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Questions for Vandersteen 5A owners...

I finally got to audition 5A's yesterday. Involved 9 hours of driving, but it was worth it. :-)

I realize no speaker is perfect and it's a matter of tradeoffs. I am attracted to Vandersteen because of a strong reputation and the fact that it includes a powered bass module with 11 bands of EQ per speaker. I have a troublesome room. Currently have Aerial model 9s - a great speaker but not ideal for my room.

Anyway, I wanted to post my impressions and see what owners have to say.

1) Larger than life sound. Holy big imagery. High hats sounded like they were 3 feet in diameter.

2) Wide dispersion of sound (i.e. large sweetspot). Vocals stretched from speaker to speaker. Panning of instruments off center was hard to pinpoint.

3) Bass seemed EQd well (couldn't hear any notes being louder than others) but all in all it wasn't as articulate as I expected. Bass was very fat sounding.

4) Problem at loud volumes? It might have been the 200 watt amp, but when the volume was cranked it was very distorted. I notice that Stereophile recommends the speaker but says "won't play as loud as other speakers". I have never experienced a speaker that had a volume limitation per se, so I'm not sure what to expect - distortion or were they simply meaning it wasn't very sensitive? I don't listen to music at crazy volumes, but these would also be used for home theater - where speakers should be able to handle loud peaks. Have any of you noticed this?

5) A lot brighter than I expected and very revealing. Highs sounded less smooth/laid back than I expected (or was used to for that matter). Almost harsh at times. Could have been the recordings, but I played stuff I was very familiar with so I'm puzzled here.

6) Midrange was very nice.

Anyhow, I'm interested in others' perceptions here as I can't audition these in my own home. I do believe that the dealer could set up the bass well in my room, but am generally worried about some of the points above.

Thanks in advance.
madfloyd

Showing 5 responses by mrjstark

mrjstark
1,112 posts
 
Middle range driver alone will set you back about $3500 - not including labor.
40k is also nothing to sneeze at.
Candy apple red is the color of the first pair which will debut in 2009 CES.
No veneer options as far as I know.
mrjstark
1,112 posts
 
From what I hear (R.V) ,

*cabinet materials cost is about 10K alone
*drivers ...... guessing , about 5K
*labor, cabinet material treatment, crossovers, amp, accessories etc. - 3K

Total = 18k (if my info is correct)

Of course this amount will change if the production quantity will raise (less 20%-30%)

* This is a prototype cost
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Assuming that "7s" will target the wealthiest, it is going to be a short series(IMO) based on special order purchases (only two dealers are expected to have "7s" in their showrooms).
And gleams of what we might see/expect in the future from more affordable Vandersteen line of speakers.

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According to R.V ,
"7s" are 40% better then recent top of the line 5As.
Distortion is claimed to be 0.5% which is the lowest achieved in the business (do not mistake with elect. spects which is a completely different cup of coffee)

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The upgrade for 5A owners will be granted (at unknown cost....at least at this time) to ORIGINAL owners.
Second owners - sorry...........or make the arrangements with the previous owner (good luck with that);)

Sound characteristics:

In comparison to Quatros or even 5As,
"7s" sounds almost to laid back with less presents.
This is a result of lower distortion and when given a little time, details and information which were unheard/"missing before are quickly realized and noticed.

Bass amp is more or less the same. Some changes in crossovers - obviously.

I could be wrong but - no rear firing tweeter this time which is not something R.V is about anyway. It could however be found useful in over dumped rooms.
mrjstark
1,112 posts
 
Agree ;)
mrjstark
1,112 posts
 
2009 CES , I promise
Forums like this present valuable feedback for manufacturers..........hopefully
they are listening.
40K was/is an estimated asking price.
mrjstark
1,112 posts
 
Should the rear tweeter be included in Vandersteen model 7 speakers is Richard's personal choice.

IMO, it isn't a necessity ........but why not give out the option of screwing-up the sound to those who can afford it.

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Another interesting feature in new "7s" is :

*setup-guide
*and easier tilt adjustment

Laser tool is included along the "step by step" instructions to optimize the toe-in and tilt. For your own protection a "Dummy head" is also provided as a target (just do not get any crazy ideas) and should be placed in the listening "sweet spot".

Distance from the floor to the speaker, side-to-side and back-to-front adjustments are now much easier to accomplished due to "new spike system".
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