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Does the Vandersteen 1C Hold Up to Modern Standards?

There are a pair of Model 1C speakers in my area on the used market. We don't get many of them up here in New England. I am considering going to listen to them and possibly buying them. I'm in a small room (14'x9'x7'). They look to be in excellent condition and they are inexpensive enough that shipping the woofers (if needed) back to Vandersteen for re-foaming is still a good deal. I have a good subwoofer I can use if needed. Since I'll be listening in an unknown room with gear I don't know, I just want to put it out to see if anyone has experience with these. 

 

I currently have Wharfedale Evo 4.2 speakers and find that they sound a little tubby in my space and I just wish the imaging was a little more open. The vertical dispersion of the AMT tweeter is pretty bad, so I have to be sitting for the tonal balance to be correct. I've moved them around quite a bit within the available space. They are on the factory stands and are located 3' from the wall which has a built-in bookcase. 

 

I listen to large ensemble jazz, orchestral music, pop from the '70s/'80s, and a variety of other music. I enjoy scale and dynamics of the large ensemble music I listen to, but I'm not a headbanger by any means. 85 dB peaks do me just fine. Not a fan of speakers that are too forward (B&W/Focal, etc.) 

 

The rest of my system is a MacBook Air, Bluesound Node, Schiit Freya+ Tube Preamp, and a PS Audio Stellar S300 power amp. 

 

Any thoughts before I go over there are appreciated! 

 

Glen 

 

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Showing 2 responses by holmz

holmz's avatar
holmz
2,328 posts
 

Should be similar to the 2C, which I have had for coming up on 40 years,
At least when I was looking back in the day, I was looking at 1C as well.

Objectively the 2C rate a 4.4 on the olive scale.
So they are still pretty good by modern standards. 
I would make sure that they sound good, as shipping and reforming would add cost. So the Treos should be better, and you would not want to the $ to run up to Treo levels. 

https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/vandersteen_model_2/
 

holmz's avatar
holmz
2,328 posts
 

As far as a more ‘modern sound’, maybe not if you want absolute clarity and detail, but regardless, to me, Vandy’s just sound ‘right’ to my ears.

Well said @bkeske 

I am not sure how much more modern it gets?
most of the “modern stuff” appears to be “modern manufacturing” and “modern marketing”.

At the top shelf, there is a lot of R&D and good engineering in some, but even at the top, there is a lot of designs that do not seem right. (Time and phase)

That said, I did lash out on some new speakers yesterday… which is going to be a bit of project and some months of time until they are ready.
I think that they are better than my 2Cs I got ~37-38 years ago,.. maybe, maybe not. They measure better, and at least I can compare them.

And the fact that I love the 2Cs is saying something when I actual spend money on something else. I heard some 27 k$ focals that I thought sounded better than the 35+ year old Vandys, but not a whole lot better. 

Worst case is I have the 2Cs in the main room, and the smaller speakers in more of a reading room… Plus the Mrs’ old bookshelf jobs (Richter of Au) are a bit dilapidated with the (de)vinyl covering falling off when they get touched.

I doubt I would sell the 2Cs …they are worth more to me than someone would pay me for them. They are too good, 

 

But what is a “more modern sound”?

  • I can think of distortion
  • … and compression (as two things that are objectively measurable.)
  • As well as impulse response… (which most modern speakers still get wrong.)
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