Looking For Advice After Dumb Vandy Purchase

And by "dumb vandy purchase" I mean me being the dumb one. :)

You’re not dumb Brother.  Sounds like you got burned and taken advantage of.

Someone with knowledge of the quatros will chime in soon enough!

Were the crossovers removed from the speakers?  Or do they have external crossovers? Im ignorant to the quatros but this sounds confusing to me as well.  Maybe there was a misunderstanding and that you’ll be just fine.  Wait until delivery to really find out!

I would contact Johnny Rutan at Audio Connection in New Jersey and see if he can help you out.

He also pops into the forums here as well, so he might see this. If not, I’m sure he would be glad to chat about your issue.

Yes you must roll off bass via the external filter placed between the preamp and power amp!!! Running the mid bass unit in the Quattro without the filter will damage them! The Quattro and up in the Vandy line have an external filter that is adjustable for the input impedence of your amplifier to attain correct crossover frequency- Vandersteen is open and you can with consultation get some lower quality in line filters until you can get the M5HP. You can also modify or have modified with proper value components your power amp to effect the high pass function. Call factory !!!!

What amp are you going to be using with the Quatro's?  I've got five pair of SE inline filters of different values for a mint pair of 2W's I don't use anymore.  Maybe we can work something out if you know what value you will need and I have that value. We can just go up one value to get the crossover point to the needed 100 hz.

Don’t give up Vandersteen powered bass and high pass setup is freakin fantastic!
some dealers may also have a trade in set of filters when customers switch RCA to XLR
for those make a call to Johnny

Thanks for the kind words everyone! I will be running an AR pre for now (can get the model number in the morning as its boxed up) and my monoblocks are Rouge M150s. 

The seller has been really nice, but in the end I should have done more research even though the ad is a tiny bit misleading. 

I will constsnt Johnny tomorrow.

Jackd...maybe that is an option as well. I will let you know.

Thanks everyone!

If the M-150's input impedance is 200 like the current M-180's then I don't have a filter that is that high of a value anyway.

What the heck did the seller do with the crossovers?

Does anyone have a schematic of the crossover? I know I can figure one out from there. For 1200 dollars a pop.. I'd be looking, and building, my own.  I'm sure there is a workaround and from the pic I saw.. AND better than factory.. Full of Wima caps, from what I saw...They are good stuff, BUT, there is a better cap for certain applications in a crossover, no doubt.

The straps are inline filters too? If so... that's PA stuff... Lots of
options there...

I saw an XO called "Sirl's Killer" too. Seems to be an alternative.

Danny at GR research... He may have something...

Regards

Wait, do you mean the high pass filter?? Those are super easy to make up yourself. :)  May I suggest some Jupiter copper foil caps?? :)

cost of new ones are a staggering $1295.00.

https://img.usaudiomart.com/uploads/large/1141365-a2834c09-vandersteen-m5hp-crossover.jpg
If you can find the schematic, you can clone one and save $1200

If the M-150's input impedance is 200kohm, a 0.008uF or 0.01uF cap as a high pass filter will work.

http://www.learningaboutelectronics.com/Articles/High-pass-filter-calculator.php#answer1
 

Sounds like a good opportunity to establish an active system

Thanks for the replies! I shot a note to Vandersteen for potential options as well. Hopefully I will be able to come up with an option that doesnt cost nearly half of what I paid for the speakers themselves. Live and learn.

just wondering if it is possible to use and integrated amp with any of the Vandys that require the use of a hi-pass filter.  

if it is possible to use and integrated amp with any of the Vandys that require the use of a hi-pass filter.

The hi-pass filter can insert to the integrated tape loop or pre-out/main-in.

So I am guessing you bought the Quattro cloth pair off of Audiogon that were advertised with an ARC integrated with modifications to insert the correct value caps to effect the high pass. They were advertised that way for a reason.

the M5 does have bypassed WIMA, DBS battery, and normally AudioQuest fire or better pigtails and DIP switches so it works with just about any amplifier. Pretty sure you can’t diy and save $1,200... must be the new math.

you should be calling Vandersteen and IMO modify the Rogues ( which btw sound fantastic w Quattro ) Richard can tell you what cap he uses in his $55k monoblocks 

lots of super high end gear w WIMA caps bypassed correctly - see Aesthetix, Brinkmann, etc
Vandersteen since 1977 for a reason

BTW that is a screaming deal on Quattro, learn to set them up correctly and you are light years ahead w 11 bands of analog EQ on each side. pm if you want pro bono help with dialing them in.

First, I don't think as a "dumb Vandy purchase", having owned 2C's as my entre to this crazy hobby and later Quatro's.  They are really great speakers.
If you only plan to use one amplifier, then you don't need the configurability that the Vandy crossovers offer, and a DIY mod to the amp input could be very cost effective.  I honestly contemplated doing just that when I owned the Quatro's, mostly so I could optimize the capacitor selection for my system and tastes.
I would think it incumbent upon any good Audiogoner to clearly spell out that the speakers do not come with the customary Vandy crossovers.  If it wasn't positively declared by the Seller, well then, shame on him.  That's less than ethical, in my book.

Dump out of those turkeys soon.

Yes, I got the cloth pair. The seller has been kind and he threw in some other stuff to help me offset the issue. It wasn't clearly stated but its more on me for my lack of due diligence. Its gonna be all good. Juat excited now.

I just went ahead and ordered a new pair of crossovers. I didn't want to wait for a used pair and didn't want to riak a failed DIY project. I have heard Quatros before and I think the 150s will be a good match.

That was enlightening ebm...

I have Quatro woods with Aesthetix Atlas it has internal high pass and it works great but the M5-HP sound even better I had a Rogue Cronus before the Aesthetix powering my Quatros the guy at Rogue put in high pass filters in it for me that might be a possibility for you  I would call John you need the high pass filters you will damage the speakers without them and you can download vandertones  watch the video if you don't have DB meter turn all eleven pots to twelve o'clock will get you by but once you get them dailed in you're going to love them

enjoy the music

Good Move Trout !!!!

Thanks Tomstruck. I went ahead and just ordered new filters. I am sure I could have figured something else out but I didn't want to risk screwing up anything and didn't want to always wonder if I did something wrong. 

Ironically I am going to send my 150s to get upgraded to 180s but I dont wanna wait. Daddy needs tunes now.

Thanks Tomic. I think its for the best. Peace of mind if anything.

John at audio connection might have a Rogue Cronus with high pass in it to hold you over

IF the seller realists the ARC integrated at the difference, that is also a screaming deal for somebody 

Trout let me know if you need setup help

It looks like there might be one for sale on usaudiomart from a guy in California that’s asking $995, maybe you can talk him down. Hopefully this is the product you were looking for - not sure if you needed XLR or RCA.

Sorry I missed that you purchased new already

No wories chief! Tomic...once Inget everything in I may take you up on some help. I dont have a perfect room but am a bachelor so have some freedom. Ha!

So now that I had to take a little over a grand out of my budget, I am looking for advice and suggestions on a Dac to go from my Cocktail.audio XD50 to my pre. I have a Rega Apollo CDP but I have fallen in love with the streamer.

Any thoughts?  :)

@troutki50 I think the Quattros are the same HP filters as my Model 5As. If so I will make you a pair for a little cost plus the parts. I built mine and compared them to the Vandersteen and you could not tell the difference and actually I preferred the ones I built since we used better parts.

Send me a message and I will build you a pair. The Jupiter capacitors are OK but I prefer V-Caps over the Jupiter capacitors but you don’t really need either to make a better HP filter as Vandersteen uses pretty cheap resistors and capacitors. I think the parts were under $100 plus the eBay aluminum chassis boxes were not that much.

Let me know.

Happy Listening.

Hi trout, bigkidz performed some work for me recently on a pair of amplifiers, we are local to each other. His service is A-1!!  Thank's bigkidz 👍

For a DAC I would suggest an Ayre Codex. It's a great sounding DAC and headphone amplifier.

Joey54...you are the second person to reccomend the Codex. If you have it now, can you mention what you compared it against before choosing it? Thanks!

You're not the only one to make a mistake, this hobby is insane. It's like trying to put together a puzzle and all the pieces are blank and you don't know what it's supposed to look like when it's done!

You may want to Contact Fernando with Skyfi Audio in Glen Rock NJ

What is the budget for DAC ?

Do some prep work ahead of Quattro and M5 arrival:

download the manual
do the math based speaker placement to see approximately what works in your room.
download Vandertones or hopefully seller provided you with Vandertones CD
you need the Radio Shack analog SPL meter ( not the digital ) e bay about $40

Sort out your cable and wires with powered bass and high pass, biwire almost always sounds better.

Another vote for Ayre Codex.

The Codex is a proven DAC w Vandersteen as is the Aesthetix Pandora

For reference I compared the Ayre to the older Ayre QB 9, the PS Audio, can’t remember which one, it was around $1500 and an older Wadia 27ix. I found the Codex to be better in every way. Also, I’ve heard too many stories about equipment breaking and either not being able to be repaired or having to send it out of the country to be repaired to take a chance on a non US brand. Good Lick in your hunt. I’m sure you will love the Quatro’s.

Do not despair!  If you want to use a passive crossover, send me the crossover frequencies you wish to use and all the data you can find on the driver's impedances and I will send you a schematic, parts list and estimated parts price from Parts Express, Madisound, and Parts ConneXion. It is not difficult to build a decent sounding one. There is no sense in using anything less than high quality parts with your speakers. So I'll suggest Mundorf capacitors & heavy wire coils. You may be able to get the actual schematic from Vandersteen and work from there. I'd like to suggest an electronic crossover (miniDSP) and one amp per driver. Good amps (65 wpc) are buildable for roughly $100/channel/frequency band and allow easy adjustment of each driver's level (why use resistors in a crossover to waste power making things hot?). Also, connecting an amp directly to the driver (speaker unit) allows you to take full advantage of an amp's ability to correct and control the motion of the speaker's moving parts. Keep Smiling! This is a solvable problem.

@troutki50,

Ping me when you get your crossovers and I can help you through setup. I have all the equipment you need. I owe you - I’ve been a bad friend. 

Hey man! No worries...life has been a roller coaster so finally treating myself. I live about an hour and a half from you on a lake. Would love to have you out once I get everything.

Any thoughts on a DAC for my streamer? As an Ayre guy I figure you can vouch for the Codex.