If you have a chance to audition the 5 and 7's in a home system or at a shop, I think you'll find out how awesome they can be.  I have found that often times folks listen to the 5 and then the 7's and dont' fully understand how great the 7's are. They are subtly so good.  Their attack and decay is amazing to me.  Using Richard's amps with a  great pre, you will be able to relax into the music.  It's got dynamics out the wazzou too.  It gives so much information without smearing that it's almost hard to 'get them' as you aren't used to hearing that type of sound.  I dont' even know how to put it in words, but if we were listening together, I think you'd fully understand what I'm trying to say.  Tomic has the 7's and can better explain. 

I went from Treo's to the Quatro's and it's just blowing me away. That carbon fiber cone is just amazing in it's recreation of mids.  They just become part of the room and the best part is that they love to be pushed into the corner and up against a wall.  No need to pull them out into the room as you can eq the bass.  That's just a great thing to have.

I hope you get a chance to audition them in a non show environment as I think you'll have a blast.