Vandersteen Quatro speaker - link to info

I'm a bit upset this speaker seems to be nothing more than a scaled down (size) version of 3Asigs + 2wq's.

You lose two 8" base drivers and gain room correction. Sure its a compact package but I was honestly hoping this speaker would bridge the performance gap between 5's and 3Asigs+subs. A gap which I consider to be rather large. With Richard suggesting Bsal should just add subs to his 3Asigs this leads me to believe there is no performance increase with the Quatro outside of the compact package.

The jury is still out so who knows! I still want to hear them of course.

I was at CES and spoke with Richard. I came away with the understanding that the quatro is an attempt to reach a broader faction of audiophiles due to an increased WAF. It will not outperform 3A Sigs and 2WQ's, but has a purpose for the Vandersteen supporter who does not have an understanding wife :-) It looks real nice and can be used in smaller rooms due to its scaled down size. As for the sound, it has the 3A sig stamp!

The cabinet is a lot deeper on the quatro's, which would make me think that maybe there is more insulation for the back wave off the speakers to run through (vs the 3A sig).. which *might* give the quatro an advantage.
Then again, the quatro has two subwoofer drivers in the enclosure with the tweeter and midrange, so maybe that will cause more vibration in the cabinet itself.

Will

I think the design is a very smart choice on the part of Vandersteen. It provides a two-box solution at the 6-7K price point for those who can't quite handle the 5/5A pricing. And WAF is nothing to sneeze at - it is a consideration for many (when the room is to be shared by spouse and/or family). It is a real solution that is a step up from 3A (deeper bass and more effciient use of main amplifier)without the "unsightly" addition of two big-bozes into the room. The audiophile without WAF is going to choose the 3A/2W solution and it sounds as if RV knows that. Can't wait to hear it.

Several years ago he was working on a stand model speaker,that never came out. Also read he threw these speakers together just before the show. He could use a speaker in between the 3A and the 5, but if it is just a glorified 3A there are much better speakers in that price range, but I wait an hear for myself ARF