To those who've tkn Vandersteen 5A upgrade plunge

As an owner of 5's, I tend to agree with Machine, if I understand his post correctly, that is. :-) And, given that I have had other components upgraded, I am not oppsed in any sense to upgrades. But, $9K+ is way too high, IMHO, though I can see why a manufacturer would not want someone to be able to buy a pair of used 5's and upgrade them to 5A's at a subtaintially lower cost. I figure, if I decide to upgrade, I'll sell the 5's and buy something else - maybe Vandersteen, maybe not.

Hi Aubullience, the 5As have more top and bottom end range than the 5s. They're also considerably faster and more transparent. You'll find that the room problems you had before will be more noticeable, but just as tunable. Your dealer will do this as part of the upgrade. Tuning time takes 1-4 hours depending on the room. My room took 90 minutes whereas a friends (who has the worst bass response for a room I've ever heard) took 4 hours to get right. So in a nutshell, you'll be fine. The difference between tuned and untuned is just much more dramatic than before.

To Machine and 4yanx:
I understand your perspective so let me try and answer your questions.
1. What does the upgrade cover? Generally it includes getting the speakers packed (if you have the shipping material still...otherwise you need to buy it in advance). Shipping to the factory. Fitment of new precisely matched drivers, XOVRS and amp modules. Hand tuning in the anechoic chamber until they're right. Packing and shipping back to you. Delivery by your dealer for initial setup and burn in. One last trip out by your dealer to do final tuning.
So let's count that up...that's a minimum of 3 trips out by your dealer, the shipping...and the upgrade. Actually, it's not a bad price. Your dealer is working for peanuts on all the trip too. Any extra time spent on this you'll probably get charged for, but that's between you and your dealer. Every delivery is different. (One friend didn't have his packaging and went on a trip...his dealer made 6 appearances!)

2. I'll summarize the rest of your comments about the speaker into...What do I get for this money?
The answer is simple. You get the best speaker I've heard for under $500k. Sure, you can spend more...but you would be doing yourself a disservice. The $9k is still a bargain compared to anything you can get elsewhere for the money. (Yes, I'm biased...I've also heard a lot of systems and speakers though.)

Your money, your decision...but if you're happy with 5s I'd keep them. Listen to a few 5A systems and you may change your mind. At least you have the choice.

Happy Holidays!

mikej.i heard nothing about dealer involvment from vandersteen.mine are used and out of warranty,with no dealer anywhere near what would be considered a reasonable distance.not a good deal,just my opinion,nothing more.

Machine, I guess you've just got to consider leaving well enough alone. The 5s are still awesome speakers! In the end, if you decide to upgrade it's still going to be very, very difficult to find anything better top to bottom. Then the $$ may make more sense. Either way, it's your call.