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Vandersteen-like "In-between" speakers

I have a pair of Vandersteen 3A signature speakers that came on loan from my brother and I have to give them up in about a month. I am using them with a McCormack DNA-225 and they sound great. I have heard from others that Vandersteen works well with McCormack.

I don't want to spend more money than I have to, but I have about $6K set aside to buy my own speakers. This amount is much more than the 3A signatures. There is no way that I can stretch to buy the Vandersteen 5 or 5A's. A friend of mine has them and they are fantastic.

Can anyone suggest a speaker in my price range, which falls between 3A and 5A, that will give me the same "flavor" as the Vandersteens and will mate well with McCormack? I listen to all kinds of music except very little classical - mostly rock, jazz, bluegrass, vocals.
motdathird
stevecham
3,340 posts
 
I agree with Sidssp's suggestion. Go with what you know works and the subs will get you most of the way to the 5As. Also the Thiel and Meadowlark suggestions are good ones but if you went with Thiel CS6 (my speakers) you might need to upgrade the amp as well.
wberdan
86 posts
 
I agree with Vedric and would think the Quatro would be a 4 way design.. It doesnt make sense to me for it to be a 3A/2Wq combo. Without some form of bass contouring, it would probably not have smooth bass response... and with bass contouring it is essentially a cheaper model 5. My guess is it is a 5 set up for bass like the 3A Signature (using the acoustic coupler, or however vandersteen describes it). I hope it uses the same drivers and crossover as the 5A, but I kind of doubt it.
The depth of the top part of the quatro cabinet in the picture I would say is approximetely the same as a model 5/5A, and way larger than a 3A Signature would need to be, even with an integrated sub.

Will
wberdan
86 posts
 
Motdathird- I would put serious thought into demoing and maybe getting the 3A Signatures and two 2Wq subwoofers if you have the space for the subs in your room... If not then I would consider buying the 3A Signatures and spending the rest on music you enjoy, or maybe some upgrades elsewhere in your system

Will
chanifin
9 posts
 
I know this is off topic, but I wanted to ask for a little advice related to the 3A sigs. I have a pair of 3's that I bought used a couple years ago that I reallt like and I'm curious about the difference between those and the 3A signatures. I know all about the driver differences etc.. but I's like some input on the sound difference. Is it (as I suspect) an absolute must upgrade?
bigtee
803 posts
 
The 3 sounds closer to the 2Ce where the 3A Sigs are closer to the model 5's. They are considerably more transparent, sound stage better and seem to open up so much better. Look at the Sounstage review by Doug Blackburn. He has a pair of 3A's he compared to the 3A Sigs. The 3 would be a ways behind the 3A in my opinion. In fact, I rather have the 2Ce Signature than the 3. Blackburn's review sums up my feelings. For once, a reviewer I agree with on a lot of issues!
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