Calling on Vandersteen 5a owners

I own a pair in rosewood with a high gloss finish and would say without a doubt the gloss finish is worth it, regardless if you get them in rosewood or cherry. It transforms the speaker from average looking to exquisite and really makes the speaker look as expensive as it is. Think about how much you look at them while you are listening. Don't cheapen out and regret it if you can afford the upgrade finish

Terry,

Currently I will be using a Bryston amp, but I plan on updating the amp within 1 year after my purchase. I was thinking about trying out Audio Research, Balanced Audio or Jeff Rowland gear. I will be using the speakers in a mix music/ht setup so I am targeting solid state amps.

Rob

Hi Rob, great choice on your speakers! I vote for the gloss unless you like to see and feel the wood grain on the speaker. They're pretty different finishes IMHO. As for amps, you should add the BEL 1001 to your short list. Nothing I've heard comes close and you'll hear every ounce of extra performnace with the 5As.
Let us know what you decide on!
Cheers,
Michael

I own 5's with the cherry finish (not glossy). Some of our other LR furniture is cherry, and the wood on the Vandy's works beautifully with the other pieces. The speakers finish darkens over time (about 6months), so they will look different out of the box compared to how they'll look after 6mo's. I don't know if this is true for the glossy finish, however. Talk to the people at Vandersteen about whether the finish will darken in the glossy finish. The wood on the speakers is very high grade and quite attractive, but the speakers themselves will never win any beauty contests. As much as I love the sound of the 5's, I'm probably going to have to switch them for a speaker with a better WAF and good sound/apperance combo. I'm thinking Avalon Opus in the quilted cherry right now. Any other suggestions for great looks/sound at under $20k?

Bruce J: honestly you would part with your 5s? To purchase ANY other speaker would be a step down. I don't own 5s but if I did and I had available funds, I would hightale these back to Richard V for 5a upgrade immediately. And for what they are, how could you get so much in such a small and relatively unassuming package?