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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
ije OP
29 posts
 
Interesting comments. Auditioning these speakers in my own setting is out of the question but I have briefly listened to the 5A in a dealer setting but not really critically. I definitely need to spend more time with it. I think I can get it connected to a DNA 225 possibly.

On the Andra, I hope to audition it when I do make a brief stop at a friend's place out of state where he has paired the Andra 2 with a DNA 500. He raves about the synergy between the two. I will make sure to take some program material.

Thank you for all for the comments. It appears that both speakers are very highly regarded. The Vandersteen possibly being a bit more forgiving in setup.

I might be able to land a sweet deal on the Andra 2 that I wont be able to match on the 5A. On the other hand, it appears the Vandersteen holds its value very well since they seldom show up on A'gon. How about the Andra 2?

On sound quality, a lot of A'goners say Vandersteens are laid back, what kind of sound should I expect from the Andra 2?

I am acutely aware also of the heft of the Andra's at 250lbs. Scary to say the least. Might need a winch on hand to manhandle the beast!

Please keep the comments coming because I want to get this right. All comments appreciated.

fjn04
1,561 posts
 
It is tough to beat the 5A. It will definitley work in more room applications. The Andra 2 is a nice speaker, but I sold it to move to the 5A. I have no regrets, the Andras were much more difficult to drive. I had a 200 watt tube amp, and honestly felt they either needed a big VTL ( maybe the 450) or solid state. If you are not planning a venture in to tubes, the Andra may be a nice choice. The Vandersteen is also supposed to be a nice match with Mccormack.
evita
112 posts
 
Anyone use the 5A with the grills off? I find the 'moving blanket' cloth surrounding the drivers to be kind of cheesy. Can you replace it with a more attractive alternative? Thanks to anyone who might know.
rex
245 posts
 
Evita - the 5A was designed to be used with the speaker grille installed. The cloth face on the speaker is an integral part of the design. Vandersteen told me he chose every single component of the speaker with great care and deliberateness. I would not make the type of changes to my 5As that you are contemplating.
evita
112 posts
 
Thanks for the response, Rex.
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