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Set-Up Advice for Vandersteen 1Cs

I'm beginning to piece together a system and having previously owned a pair of Vendersteen 1Bs back in the late 90's before I sold all my equipment I purchased a pair used 1Cs for $299 and $80 shipping... hopefully this was a good price.

I have a small apartment and these will be in the living room with the TV and I would like the sound from my TV, Cable, Apple TV or Roku 3, Blu-Ray, a DAC connected to my ipad/iphone/macbook pro, and eventually a turntable to be able to play through this system. I plan I have zero interest in a surround sound system, so multichannel is not a concern.

My understanding is that I should probably get an HDMI switch with audio out since things like the Apple TV and Roku 3 don't have audio out and I'll want the audio from those to play through the system. This area is new to me so any advice here would be greatly appreciated.

To complicate things I would LIKE to have a tube amp if possible. I am willing to go solid state, but I would much much prefer tube.

My budget is somewhere in the $500-$750 range. I am planning on buying used equipment to get the most bang for my buck. Something with a phono input would be best, but obviously I can't have everything.

I've been completely out of the loop and this was totally a spur of the moment purchase for me but I don't have a tremendous amount of time or disposable income so I'm looking to greater minds than my own for assistance.
greatwhitebat

Showing 9 responses by ctsooner

ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
I have 2 British made and highly respected Onix integrateds that sounded awesome with the Vandy 1 that you have. that's how I heard them originally at Ocean State Audio where I bought them. they are a bit lower than you want to go, lol. Their mids are really nice. Typical British sound at a fraction of the Naim costs. I'm a tube guy (also selling my full function Quicksilver preamp as well as the Silver Mono's) and I loved the Onix integrateds and that's why I have two to sell. Let me know if interested. Google the Onix integrateds and you'll see what I'm talking about. Models: OA22 and OA32.
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
I have a great sounding NAD 326BEE that I"m willing to part with since I got my Ayre integrated. I used it with my Proac Super Towers for a year and it sounded pretty good. not in the same class as Ayre, but for what it cost it was great. Let me know if you have interest. Rogue is something to look at as it mates really well with Vandy's too.
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
If you are still in the market, I have 2 pairs of Proacs that are for sale, lol. The monitors are currently at Audio Connection where they'll ship out off and you can do a cc if you want. Just let me know. Both sets are in teak.
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
If John from Audio Connection sees this thread, he'll chime in. He's an expert at setting them up. I think he uses an inexpensive laser, but I'm not sure. I get my Treo's set up next week and will see. Are you biwiring them? If not, you need to or you won't get everything out of them that you want.
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
I assumed the 1's could be biwired. When you hear Richard himself talk about wiring, it's very interesting. His speakers definitely need to be biwired or you'll lose what you paid for. That's a must and anyone will tell you that.
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
REally? Wow, I'm almost shocked. I bet it's because of the price range he made them for. I know they are more efficient than the others too. That's a good topic the next time he does his tours. Wow.
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
very cool. yes, I remember reading that at one point and hearing him talk about it now that I see it. (I have drop out at times with MS). Of all the designers I've been fortunate to meet, he's the best by far. He just gets it and when you see who his friends are in the industry you realize that they get it too. Just look to see who he shows his speakers with etc... All are great products overall.
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
Very interesting thread. is that Sketch up you are using? We use that when doing plans for furniture building (woodworking).
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
Listen to John. He knows Vandy's and what goes best better than anyone other than Richard I think, lol. He just gave you some of the best free advice you can get. John has a lot of used gear that would sound great with those Vandy's I'm sure. You may want to see what he has that's in your budget to drive them. You'd be amazed. Save money, help a dealer who's trying to help you regardless....win win from the looks of it and he wont' let you make expensive mistakes which happens often in audio as we all know.
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