shoe

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
4.11 of 5, 9.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1200.00 from used

Summary:
I was lucky enough to find a pair of Dark Cherry Gold I's local, for a great price. Personally I love the way they look. The build is solid, top to bottom. I have had several pairs of loudspeakers here in my home in the last two years. They outperform anything elce in this price range that I have come across. The Gold I's sound so much more robust and deliver a full measure of dynamic bass that is neither boomy or sloppy. The mids are detailed and smooth. The highs are airy and they image very well for a large floorstander. Very close to the sound of the Vandersteen 2ce sigs except the Gold I's seem to image better and catch more detail in the music. They also can play at higher volumes with ease and have a good all around balance to them. Given the price and the quality of sound that these deliver I have to give them 5 stars all around!

Strengths:
Solid bass slam and mid level smoothness with detail. Good overall coherence, build quality is excellent.

Weaknesses:
A bit heavy at 90 lbs. apiece

Similar Products Used:
vandersteen 2ce sigs Von Schweikert VR 2's Meadowlark Osprey and Kestral II B&W CM 4 B&W DM 604 s 3 NHT 2.5i

vfinyc

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 7.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1800.00 from audio nexus, NJ

Summary:
I have owned the original Stratus gold for 10 years and been very satisfied. Although I can afford to buy speakers quite a bit more expensive (after all, Im driving them with $20,000 worth of amplifiers) so far I have not heard a speaker (and in New York City you can hear just about everything available) at any price point that seriously challenges this speaker in my system. I am bi-amping them with four Cary 805b (211 output tube)mono-blocks and a Cary 306/200 CD player, no pre-amp. KCAG interconnects and Tara the One speaker wire hook it all up. My musical taste is Classical and some Jazz. Particularly on large scale orchestral and choral recordings the Gold's excel. I would recommend these speakers to any serious classical music lover. Power and majesty they project in spades! Unlike some reviewers here, I have found this speaker to be very room placement dependent to achieve the stunning results they are capable of. They can sound either bright (to close to un-treated side walls) or boomy (to close to back wall) in the wrong place. Bi-amping also makes a huge improvement, at least if using lower powered tube amps, as I am. I have not found them as difficult to drive, though, as others have stated. I was very pleased with them when I had only two Cary 805's on them. One could spend quite a bit more money and not get better sound from a speaker.

Strengths:
Top to bottom, first rate.

Weaknesses:
In my room and with associated equipment, none.

rjhalla

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.80 of 5, 10.00 votes

Price Paid:  $2200.00 from Stereoland

Summary:
Should have done this a while ago. I first tried the Stratus Gold in 1995 while my Acoustat 2+2's were being looked after, the dealer I was working with loaned the Gold's to me so I had something to listen to. I was driving them with a Classe Audio Ten, and for a few weeks with a Classe Audio Fifteen. Really enjoyed them...but the Acoustat's came back better then new and I returned them. Zing ahead to 2003, was looking for a speaker that was not an electrostatic but would keep me happy. Tried alot of gear, then I remembered my time with those Gold's in 1995, went looking for a pair. Found a dealer, had a pair on the floor he was looking to sell for a decent buck - I bought em. Driven with a Classe Audio Fifteen, front ended with a Classe Audio CDP.5, and all controlled by a Luxman C-05...beautiful. I really enjoy these speakers. Ya, some wankers get on here and trash them, seems unlikely they've ever heard them. The Goldi is quite difficult to drive, in fact I've added a second Fifteen, bridged that gives me almost 1400 watts into a 4 ohm load, but it gives the Goldi life. You have to hear these big fella's when you feed them well, they bring life to the music. Vocals are 'right', and that includes female vocals. The top end is 'airy', with one Fifteen they can become harsh at high volumes, with the second Fifteen and almost limitless power they don't sound anything other than great. The bass is amazing, and I know bass, I've owned some of the best bass monsters out there. The bass from the Goldi's is not boomy, not bouncy, in fact it sounds like the bass you hear at a live event. Compared to the B&w N803 the Goldi is just plain better in the bottom end, and at quite a reduction in price. As for imaging, I would rate the Goldi's very high. They place instruments very well, in fact I'd say they'll put them wherever your front end tells them to. Met a gent in Mississauga Ontario that was using the Goldi driven by a big Krell and front ended by a Linn LP12...just plain sweet. He had concluded the same thing I did, he could afford far more expensive loudspeakers but the return in sound quality wouldn't warrant it. All in all, I'm very impressed by these big guys. If you've got some current give them a try, if not, move on to another speaker.

Strengths:
Top to bottom balance. Bass, bass, bass.

Weaknesses:
They need a lot of current.

Similar Products Used:
B&w, Spendor, Aerial.

junzhang

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.56 of 5, 9.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1250.00 from Mail Order

Summary:
Best value for the money. These speakers are very easy to drive. Ten year ago when I first bought these beautiful speakers, I was totally satisfied even I was using a Yamaha RXV-480 to drive them. During the following 10 years, I'v added McCormack DNA0,5-amp, and TLC-preamp, Marantz CD-67SE(all from used market). This setup cost me less than $3000. What a deal? Just pure audiophile Class B setup. PSB Gold is excellent for Piano, Violin, RockNRoll. Even though lately I added ML aerius (same stererophile B class speaker) for vocal and violin (The designer use to play violin in Canada).

Strengths:
Very neutral from top to bottem Solid build Easy to drive (8 om) senstivity is good (89 dB) Price (Anyone hear)!

Weaknesses:
Heavy (Wife hates them when I ask her for help to move these things)

Similar Products Used:
PSB alpha McCormack Power Drive DNA0.5, 1.0 McCormack Line Drive TLC Yamaha RXV-480, RXV-1000 (HT setup) Marantz CD-67SE (CD) Sony DVP-S7000 (benchmark DVD, excellent CD) Sony DVP-S9000ES (benchmark DVD, excellent SACD) Kimber Kable 8TC (biwire) DH Lab Silver( signal wire) AudioQuest Forest or Midnight (biwire) Sony 36XBR250 TV monitor

Price Paid:  $2500.00 from Music Hut

Summary:
I have owned these speakers for over 4 years now, and they still amaze me. Thier ability to play LOUD without washing out is fantastic, but it's the subtle things that these speakers do that make them stand out. I A/B'ed these with Paradigm 1000's, Phase Tech PC500's and Boston Acoustics, and the PSB's left them in the dust. I don't know where some of these people writing reviews got thier speakers, but when I read thier complaints about the midrange, I can only shake my head. The midrange and bass are these speakers STRENGTHS...and every audiophile review on them has said so. But, listen for yourselves: noone should buy speakers based on what someone else likes. I have these hooked up to a Denon AVR 5800 receiver with a Pioneer Elite CD player running through the direct line...I love to play Dire Straights "On Every Street" over and over again, as these speakers bring out the subtle guitar timbre changes that make me smile when I discover them, but allow me to play the music as loud as I dare before windows begin breaking...without any drop-off in performance. Do yourself a favor and LISTEN TO THESE SPEAKERS before you buy anything else...it'll be a treat!

Strengths:
Midrange and bass...percussion unequaled in this price range.

Weaknesses:
Heavy

Similar Products Used:
Phase Tech PC500, Paradigm 1000, Boston Acoustic VR's