I just got a pair of these last night and they are awesome. I picked them up used from a guy in my area for $800 (quite a bargain). They were only 2 years old as well. I have the biwired with Monster CX4 to a Yamaha RX-V995 which I also got last night. I was thinking that I was going to add a sub to my system but after programming the receiver to send the sub channel out the mains I am more than satisfied and I think my neighbors are as well. The speakers have incredible bass and I highly recommend them to anyone.

they just sound GREAT!

i haven't found any

Bought a used pair locally about six months ago and am still enjoying them whenever I play Ben Webster, Charles Haden, Sinatra or Charlie Parker. Yes, they are great w/jazz but also very engaging w/Emerson Quertet and everything that YoYo Ma plays. Best speakers I've ever had. Can't imagine ever selling them.

Equipment:
Rotel RB980BX amp
Rotel RC980BX pre
Jolida 601A tube cd player w/mods (i love this piece)
Kenwood KT7300 tuner
Philips 312 tt
audio magic sorcerer ic
audioquest type 6/type 4 bi-wire

Similar Products Used:

Snell EIII (real nice floorstander), Sound Dynamics 300ti (another great speaker which I'm sorry that I sold), KEF C45 (sweet KEF sound), Dana Model 1 (great bookshelf)

Neutral, good dynamic range, neutral. Make excellent home
theater speakers for 99% of us.

@ $1800 the pair not the last word word in hi-end audio
ecstasy.

I've had my D's for 4 years now. From perusing the recent
posts on this web-site it seems that a lot of folks have4 got their D's for $1000 USD or less. What a bargain!

These are true hi-end transducers. I use mine in a combo
2 channel music and Dolby Digital configuration. They really perform beautifully.
Pure, neutral sound and they don't puke it up at 70dB
THX rerference levels.
You can sit back and appreciate what true talent
(Kevin Voecks) gets you in loudspeaker design.

I reviewed these speaks in '97 on this site and still
have the original pair.

They are not suited for insane, head-banging levels
of rock and roll or rap.

But, if you want a speaker that makes Bose and Klipsch
sound like the crap they are and have a purity
and refinement that makes you say to yourself:
"Damn...this is great!" then the choice is obvious.

Used in great shape these are well worth $1000 or
even$1200.

Bob B.

Bottom end, imaging, power handling, solid cabinet

top end requires careful matching, weak bass output below 25-30 Hz

I am very happy with this speaker system, I auditioned many prior to purchase and only the Martin-Logan Aerius came close. When I had the chance to buy a demo (after Snell was purchased by BA and high-end stores began frowning on the brand for a while) I jumped.

The bottom end is better than any 8" woofered speaker I have ever heard. Anything above 25 Hz is powerful and room-shaking. The imaging is magnificent, especially with well recorded and pressed vinyl. Vocals like Ella ("Let no man...", classic records LP), Elvis ("...in Memphis" MFSL or "...is Back" classic records LP) and Cole (Cole sings-Shearing plays, rainbow Capitol or MFSL) are beyond stunning! They can also handle massive orchestral pieces (EMI-ASD of Ledger-Willcocks-Elgar's "Coronation Ode" comes to mind) with ease.

Cabinets are nicely constructed and heavy 90 lbs each. Woofer has very small magnet structure but seems to hold up well to 200 watt amplifier. Tweeter fuse is a nice addition, which does blow sometimes and I think has prevented damage. The tweeter system is great, but can sound a little sharp on some poor recordings. If your system is bright already, you may want to carefully audition. The type D doesn't seem overly sensitive to room placement.

This speaker was easily best in class at time of manufacture and would make a great used speaker for a under-funded audiophile. No, I'm not selling mine yet. I think I'll need to spend $3500 to better the Snell Ds

System:

Well-Tempered Record Player, stock headshell wiring
Yammamura phono interconnect
Benz Glider low output MC cartridge
Conrad-Johnson PV-6 tube preamp w/ 1999 factory upgrades
Monster 550 interconnects
Conrad-Johnson MF200 solid state amp
Monster Speaker Cables, banana terminated
Denon DCD-630 CD
Salamander Cherry Rack, Spiked
Tripp-Lite 1250 watt power stabilizer
Akai analog tuner
Sansui 5050 reel deck

Wether the Snell D is the best choice for your system or not depends on the electronics you are using. If your electronics far outclass a speaker such as this, I would recomend the Martin Logan Aereus. For those of you whou would find a speaker such as this to be a similar quality level to the rest of your system, this might be the speaker for you.
It is rare to find a speaker that is this neutral in the price range. The Martin Logans are more neutral, but are extremely system dependent. Don't even attempt using that speaker with anything less than $5,000 of well chosen electronics in front of it. The Snell's, however will present a forgiving load to your amp, and will reward you with a neutral, detailed sound with excellent imaging. Oh, and there's an added bonus: this speaker had an extended, clear, and clean low end.

Couple this with a remarkably high quality cabinet finish, and an excellent customer service department, and the value of the Snell D shows. If you are looking to spend $2,000 on a speaker, and have good, but not incredible components driving it, the Snell D is the way to go. If you have $10,000 in amps, preamps, DAC's, and transports, I'd suggest the ML's. As for the rest of the competition, there is no comparison. Oh, and having excellent electronics dosn't hurt.

Like most things speakers are subjective. If one is considering the Snell D's start with a very good amp. In order to do these speakers justice a good amp is needed. The Snells are a joy to listen to. They are clean and clear without any edge. I started with Snell M's and worked my way to the D's. These are the kind of speakers you aspire to get your audio system up to. They do very well for Home theater with tight bass and work well with my Subwoofer. Definately audition the Snells.

I've owned my Type Ds for 3 years and I love them. My dealer let me upgrade from the Eminor 2way so it was easy on the wallet. Type Ds are a high value 3 way speaker with a transparent sound that includes a potent bass with a neutral mid-range and decent treble. No, they don't sound good with shitty material but play whats on the disc. They are my bridge to upgrading my electronics as they continue to reflect upgrades in wire,
front-end and amplification. When I finish the rest of my system then I will
upgrade my music speakers and retire the Ds to my home theatre rig as by then
I'll have separate rooms for my systems. For the money they are a true high-end
bargain! Well engineered, gorgeous cabinet(walnut), and a 5 year warranty!

In evaluating speakers beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, but I doubtvery seriously that Stereophile would give any speaker that truly sounded good
only for teenagers playing acid rock a Class C Recommended Components Rating with
a note for being one of the best values in the class. Almost Class B they said.
Well I have owned my Snell D's for 3 years. I started with K's and moved up to
E's and Now have the D's. I think they are extremely neutral, and think if you
have a room bigger than 10' square they are a much better speaker than the Aerius,
and I believe shines on a wider variety of music. I will say it is important to
have some power as they will take it. I use an Acurus A250 to power mine. I am
ready to go to C's though, so if you are interested in D's in Light Oak email me.

The Snell's are a great speaker for the money. They give a very clean and neutral sound at all volumes.
The bass didn't seem as strong as the upper ranges, but it reached low and remained remarkably clean.

So far I haven't noticed much difference with the rear firing tweeters on or off.

I have been looking for new speakers for several months in the $1000 to $2000 range . Listened to NHT, PSB, Epos, Paradigm Reference, and the B+W CDM-7SE.Liked the Snell D the best. Does anyone have any thoughts as to whether a Bryston B-60 would be a good integrated amp to go with the Snell D ? I am concerned that it might not be powerful enough but have heard so many wonderful things about it. The salesperson suggested Adcom GFA5400 and Adcom GTP450. I am trying to keep the cost of speakers plus amp/preamp down to about $3000.