Vandersteen updates and amplifiers


Seeking experience and advice. I have the Vandersteen Quatro Wood (non-CT) and have enjoyed them on a large variety of music for the past 7 years or so. I have been able to hear changes with improvements in upstream gear and tweaks. I use a Pass Labs XP-27 phono - XP-22 Pre and the good ol XA 30.5 to power the Quatro. Balanced M5 boxes.  

Two things recently elevated the performance of the Vandersteen's in my room. First was the addition of Isoacoustic Gaia I footers. I was pretty skeptical about using these as Vandersteen designs to couple the speakers to the floor. These footers are supposed to decouple. But I felt is was worth trying because the speakers are positioned on a suspended wooden floor above a storage area in my house. I had to use the more expensive Gaia I because the 110 lb Quatro has to be supported with just 3 footers. Also, I had to buy 8 not 6 footers. It was not difficult to maintain the appropriate tilt angle by adjusting the footers. Be aware that the rear spike threads are different than the front. After many weeks of use, I think they are a significant improvement. The quality of the imaging and the tonal richness of the midrange expanded to my ears. More palpable presence in the room, better separation of instruments so that you can hear into the recording better. The bass quality changed almost like adjusting the Q. The bass may be a little less high impact and certainly less is transmitted into the floor, but overall bass better integrated into the music.

The second change was the addition of an HRS S platform under the Pass XA 30.5. This is the only component of the system that is near the speakers and in the high acoustic energy zone. Improvements in detail and clarity were not subtle. Very impressed!

So, fellow audiogoners, what might be the next steps for me if I choose to stick with the Vandersteen sound. I hear good things about Vandersteen M5 HPA mono's. This would eliminate the M5 boxes and the Pass XA 30.5. For the same price I could probably trade in the XA 30.5 for a more powerful .8 series amp.  Anyone with experience want to share? I would also consider updating to the Quatro CT if that would be a similar jump in performance. The Quatro seems to be the right size for my medium/large room. 
128x128karl_desch
I have heard great things from both John R and Jon S about the William Tell and Robin Hood speaker cables.  Seems like a big leap forward for Audioquest.  I currently use Kimber 12TC shotgun Biwire which neither of the Jons likes! Something about a midrange suckout... I am happy to try a nice short run of these AQ speaker cables when I convert to monoblocks.  I’ll also be auditioning some AQ Water XLR for my 30ft run between preamp and amp. See if I can hear the diff between that and the Mogami XLR currently in place.  
I am interested in your experience too @gdnrbob!  I’ll read about the William Tell and Thunder power cables too.  Oh and the Niagara 3000/5000....those were also involved in my Ultra Fidelis auditions.
@karl,
Yes, feedback seems to affect the performance of Vandy speakers.
It seems all the companies that use zero feedback seem to work with Vandersteen- Ayre, Atmasphere, Aesthetix.
And, Vandersteen.
Belles is also a good fit, but I don't know if it has zero feedback.
I do know that the little Belles Aria Integrated paired with the VLR's is a superb match.
Bob
I have complete trust in Jon at Ultra Fi. I have been building and upgrading my system for 15 years and Jon has always helped me through education and support, not just trying to sell me stuff.

My system now consists of Vandy Quatro CT powered by a ARC REF75SE amp. To me, this is a great match and I am holding onto this for as long as I can. Sources are a VPI Aries 3 with Lyra Delos... and an Aurender A10.

...it’s calling me now!

One of the most important things I did to ensure the best sound is have Jon personally set up my speakers with his Masters Setup. I did the math and set up the speakers according to the Vandy manual and I really took my time. Sounded great. Then I decided to have Jon do a Masters Setup and... Amazing to me the difference.
I’m sure it makes a difference.  Right now I’m at “sounds great” but want to get to “sounds amazing” like I heard at Ultra Fidelis with both the Quatro and the Kënto.