Calling on Vandersteen 5a owners


I am getting ready to pull the trigger on a pair of Vandersteen 5a/VCC-5 speakers. I decided to go with the cherry finish. Is the high gloss finish worth the extra $$? I have not been able to see the cherry finish in person, can anyone comment on the finish? My dealer said it is by far the most popular finish. Any regrets with your purchase?

Thanks Rob
robkato

Showing 6 responses by mikej

Hi Rob, great choice on your speakers! I vote for the gloss unless you like to see and feel the wood grain on the speaker. They're pretty different finishes IMHO. As for amps, you should add the BEL 1001 to your short list. Nothing I've heard comes close and you'll hear every ounce of extra performnace with the 5As.
Let us know what you decide on!
Cheers,
Michael
Bruce, I'm sorry to see you have to do something different than Model 5s. I agree with Steve that you should keep them and upgrade to 5As. It's a stunning upgrade. If that won't work there may be one good option if you can get one. The only ...and I mean ONLY...speaker I've ever heard that was any better than 5s was a custom speaker. It didn't have the deep, deep bass, but was still great on Rock. If you're interested in this contact me off line and I'll fill you in on the details.
Cheers,
Michael
Hi Machine,
As Will so aptly said above the 5A upgrade is a pretty comprehensive upgrade. I wrote about it in my System notes so you may want to look there. I also noted some significant enhancement in the highs to go along with the mid and bass changes. Will is also completely correct in stating that the 5As are capable of revealing everything your source components can throw at them. I was happy with my 5s and thought nothing would be better...well...I was wrong. It was at least a 40% improvement in my room. It also made me go out and get the Theta Gen VIII though so be prepared. ;-)
Cheers,
Michael
Hi Bruce, I understand. Does this mean going away from a floor standing speaker entirely? If you can stay with a floor stander you may want to consider the Quatro. It will take up a lot less space and sound almost as good as a pair of 5s. Plus, they will probably be available with an all wood finish eventually. (No promises as this is only a rumor.) Just a thought.
Michael
Hi Bruce,
Good luck. I think that you'll like the Quatros quite a bit. You should have your local Vandersteen dealer find out about the wood version of the speaker. I'd happily put it up against the Avalons any day.
Cheers,
Mike
Hi, I spoke to Richard Vandersteen yesterday about the Quatros. He will be showing them in wood at the next show and they are orderable. The price in wood comes to $10,700. They replace the old Model 5s.
Good luck with your decisions!