Vandersteen 5A vs Meridian DSP8000

Well I have herd the Meridian but not in the same envirnment so I don't want to compair. I own the 5a and use them in a 2 ch - 7.2 set up. Since you are in the HT forum I would guess you would want to use them in a ht. I don't see a Meridian center to match the 8000.

One of the things with vandersteen is his speakers match so well it is seemless for me from the center to the sides to the sourounds. Heck even his wall mount vsm sorounds have tuning pots. If you are looking for HT remember 70% of your sound is that center speaker and it has to tonally match the rest withthe exception of the sub that can be different. With all of vandersteen speakers they all match each other, I don't know if this holds true with any other line.

I work for a high end dealer but don't sell either one.

The Vansersteen's are more musical and have more potential but are much harder to set up. Only get 5A's from a knowledgeable dealer.

Thanks. I am more interested in music than movies, but I do have a 7.1 channel Meridian system (analog system, not DSP speakers).

The nice thing about Meridian DSP speakers is that you don't need to match electronics. They are already integrated, which makes the system very modular. If you want to add speakers to a different room, you don't need to add more amps. You can multiple rooms from just 1 central preamp. Very convenient and professional level integration. The nice thing about Vandersteen, to the best of my memory, was their accuracy. But then again, that also beceomes dependent upon amps and preamps, and speaker placement is critical.

I don't have that much room to place floor standing speakers 30" from the wall so I went with on-walls, Meridian 300 series analog speakers and G series amp/preamp. I am very happy with the sound for music and of course for movies too. But I am considering adding a new system to a second room. I still have space restricitions. The most I can place them off the wall is 20". I think Meridian DSP speakers may be more forgiving in terms of placement.

Follow up.

Vandersteen's are not the only speaker that matches centers and rears perfectly but I do agree that it is rarer than you would think.

My issue with the Meridian speakers is that they can lean towards bright and harsh even with there built in amps. They sound very digital and mechanical. I have taken a few in on trade due to this.

A powered speaker that is incredible and has a perfect center channel is Intuitive Design Summits or Gamma Summits. They get top 3 best sound every year at Rocky Mountain.

They have a huge disadvantage. They take up to 9 months to get after you order. They are made out of Granite and I guess this is very labor intensive.

There are reviews on Audiogon by owners.