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Vandersteen 5A or Eggleston Works Andra II

I will be upgrading my speakers in the near future and I have been waiting to one day upgrade to the Vandersteen 5A. I have read some good things about the Eggleston Works Andra II and I have included it on my list.

I have listened to the vandersteen 5A as well as the Quattro and will listen some more. I hope to be able to finally listen to the Andra sometime in the next 2 to 3 months when I travel to a place with a dealer for those.

I listen mostly to jazz.. world music, reggae, and everything in between that moves me.. sweet music i say.

I am interested in a speaker that is full range and flat all the way down to 20 Hz!

I usually buy for long term keeps so whatever I decide on will be staying for a long long time.

Room size is T shaped --12 x 32 long and a 9x14 short and carpeted. Whatever I decide on will move with me if I ever move, then it will be to a more dedicated room in the future I hope.

Current gear:

McCormack DNA 500
Modwright Instruments SWL 9.0SE LineStage
Integra DPS 10.5 Universal used as a Transport
Benchmark DAC1
VPI SuperScoutmaster with Signature arm and Shelter 901 MC
Mirage Frx-9
Velodyne HGS 15 II

Thank you for your suggestions and keep your other possible recommendations coming as well.
ije
stevecham
3,340 posts
 
In my small opinion, there is only one choice for accuracy of harmonic structure and timbre and that is the design that is phase and time correct.

Vandersteen 5A: As with Thiel, you hear as accurately as possible the signal from the partnering amplifier, and that, to me, is the goal.

If you check Eggleston you will see that the step response clearly indicates that not all drivers are delivering the harmonic content in phase but that some components of what constitutes correct timbre are out of phase and with this will be creating critical cancellations, literally removing some of the music you have spent precious resources to capture. Why anyone would take this approach to investing in the so called high end is beyond me. But then my opinion is a small one.

Go with Vandersteen.
1markr
592 posts
 
Ije, let your ears be your guide. There's so much more to speakers' performance than just looking at some specs or charts. Make your decision after hearing the Andras and Vans. The big question is "how will each sound in your room?".

As for the Andra IIs. I own them, so yes, I am probably biased, and to me, they sound as real as it gets. They are very musical, very dynamic, and will be as good as what you throw at them.

Good luck with your quest.
stang500hpaol
51 posts
 
Vandersteen has over 29 years of experience in Biz
the guy is a walking think tank with many performance features not found in 50,000 plus speakers. If they grow on you in a positive way perhaps they are the right choice.
They were it for me.
french_fries
815 posts
 
vandersteen may have 29 yrs of experience, but the andra-1
became one of the best sounding speakers on the market regardless of price in one stroke (of genius). then eggleston improved it by "30%" when offering the andra-2's- the reviewer in stereophile openly wondered if the even larger eggleston savoys were necessarily better, citing the fact that the andras were already full range, accurate, and musical. the vandy-5's with an active sub delivers more bass according to my friend who has heard both speakers- therefore they're probably more capable in absolute terms. but he still thinks my andras sound superb just the same. if the musical message is still your 1st priority the egg's are competitive with just about anything out there.
evita
112 posts
 
The Andra II was designed primarily by Albert Von Schweikert, who also has a few years in the biz. Both of these are excellent speakers, necessitating an audition to choose between them.
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