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Narrowing down to JM Reynaud or VMPS...Help

After researching bass-nondeficient speakers in the around $3K price range, I like what I'm hearing about the VMPS and Reynaud speakers.

I have a medium large room (20'X35'), am using all Cary solid state Home Theater gear with 200WPC on the amp. There aren't too many places around here to audition lots of different kinds of speakers (Louisville, KY), so I want to narrow down the choices and maybe even fly to another city if need be to check em out.

From what I've read, the VMPS might have an overall better sound, but the Reynaud's may have a better wife acceptance factor, and be easier to drive and maybe less fussy overall to deal with.

I'm probably looking for floorstanders given the size of the room, but don't want anything too huge - the wife just won't go for it.

Does anyone have any helpful experience/insights to consider between these two brands? I'm probably looking at the Tower II in the VMPS or the Countour, Evolution 3's or maybe even Tents.

Any feedback would be appreciated..
larryb
cytocycle
1,043 posts
 
go over to audioasylum.com and ask this on the VMPS forum
sogood51
2,157 posts
 
The VMPS RM-2 is around $2800 new and is a fairly small floor stander. A list of VMPS dealers and owners can be found at the VMPS forum http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/viewforum.php?f=39.

Dave
soliver
67 posts
 
Yeah go ask the VMPS forum on Audiocircles (actually) for their opinion. Hmm, wonder which one they will advise you to go with?

Seriously, though I have been an owner of JMR Offrandes for almost 3 years, and have found them to be incredible speakers, but just wanted to throw that out so you can take my opinions for what they are. I have also demoed the VMPS RM40's and RM-X Elixir on several occassions.

These two brands are very far apart on the sound spectrum, design spectrum, looks spectrum and just about every other category IMO, so I find it interesting that you have narrowed your choice down to these two brands.

The Offrandes are the only model of JMR speakers I have heard, but I guess my quick summary of their performance would be that they are very similar to the JM Labs Micro Utopia BE's but with better bass and dynamics. They are also close in presentation to the Avantegarde Duo's but the Duo's added a bass foundation that the Offrandes just can't match. The Offrandes do present very good bass for their size however, I have had them professionally measured in my previous room and they were minus 3dB down at 32HZ.

As for VMPS, IMO they do somethings extremely well, like soundstaging and imaging in particular, but I have found that not everything just comes up roses with their performance. The Offrandes are not perfect but their deficiencies match up with things that don't rank highly in my list of listening preferences, whereas with the VMPS speakers I could not live long term with their sound problems.

In conclusion since you have narrowed your choice down to two brands that are quite different, I think you will have to make the effort to go and hear both brands before coming to a decision. As I doubt that both brands would satisfy you long term, it is probably more of an either/or thing.
dsiggia
54 posts
 
Larryb,

Tyler Acoustics is about 100 miles from you & if I were that close, I'd go there in a minute. You can check out pictures of Ty's facitilites on his website. I haven't heard the other speakers on your list so I can't comment. Good luck.
larryb OP
101 posts
 
I thought about going to Tyler Acoustics, but someone here mentioned they were about a 4 hour drive from here. I'll have to look into it more..

As to the Reynauds, does anyone here know if their floorstanders will be up to the demands of larger rooms?

Dave - what were the qualities of the VMPS's that you thought you couldn't live with long term? Are they to hard in certain registers or too aggressive?

Thanks!
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