Rob -
Okay, I'm having no luck getting anyone to spill the beans! Has anyone heard all three of these gems? I'm really curious just how much of the HT3 quality you get from the EXTs- are we talking 75%? 50%? Just how much resolution does it lack vs it's big brother? And how do the QW and EXT stack up?
I've been really anxious every since Jim announced the EXT. I use a pair of subs, so the bass is irrelvant to me. I like the looks of the EXT, and at first blush it seems like it would work well f ...
OK, I'll give it a shot.
If you must have a floor-standing speaker, your budget won't allow for HT3's (which I believe would thrill you to no end), and you are integrating with subs, here are my thoughts:
It depends on what type of music you primarily listen to. Rock, for example, has relatively little detail. For jazz and classical, detail is extremely important. So my comments here are based on the assumption that you listen to a variety of music and detail is important.
In that case, of the speakers you mention, the QW's are probably your best bet. The Extremis 6.8's in the EXT's do a remarkable job. But their claim to fame is deep bass reproduction which you don't really need if using subs. The midrange detail of the 6.8's doesn't quite compare to the W18's in the Veracity designs.
The EXT's were designed for a person who does not have subs and loves rock music or similar. Detail is not quite important in that situaion, but bass response is. Don't get me wrong, the midrange detail is quite good and Dennis did another great job on the crossover. In fact, they are better over all than I anticipated and I think they will be very popular. But very few drivers can compete with the W18's in the midrange detail area.
A number of very experienced audiophiles have commented that the QW's are the absolute best 2-way they have ever heard. The only downside in your application is trying to integrate the QW's with a sub. The bottom-end slope on the QW's is very steep.
The advantage of the QW's is that they play deeper than the HT1's. But when they hit their bottom end, it drops off like a rock. A sub, on the other hand, has a gradual slope on the top end. So you may have to use your reciever to limit the bottom end extension of the QW's to obtain better integration. That, of course, negates their advantages (but you do have a floor-stander).
Now, there is another alternative. If the floor-standing aspect is basically aesthetic, I could build you a floor standing version of the HT1. This would be almost identical to the Ellis 1801f versions shown on my site (or, at least I think I have pics on my site -- if not, let me know and I can certainly post one).
I won't have a pair of QW's at the Chicago Audiofest. But I will have active and passive HT3's, EXT's, HTS MTM's and HT1's (can't carry more). So if you could possibly get away, you could hear most of the alternatives back to back. That would help you more than my descriptions.
I hope this helps.
- Jim