Vandersteen's new affordable mono blocks at the CES 18

Ok, I have a moment. I have not had enough time to listen vs other amps.  I do know that those who have auditioned them love them.  They are voiced for the speaker.  It's Richards way of basically making a fully active system.  Teh amp itself sounds great running full speed on other speakers.  I know of a few folks who like them better than many of the 25k plus amps on their 5's and Quatro's and they auditioned most of the contenders which are awesome amps that I'd die to own.  

They will not sound 'fast' or 'highly detailed' like many amps do.  Not saying they aren't these things, but they are on the slightly warmer side of the equation compared to some amps that folks feel are 'high end' amps.  I like a bit of meat on the bones personally.  

My personal thought is that there are plenty of great amps on the market.  Your pre is going to be HUGE in the equation.  That's probably more important than the amp is.  I am hoping to hear the KXR pre amp with a pair of Richards amps as I bet that would be a killer set up. I know they play GREAT with the AR preamps (which I also love) as well as Aesthtix's preamps (a true Best Buy in high end audio for MY money).

I have spoken to a few dealers who sell them and feel they are an outstanding value for a true high end set of mono's.  Richard is a serious designer and the person he brought in with him to collaborate with him is the same one who helped with his big amps.  Those amps, for my money, are KILLER amps in their own right.

I'm hoping to get a longer audition.  Do you have the 5CT's? What are you running now?

I’m running my 5A Carbons with a set of Pass XA 60.8s and a Pass XP-22. The latter is quite neutral, I think, and certainly the best preamp I’ve heard. The amps are very good or great, I’m not sure. I suppose it depends on the setup. One thing I’m not looking for is more warmth, as I think I have a tad too much of that, especially in my smallish room. I would kill for a way to directly tame the midrange on the speaker. I do have an excellent solution on my digital chain, because I have a Roon setup, with some curves that drop the midrange at the crossover points by 1,2, or 3 dB, depending on my preference. But that leaves my analog setup at the mercy of my cartridge loading, which is imprecise. The bottom line is that I feel strongly that the 5As needs lots of room width and height to breathe. Their more revealing midrange over the Quatro CTs is both good and bad, again depending on the recording. So, with all that said, if there’s a chance that my amps aren’t quite the right match, then I want to check out the M5-HPA’s, 

Another question is how much better the M5-HPA’s internal high pass circuitry is over the external crossovers. I have set of late model balanced with fresh batteries.

I personally find the Pass amps a bit warm.  Again, that's my ear as well as a few I listen with.  That's great on so many high end speakers as many are tipped up on top and or forward in the midrange.  

The amps are made for the speakers and are a perfect match for what Richards wants them to sound like.  If I was in your situation, I'd have to give them a listen.  I am saving for a pair if I get them home and love them.  I have the Ayre AX5/20 right now and moving to separates adds a lot more to my system in cost and new cables etc..., so I can't just make that move.

I had Ayre build my crossover into the preamp.  I know they used the highest of end components (with silver leads not stainless like most use) and I love it.  I assume Richard made that crossover to be as seamless as the one's he uses in the 7's or maybe even better, but you'd have to listen in your own system to really know. 

I spoke a little while ago with a friend who Is intimately familiar with all the Vandy products and likes the amps better than the reference amps that they are normally shown with.  He said that they have even more micro and macro detail than the other electronics he often uses in his systems.  I texted about the crossover and he said that may be a reason he loves them, but he says he sits and listens even longer than normal.  not sure if that helps or not.  

I trialed them at home with my Quattro CT’s and they seemed to be a big step up from my ARC Ref 110. I used them with an ARC Ref 6 Pre. They were way more dynamic than the Ref 110s and to me seemed pretty neutral on a wide variety of musical genres and sources (vinyl vs digital). They were definitely more detailed than the REF 110 which I liked. I want them and am saving. 
Curious if they will ever be reviewed alone on their own merit, or as a part of Vandy speaker review. With the new model 5 replacement coming out I suspect they might be reviewed together. I always like to compare others opinions to my own.