2. speakers
  3. 1237929005

Vienna Beethoven, Spendor 8SE, Adagio or VS VR4jr

Hello Audiophile friends,

I am looking for advice on how the following speakers
compare for when playing only Classic Rock at medium
sound levels. I don't play loud but do enjoy a medium
volume level. I am looking for refined sound, that is
not "cold" but maybe warmer and a little rounded. (but
still very refined in the bass and mids) The music I
listen to is the likes of The Doors, Eagles, Journey,
Tom Petty, Rolling Stones, you get the idea.

I am looking to buy used and would like to hear opinions
of how the following differ in sound or whether they match
the characteristics I described above:

Vienna Beethoven Baby Grand
Spendor 8SE
Acoustic Zen Adagios
Von Schweikert VR-4jr

From what I have read these are all refined sounding
speakers that go for about $2000 used on Audiogon.

My room is 12.5' x 25' with 10 foot ceilings. Hardwood
floors. The Speakers are on the 12.5' wall and I sit
9 feet back from the speakers. My Equipment includes
Krell DVD Standard, Krell 400xi Int amp, and a Unico Int
amp. I haven't made up my mind which Int amp I like
better so I use them both depending on my mood.

Who has heard all these and can compare them for me?
Thanks so much in advance my audio friends..
tom92602
guidocorona
4,298 posts
 
Can't comment on the other speakers, but I suspect Beethoven Baby Grands will likely give you what you seek. . . very slight warmth, extended and well pitched bass, overall refinement and staging. Glad you are using Krell gear, as VA seem to behave best with SS amplification with relatively high damping factor, lest they can sound bloted in the mid bass. I own a pair of Vienna Mahlers and adore them for the very reasons mentioned above. I hope DCSTEP chimes in. . . he uses Baby Grands with a JRDG Continuum 500 and has nothing but praise for his speakers. G.
tom92602 OP
65 posts
 

Sounds like the Vienna Acoustics Beethovens are more
my kind of speaker than the Von Schweikert VR-4JR.

Were you referring to the "Beethoven Baby Grands"??
I read the older Beethovens sound much richer than
than the newer Baby Grands..

I've heard the Sonus Faber Cremona once and it's a very
pleasant sounding speaker but it didn't seem to "let go"
when I heard it. It seemed too polite and not very "alive"
to me.. I also heard the Beethoven Baby Grands once and
they were very nice. I may indeed go that route but I
wanted to see what people thought of the other contenders
I listed...

Thanks for the reply John..
mfsoa
76 posts
 
I know you didn't ask specifically about amps, but it will be difficult to get the sound you are after by using the Krell.
I have the VR4JRs and they can sound as smooth as butter if matched with the appropriate gear.
heyanming
26 posts
 
I have owned Beethoven before. Yes, Beethoven is musical and sounds rich and full, but compared with PSB Synchrony one, which I currently own, PSB is obvious the winner. Stereophile rated Synchrony One Class A -- I think they are correct. Synchrony One sounds very musical and clear without fatigue, just like the REAL instruments playing.
roxy54's avatar
roxy54
7,978 posts
 
I don't have first hand experience with any of those that you mention, but all of the Spendors share a family sound which seems to be the type of sound that you are looking for, that is refined and slightly warm. I can definately recommend the classic series SP100. It's great for classic rock, and most other music for that matter.
More to discover