Vandersteen 7 and room treatment

Nioce!
That is good find.

400 miles from where?
If it were a hundred miles more, it could possibly made a good song lyric?

There is a vandersteen forum.
Many would say just get their vandertunes and adjust the sub settings, using the manual.

A limited few might suggest something like a MiniDSP Flex, or a Lyngdorf TDAI amp.

But if these 7s have the 11 pots that do the sub bands, maybe start there?

…but it sounds like you want to use those pots and then get rid of wall treatments?

Thank you holmz. Albuquerque. Dealer is in Colorado Springs. Spoke with him a couple of years ago when I was considering Quatro’s. Seemed like a really good guy but then life happened and a few months later, COVID. 
The vandortones disc and sound level meter will be included with the speakers as well as more explicit directions from the seller who is very experienced with room and speaker set up in general and the Vandersteen’s in particular. So I will begin with placement and then the 11 pots. I’m tempted to clear the room of all the treatment and see what kind of sound I can get just by tuning the speakers. I’ve seen YouTubes of Vandersteen at shows both with and without room treatment. I have heard the Quatro’s and 5’s sound sublime in different rooms, none treated. I currently have a mobility limitation which means 14 trips up and down the steps by someone else. The same someone else’s I will count on to lug the 7’s downstairs.  I’m hoping there are current or past Vandersteen owners who have added or subtracted room treatment and will share their insights. 

I just went through this with my Treo's. All of my room treatments were sucking the life out of my system and I could not obtain a strong and stable center image.

Here's what Richard Vandersteen wrote me:

Joe, it is very common for people to overdue room treatments.  Few people realize they cause holes in the clues that help us define the acoustic space we are in (very important for a natural effect).  I start with none and slowly solve problems as they show up and use the least amount of treatment needed.  I notice most rooms end up with about half the treatments normally recommended.

RV

Hey,

EQ always does better with the appropriate room treatment but with EQ we can reduce a little the need somewhat. Bass traps can actually make it possible to improve nulls, not to mention making bass tighter and more palpable.

My point is there’s a happy cooperation and mix between EQ and bass traps. I suggest you set your room up with the bass traps in place, measure, and adjust that first. Then take the traps out. :)

I also suggest you look at the room mode simulator.  It will help you see where the modes will be worst, and what you measure is probably a standing wave or not.

https://amcoustics.com/tools/amroc

Measure, measure measure.

I just went through this with my Treo's. All of my room treatments were sucking the life out of my system and I could not obtain a strong and stable center image.

We don't add enough diffusion, between and to the sides of speakers. That really contributes a great deal to imaging.