Does the Vandersteen 1C Hold Up to Modern Standards?
There are a pair of Model 1C speakers in my area on the used market. We don't get many of them up here in New England. I am considering going to listen to them and possibly buying them. I'm in a small room (14'x9'x7'). They look to be in excellent condition and they are inexpensive enough that shipping the woofers (if needed) back to Vandersteen for re-foaming is still a good deal. I have a good subwoofer I can use if needed. Since I'll be listening in an unknown room with gear I don't know, I just want to put it out to see if anyone has experience with these.
I currently have Wharfedale Evo 4.2 speakers and find that they sound a little tubby in my space and I just wish the imaging was a little more open. The vertical dispersion of the AMT tweeter is pretty bad, so I have to be sitting for the tonal balance to be correct. I've moved them around quite a bit within the available space. They are on the factory stands and are located 3' from the wall which has a built-in bookcase.
I listen to large ensemble jazz, orchestral music, pop from the '70s/'80s, and a variety of other music. I enjoy scale and dynamics of the large ensemble music I listen to, but I'm not a headbanger by any means. 85 dB peaks do me just fine. Not a fan of speakers that are too forward (B&W/Focal, etc.)
The rest of my system is a MacBook Air, Bluesound Node, Schiit Freya+ Tube Preamp, and a PS Audio Stellar S300 power amp.
Any thoughts before I go over there are appreciated!
Glen
You have received some great info from Bob, Jim, and Holmz. I still have my 1C’s, 2C’s, and now Treo’s. All great speakers in their own right. For ‘big sound’ with orchestration, the 2C’s would be better, but, I still listen to my 1C’s in my secondary bedroom system, and they still sound great, even though not optimally set-up. How much are they being sold for? I got my 1C’s for about $350 which was a steal. If they are closer to $1K used, I would consider used 2’s, but again, depending on cost, the 1’s used can be a great bargain. As far as foam surrounds, I believe Richard just stated on the Vandy forum the only 1’s with foam surrounds were some of the original 1B’s, thus, all C’s should have rubber surrounds. As far as a more ‘modern sound’, maybe not if you want absolute clarity and detail, but regardless, to me, Vandy’s just sound ‘right’ to my ears. |
Well said @bkeske I am not sure how much more modern it gets? At the top shelf, there is a lot of R&D and good engineering in some, but even at the top, there is a lot of designs that do not seem right. (Time and phase) That said, I did lash out on some new speakers yesterday… which is going to be a bit of project and some months of time until they are ready. And the fact that I love the 2Cs is saying something when I actual spend money on something else. I heard some 27 k$ focals that I thought sounded better than the 35+ year old Vandys, but not a whole lot better. Worst case is I have the 2Cs in the main room, and the smaller speakers in more of a reading room… Plus the Mrs’ old bookshelf jobs (Richter of Au) are a bit dilapidated with the (de)vinyl covering falling off when they get touched. I doubt I would sell the 2Cs …they are worth more to me than someone would pay me for them. They are too good, But what is a “more modern sound”?
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