Aerial 7T/6 vs Vandersteen Quatro/Treo/2Ce Sig II

Good call. No one uses socks to tune speakers anymore. They probably didn't even wash them with the special soap for best thread consistency. Vandersteen gives you much better setup options. Why don't you go over and remove the socks, position the speaker, set the back tilt using the formula Vandersteen gives you and make any necessary adjustments to the 2 gain settings on the back of the crossover. Show your friends how to set them up right. They'll thank you for it.
Zd542 (Threads | Answers | This Thread)

I got the same advice on my Bose 201. After setup, it destroyed KAISER KAWERO. I guess the instruction works for all speakers. Unfortunately my friends traded them in after 6 months NO thanks to me. I guess with friend like me, who needs an enemy. LOL!!! Many Thanks for the suggestion.

Knghifi,

I'm glad to see you didn't take post too seriously. I wasn't sure because it took you a while to respond. Unfortunately, my comments on Vandersteen setup holds true in many cases. So many people who have them fail to get the best out of them because of it. (Just to be clear, I'm not trying to fault you or invalidate your opinion in any way. Your take on the speakers is just as valid as mine. I'm just saying that poor setup is possible reason you, or your friends, didn't get optimal results. Nothing more.)

"I got the same advice on my Bose 201. After setup, it destroyed KAISER KAWERO."

Just think how good it would of sounded if you had a pair. By the way, who's KAISER KAWERO?

Geek101,

I won't tell you how to spend you money, but I would suggest you rethink your approach. Going by reviews and opinions alone is no way to buy equipment. I know that for a lot of people, demoing audio equipment is not always easy. I say that even it is a big inconvenience, do it anyway. Its worth it. Think of not only how long it took to earn the money, but the amount of time invested in research and education on your part. You owe it to yourself to get it right. Personally, I won't hesitate to make a long trip if I have to. I guarantee you that the system you build in your head won't be the system that ends up in your listening room if you do otherwise. I know from experience.

Given your total budget, I think the 3a sigs are an excellent choice, though the Treos will have a higher WAF.

Geek,

Ayre is over-priced gear, at best.

@Jafant, so what's better at the same price points? I assume we're talking about their 5 series.

I might try a Rogue Cronus Magnum with KT-120 power tubes together with some 3A sigs. With the KT-120s, the Cronus can put out about 100W. That's sort of a downsized version of my own system.

The last time I shopped for speakers, Arial was my second choice, but the model that I thought had adequate bass was a couple grand more than I wanted to pay at the time. I do think that Vandersteen gives better value sonically. The two to compare are the Arial 7T and the Quatro Wood (they no longer offer the cloth Quatros). But the cost of these doesn't leave much over for electronics.