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Vandersteen updates and amplifiers

Seeking experience and advice. I have the Vandersteen Quatro Wood (non-CT) and have enjoyed them on a large variety of music for the past 7 years or so. I have been able to hear changes with improvements in upstream gear and tweaks. I use a Pass Labs XP-27 phono - XP-22 Pre and the good ol XA 30.5 to power the Quatro. Balanced M5 boxes.  

Two things recently elevated the performance of the Vandersteen's in my room. First was the addition of Isoacoustic Gaia I footers. I was pretty skeptical about using these as Vandersteen designs to couple the speakers to the floor. These footers are supposed to decouple. But I felt is was worth trying because the speakers are positioned on a suspended wooden floor above a storage area in my house. I had to use the more expensive Gaia I because the 110 lb Quatro has to be supported with just 3 footers. Also, I had to buy 8 not 6 footers. It was not difficult to maintain the appropriate tilt angle by adjusting the footers. Be aware that the rear spike threads are different than the front. After many weeks of use, I think they are a significant improvement. The quality of the imaging and the tonal richness of the midrange expanded to my ears. More palpable presence in the room, better separation of instruments so that you can hear into the recording better. The bass quality changed almost like adjusting the Q. The bass may be a little less high impact and certainly less is transmitted into the floor, but overall bass better integrated into the music.

The second change was the addition of an HRS S platform under the Pass XA 30.5. This is the only component of the system that is near the speakers and in the high acoustic energy zone. Improvements in detail and clarity were not subtle. Very impressed!

So, fellow audiogoners, what might be the next steps for me if I choose to stick with the Vandersteen sound. I hear good things about Vandersteen M5 HPA mono's. This would eliminate the M5 boxes and the Pass XA 30.5. For the same price I could probably trade in the XA 30.5 for a more powerful .8 series amp.  Anyone with experience want to share? I would also consider updating to the Quatro CT if that would be a similar jump in performance. The Quatro seems to be the right size for my medium/large room. 
karl_desch
karl_desch's avatar
karl_desch OP
472 posts
 
@unsound. I do understand that sentiment. Having owned Vandersteen 1c, 2ci and other value leaders in the Vandersteen line, and can say that while the prices have grown in the higher end line, the sound quality does seem to keep pace with the price increases.  This makes the Treo/Quatro/Kënto competitive with even higher priced speakers.  
The amps are pricey at ~16,000 a pair.  I was comparing them to Ayre monoblocks and Pass Labs monos that were around the same price.  The dealer I bought them from also sells Audio Research as well and might tell you that the M5’s outperform the Ref 160 monos when paired with Quatro or Kënto speakers.

Jeez! I sound like a Vandersteen dealer! It would be amazing if Vandersteen could sell something like the M5-HPAs for around 3 or 4K which would make them more competitive with lots of amplifiers and more of a value proposition.  But the M5 has relative value given their sound quality and absolutely overengineered design.  That ultimately made the M5s the right choice for me compared to other upgrades from my Pass XA30.5.
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
13,743 posts
 
the KX-R was on my shortlist....Richard is working ( slowly ) on a killer preamp, with functionality nobody else will have...

I have been listening to my Reference system today after a 3 month hiatus ( covid forced ) and good as the TREo CT / RM-9 combo is the 7 and 7 w ARc front end is jaw dropping..

fun

hopefully everyone is well
audioconnection
1,271 posts
 
The value in Vandersteen products has always been a performance/cost ratio and the M5-HPA compared to any amplifier at or above its price point is as great as it has ever been in my experience.
JohnnyR
gdnrbob
4,520 posts
 
@tomic601 ,
I use the KX-R (non Twenty), and find it to be a fine preamp. It even bests my Atma MP-1, which is no slouch either, though if I played around with tubes and made some additional upgrades, I bet it would get even closer to the Ayre.
Funny, I asked Mr. V. about a preamp at the Kento demo at Audioconnection, but he was very cagey.
I think I will proceed with the KX-R upgrade when finances allow, or they have an upgrade special.
B
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
13,743 posts
 
There are plenty of very fine affordable tube and SS amplifiers to pair with Vandy speakers. Peek under the hood of the model 7 amplifier ( you can see a rare internal photo on my Poverty Bay Sound system page ) and imagine trying to trickle that $50 k plus down into a $15k price... not easy when you start out listening to the M7.
Value isn’t being the cheapest- look at the model 2 - still beating inflation:-)
On Brinkmann- typically paired w Vandersteen 7’s at the Munich show - I appreciate the genius of Helmet - I use gis Bardo direct drive table and have his DAC on my short list.

on the long rumored preamp - ? Who knows when - just keep playing music !!!


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