Own Piega p10 thinking Vandersteen 5 or 5A


Hi
I got a wild hair and bought a set of vandersteen 3A SIG.
Did not need them but have decided to keep them and have sold my Piega P5 and put the 3A SIG into my HT set up as mains. I have a music set up with audio research VT130 apm audio aero 24/192 CD player 1200 PS Audio power plant 2 single run of Transparent audio ref speaker cable for high and low a set of Transparent ref interconnect 3 Transparent ref power cable and a set of Piega P10. I like the sound of my system but now that I have spent time with the Vandersteen 3A Sig and using in my music system for awile. I am getting the itch to listen and maybe buy a set of Vandersteen 5 or 5A. I think the Piega P10 is a better sounding speaker then the Vandersteen 3A Sig but only by about 30% so I am thinking that maybe the Vandersteen 5 or 5A might beat
the Pega P10 in my system what do you all think?
128x128nicknapster
From my own limited experience with these two speakers: The 5A is better than the P10 in terms of excellent ultra low bass, overall bass impact and integration with the other speaker's drivers. IMHO the 5A is very special in that it has no readily identifyable flaws unless you directly compare it to other excellent design super speakers (that excell in a certain sonic charactaristic). Even with direct comparisons, the Vandersteen is still one of the few speakers that does more right and so little wrong (as compared to so many super speakers). The P10 on the other hand does have a unique magical sounding midrange and treble that is on a level which is virtually unatainable from any speaker that uses cone drivers (such as in the Vandersteen) IMHO. I'd love to see a speaker with the Piega's ribbons and the Vandersteen's 5A woofer. Now that would be the best of both worlds!

This is really a hard comparison because both of these speakers are on my "short list" of very special speakers that would get someone out of the "upgrade madness" altogether!
Nicknapster,

I am surprised that you like both the P-10 and the Vandy 5 because they sound very different. The midrange of the P-10 has a kind of ringing tone, very pretty but I feel it is a bit colored. The high frequency of the P-10 is also more airy and more delicate. I have auditioned both and finally bought the Vandy 5 because I really like its midrange.

Putting the sonic quality aside, since I have been using a pair of Model 5 for over 20 months, I would like to share with you some of my long-term experiences.

First of all, since you own the 3A Sig, you probably already knew this. But for the benefits of other readers, I would like to point out that the 5 does not use binding posts. It has a binding block with four slots at the back for bi-wiring. Each slot has a screw in the middle to secure a spade connector. These slots are very narrow; they wonÂ’t accept anything wider than 1/2 inch. Nowadays, most of the high-end cables are pre-fitted with heavy-duty spades and will not fit the narrow slots. Having your cable re-terminated might be expensive, depending on manufacturesÂ’ policy, some might do it at cost but others might charge hundreds. If you have expensive cables, you might want to find out in advanced if they will fit or how much re-termination will cost.

One of the most praised features of the Model 5 is the 11-band equalizer of the subwoofer amp. It is designed to give you more placement flexibilities and smoother bass. Unfortunately, proper equalizer adjustment is not so easy; it cannot be done by inexperienced hand with simple test tone and a SPL. You need a Real Time Analyzer and you need to know what you are doing. These subs have very stiff suspensions and need hundreds of hours to run-in. It may take many months depending on how hard you drive them. Without proper run-in; the subs cannot be properly adjusted.

Dealer should perform equalizer adjustment with proper equipment free of charge because the service is included in the purchasing price. I must point out that this is a post-sales service, depending on the attitude of the dealer, it might not be easy to get them over to make the adjustment months after the speakers are shipped and paid for, especially if you live some distance away. This is an unfortunate business reality. So if you decided to buy the 5, you might want to negotiate an agreement with the dealer that would allow you to hold back part of the payment (say a thousand dollars) until the equalizer adjustments are made.

Finally, the upper cabinet - the section that houses the tweeter, the mid-range, and the woofer - has a tendency of developing hairline cracks. It was explained to me that the upper cabinet was constructed by gluing 20 some odd pieces of different cutouts together. As it settles down, due to temperature and humidity change, some pieces may expand or contract a little more than the others and may cause the paint to crack.

The cracks do not seem to affect performance and they cannot be seen with the grille on, but they will definitely affect the resell values. So unless you plan to keep them for a very long time, you might want to take this into considerations.

I am sure other speakers all have different idiosyncrasies. Depending on your priority, the ones I listed here may or may not be important to you but I hope they can help with your decision making.

Best of luck
Hi
Thanks for your input.I now have a line on a set of Piega C10. So I will be spending time with the Vandersteen 5A and the Piega C10. I will update you with the out come.
Thanks again!
You can't go wrong with the p-10's especially at the insanely low used prices. I think its the best buy in the market. The vandersteen in my opinion are more laid back and lack the life or PRAT as with many other speakers. Good matching of components and room placemnt are important. When you get it right the piega's are one of the best. Check with audiogoner CAlloway he's had considerable experience with both speakers
Hi
I sold my P10 and bought a set of C8LTD and I could not be any happier.
The P10 is a very very good speaker and for the used price coming in around $5000.00 I think it is one of the best deals going.(I sold my set of P10 for around that amount)
That said the C8LTD is in my opinion a big stept up over the P10.