vandersteen 5a question

i listened to a pair of 5a's and the did not come close to what my montana xp's can do

Seven posts in one day on the same subject! This appears to be excessive insecurity. Perhaps before posting any more you should instead see your (audio) analyst.

May be a better speaker out there in it's price range? Sometimes yes and no. I happen to have heard the vandersteen 5s years ago in a gentlemens apt in NYC I was selling him lps at the time.I thought they were exceptional at any price range the only problem and he did agree was not with the built quality but the name Vandersteen. His opinion at the time was they the name Vandersteen were not highend enough for elitist snobs. I would say that they are fabulous at music making and perfect for dealing with room placment problems. I believe the Vandersteen 5a is an approvment on the 5s. There is an TAS review on the net that gave them an exceptional review not that this really matters.

At this level, you really should listen to it yourself. If you like it, you don't need other's opinion to justify your decision.

I've owned the 5's and upgraded them to my current 5a.
They are exceptional. I love them, and I will probably only ever change if Vandersteen releases an even more advanced version. Changes to upstream gear are easy to hear- and I use these for pleasure and also to evaluate recordings I have made myself... For my taste, nothing else will do.

Will