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Anybody Heard the Vandersteen 5A'S

MY SYSTEM CONSISTS OF A PAIR OF QUAD 988'S, A AUDIO PHYSICS
MINOS SUBWOOFER, THOR AUDIO TA-2000 PREAMP, THOR AUDIO 60
WATT MONOBLOCKS SHORTLY TO BE UPGRADED TO THE NEW THOR AUDIO 150 WATT MONOBLOCKS, CARY 306/200 TRANSPORT ALONG WITH THE THOR DAC & RICHARD GRAY 12 OUTLET 1200S.
THE PART OF THE SYSTEM THAT IS NOT TO MY LIKING IS THE MINOS SUBWOOFER WHICH HAS LIMITED OUTPUT. I HAD A TECH PERSON FROM STAR SOUND TECHNOLOGIES (THE OUTFIT THAT SOLD ME MY SISTRUM STANDS) PLACE A REAL TIME ANALYZER ON MY SYSTEM AND WE CONCLUDED THAT THE MINOS WAS DEFECTIVE. IT'S ONLY 2 MONTHS OLD. I WILL BE SENDING THE UNIT FOR REPAIR
OR REPLACEMENT. STILL, I FEEL THAT A BETTER PAIR OF LOUDSPEAKERS WOULD MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. I JUST FINISHED READING THE REVIEW OF THE VANDERSTEEN 5A'S IN THE ABSOLUTE SOUND. I AM TRYING TO GET OUT OF THE HABIT OF BUYING ON A REVIEW, AND TRYING TO AUDITION THE PRODUCT, HAS ANYONE HEARD THE VANDERSTEEN 5A? ANY COMMENTS OWULD BE APPRECIATED, AND DOES ANYONE KNOW OF A NEW YORK DEALER THAT
CARRIES THIS LINE. THANK YOU
kjl
kjl OP
31 posts
 
Dear Dkuriloff@aol.com

I also have heard that the Vandersteen 5A is at the dealer in Verona, N.J. I am looking forward to auditioning same.
I did hear the Wilson Watt Puppy 7 and though my Quad 988
put them to shame. The only area that the Watt was better
was in the bass. Otherwise the speaker was not as clear as the Quad and it also seemed congested.
kkursula
95 posts
 
I am sorry KJL, but either you didn't audition W/P 7, or whoever demonstrated them to you screwed something! What kind of amplification was driving the W/P's? THE REAL Watt/puppies DOES many other things better than just BASS! Which is not saying much copmaring it to the Quad 988. If W/P sounds "congested", Vandersteen certainly wont sound any better in that regard.
bruce_1
96 posts
 
The review in TAS was a reasonably accurate description of what I've heard by comparing my Model 5's to the 5A's, although I don't think the differences are quite as dramatic as Shane made them out to be. He did do a good job of describing the considerable virtues of the speaker, though. Everyone that has heard them has been completely seduced by their sound.
sixfigure
5 posts
 
This may be a little off topic but has anyone ever taken the 3A Sigs and used a linkwitz riley active electronic Xover with other subs like VMPS or others...Seems like if crossed over at 40 this would free the Vandys to do more of their magic...just a thought
dodgealum's avatar
dodgealum
1,404 posts
 
I recently auditioned the Vandy 5A's and was very impressed indeed. I have been in the market to upgrade for over a year now and have not found a speaker in this price range that moved me the way these speakers did. Not the last word in resolution but great coherence and musicality. The low end is tight, extended and authoritative. Very tuneful and well integrated. The spatial qualities are strong as is the overall sense that the musicians are playing together. This is not a speaker to analyze and repeatedly play your audiophile recordings. These play music plain and simple and seduce you with their warmth and immediacy. A really great speaker that could make you happy for years to come.
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