Vandersteen Mod 5 vs Coincident Tech Total Eclipse

Joe owns Digital Master's I own Super Conquest's. Both very very good speaker's By Coincident.
I have also heard the Van 5's. Very very Good speaker.
Its like beer we all have different taste's. This is not about which is better they are both State of The Art.
It really depends on what your personal taste's are.

Trelja, one of the best posts that I have even read!!! I, too, am considering the Coincident Tech speakers sometime down the road. But for my needs, I am eyeballing the Super Eclipse. Do the Super's have the same acoustic signature as the Total's (other than not as deep bass). Amplification is Atma-sphere amps. Ralph Karsten (Atma-sphere) is very enthusiastic about Coincident speakers mated with his amps! Also, I have always been somewhat hesitant to use a speaker with a powered woofer, due to amp matching problems. Or is this concern just not a valid one, with the Vandies? Happy Tunes!

I have owned the Vandy Fives for over 3 years and agree with all of the above comments. They work great in my 14.5x22x11 sound-room, I would not want to go much smaller, and I have done a lot of experimentation with accoustic room treatment. I power them with Rowland Model Twelves. Tried the Model 10, but it lacked a certain degree of control over the 8' woofer, so the above comments regarding power seem right on.

I would not trade the Fives for anything. I don't ever bother to listen to other speakers. Assuming that you are willing to mate them with a quality system and spend a fair amount of tweeking, they are unbelievable. I grow more attached to them as time goes on.

Having said all that, I have never heard the Coincident speakers, so I can offer no comparison. I strongly concur with the above advice regarding the need for extensive auditioning before you buy.

Oh, one other thing. Don't even consider the Fives if you are not willing to bi-wire. That additional cost should be taken into account.

Joe, great post and I'm glad someone finally said it with the authority you did. NOTHING is more important in a speaker purchase than room interaction and personal taste. With 2 systems of this caliper there really is no best. This "best" argument really wears thin after a while since anyone who has been at this hobby long enough knows that a good room and synergy of components is the key to long term listening satisfaction. Thanks for driving the point home.

Joe, great post and I'm glad someone finally said it with the authority you did. NOTHING is more important in a speaker purchase than room interaction and personal taste. With 2 systems of this caliper there really is no best. This "best" argument really wears thin after a while since anyone who has been at this hobby long enough knows that a good room and synergy of components is the key to long term listening satisfaction. Thanks for driving the point home.