I’m currently running Vandersteen 2Ce Signatures powered by a ICEpower 700ASC2 based Parasound Zonemaster 2350. Power shouldn’t be much of an issue for all but the most ridiculous of speakers. What I’ve found is the Vandersteens, while nice, have clear limitations in output. I’ve had to back off output a couple times because of driver break-up and once I exceeded the x-max of the “active coupler”.
The 2Ce Sigs are pretty much full range, rolling off just below 30Hz. Some of the music I listen to has sudden and surprising amounts of bass which the Vandersteens aren’t capable of handling when I’m pressing the system.
I am not overly fond of subwoofers as they have been difficult for me to integrate. I’m not ruling it out entirely, but I’d prefer the simplicity of a two speaker setup with no subwoofer.
The obvious logic would seem to point toward going up Vandersteen’s line to something bigger.
I’ve also looked at Thiel, in particular the CS2.3, CS2.4, and CS3.6. I remember liking them but also recall them being a fair amount more forward than Vandersteen. I’m wondering if they’d become strident at high output.
I’ve considered looking at Salk, but have no experience with them other than general good word of mouth.
Also considering trying to find an older set of B&W 802Ds. I seem to recall they will play quite loud given enough power.
Any suggestions?
Do you know how loud we're talking about in terms of dB? Are you listening at reference level on your receiver?
Honestly, the first thing I thought about based on your description is a pair of the devialet phantom reactor 900. It sounds exactly like what you describe, but they're absolutely tiny.
Granted, you may not like that if you simply dig the big speaker look.
Very neutral tonality. Big sound from a small package, though you may have to elevate them a bit to give a similar vibe to taller speakers. Bass extends easily into the 20s without sounding sluggish with no audible compression unless you're pushing ear-splitting levels considering your seating distance. The reactor easily outdo the SVS SB1000 I've been running, and I listen to a lot of bass-heavy music.
Granted, I guess I don't listen super loud in general, but my room is both larger than yours and has 16 ft ceilings, and I sit slightly further (~9 feet). Despite this, I could rarely bring myself to push the volume past 60 on the phantom reactors. My measurements on this speaker are available on this forum
here, including some in-room measurements showcasing bass compression with spl.
I'd suggest one of the bigger phantoms too, but the only
anechoic measurements I could find seem to show significantly worse frequency response and directivity.
There's also the Dutch and Dutch and Kii, but I'm going to go ahead and assume those are out of your price bracket.
Otherwise, I echo the thoughts of others to try to invest in subs. If want to go the single sub route for aesethics, KEF just came out with a sub, the
KF92, that it claims extends down to 11Hz at "typical" listening levels and is only about 13-14 inches cubed.
