HI fellow ’goners. I own the Shahinians, thinking of upgrading to the Treos. The Obelisks sound a little smallish for the room... And the room is not square, it's a big living area of a house, with access to the second floor's roof. Will this be an upgrade or just a sideward move? Room approx 60m2, driven by Musical Fidelity A5.5, 250wpc at 8Ohm (thinking of replacing this one too). Mostly jazz and acoustic music, less frequently - classical and pop. Thanks!
Ayre is white light pure water adds very very little coloration.... Charley ( RIP ) a very talented and principled designer, a genius and a very astute ear.... so the rep in my opinion well deserved!
until recently I hung my Reference amp hat on his VX-R Twenty bested by Richard Vandersteen new amp but at a price for sure
as for your pre-amp CJ give it a chance those are some very talented guys with good ears and design sense.....
Thanks. Waiting for the CJ to open up. Frankly, looking at upgrading my power amp to an Aesthetix Atlas. Not sure that this is THE weak link in my system, but it got me thinking...
(((3 out of 4 are DACs with volume regulator, the last one is a streamer with this)))
Bleak at best. Try and find or keep a real preamp without ICs in the path. Audio Research Ayre Aesthetix etc have you done the in-room compensation set up? Have you read the manual and done tilt back? Are your spikes / cones installed and tight? Best JohnnyR
JohnnyR, What exactly do you mean by "a real preamp without ICs in the path"? My preamp is quite real, and if you go separates vs integrated, you will always have ICs ( interconnects?) In the path. Or am I getting something wrong? Also, what’s wrong with Conrad Johnson? I have no spikes/cones whatsoever, so no. Need to buy them. And I haven’t done the in-room compensation thing yet.
I, too, am a bit confused by Johnny's post. @ja_zz Yes, you need the spikes/cones installed on the speakers. Didn't yours come with a set? They disconnect the speaker from the floor and help with clarity/imaging. Tilt back, too, is necessary for proper imaging, soundstage, getting the tweeters at the right height. If you don't have a set, contact Johnny. You could also get some threaded gliders from Herbie's. http://herbiesaudiolab.net/spkrfeet.htm#stud B
Jazz nothing wrong w you PRE amp The fact you are commenting about how anything sounds without doing the proper set up protocols is very confusing to your audience and yorself and that would in return give you half assed results you need to read the owners manual and get the spikes , spacers and parts to experience what you paid for JohnnyR
Johnny R is right....take the time to go thru the setup per the manual and it is downloadable along with Vandertones via the Vandersteen website must get the Radio Shack analog SPL meter to set the bass EQ you will be shocked at how bumpy your room - any room is without fixing it... finally get the eq controls centered as previous owner probably set them to room..
Tom, They were centered initially when they came in. There are plenty SPL programs for smartphones. I was planning to use one of them. Now, throw your stones at me ;-)
Jazz PH for Vandersteen 5595820324 Order a Vandersteen Quatro spike kit from Jacqueline V. Owners Manual hard copy it should also come with the Vishay precision screwdriver 4 black front cones 2 for each speaker 2 special back slot spikes extra outriggers for stability variety of washers. if you have wood floors 6 Vandersteen floor protectors these maintain floor protection and desired low profile. CD Vandertones has the correct tuning frequencies Tomic mentioned a Radio Shack( analog type) meter E bay has for calibration reasons. if you can follow the above without any substitutions you will be on the correct path to enjoy music. Sorry, you are expecting rocks but as you will see when you follow thru with proper setup tilt-back in-room response adjustments, all of your prior observations will change and improve in a dramatic way. Best JohnnyR
Johnny, This is plan indeed. I just can't spend much time on this: I only see my family 2 days out of 7, and my wife is already jealous of the audio and forums :-) The two small boys are too. So I am getting there, but just not too fast. Who is Jacqeline V? The previous owner promised to find those spikes.
Tom, I do have a USB mike somewhere: bought it for some room-compensating EQ SW that I never got to using... So I guest it night work out. Audiotools works on a Mac?
@ja_zz Why don't you just buy a Radio Shack SPL Meter off Ebay and be done with it? If you were closer, you could borrow mine. (Or, you could fly me to Russia. I need a vacation...). Using the cheapo Radio Shack meter is easier and if you run into problems, we can help you. (Well, probably Johnny). B
I looked those SPL meters up, and I can get a cheapo version here.
Great, now we're getting somewhere. You can even substitute some bolts for the cones, until they arrive. Just get the proper thread(
I think it is 3/8-16). Put the bolt head downward and add a lock nut. The spikes are about an inch to 1.25 inches tall (at least on my Treo's), so you would probably want a 1.75 inch bolt(depending on how level your floors are). Follow the manual's set up directions for angling and you're good to go. Then on to equalizing them. B
They do, but they are not metal: just the wooden stuff the speakers are made of. Not used to this. Ruined q of an inch of thread. Guess they need to go deeper..
. Try a bar of soap or beeswax on the threads Of course, if you got the right threads and legnth that is. Maybe its time for the correct items above? Best, JohnnyR
gently lay speakers on sides and Tuesday take a photo / email / call Vandersteen i have never setup Quattros but have 5a and 7 and this does not seem right.... which may also explain your sellers loss of the missing cones....
I saw you mention TechHiFi. In Syracuse on "The Hill" across from Marshall Street? Bought my first stereo there from Lynn. Bartended across the street at the Orange while in school. Wow, that was 45 years ago.
@tomic601 I think you have something there and taking a pic of the threads is the best way to go. Post it on the Virtual Systems page. This is really odd. Bob
Gentlemen, Can you please measure the distance between the floor and 1. back and 2. front bottom parts of the speaker: I am trying to determine the length of spikes and cones. What is the difference between front and Back, how much are they tilted in your case? Thanks!
@ja_zz I just got your pics and I think I am correct. There should be a threaded insert inside the cabinet. It looks like the numbnuts previous owner over-tightened the spikes and when he removed them, he took out the inserts as well. No wonder why he 'lost' them. As I said, you need T nuts, better yet, call Johnny Rutan (send him the pics you sent me) or Mr. V. directly and I bet they will have the proper parts to fix it. Can you do it yourself, sure. BUT, why risk more problems? And, it looks like he broke off some of the bottom of the speaker where they attach. B
Bob, I broke it a bit myself. I thought there were metal inserts and screwed the cones in without looking. My bad. However, rest of the thread is fine. And I can make the inserts if they are flat and fit into those depressions on the bottom. I will also request Richard for those spares. Can you guys please measure the gaps between the speaker bottom in front and back of the speakers and the floor? Thanks!
Can you guys please measure the gaps between the speaker bottom in front and back of the speakers and the floor? Thanks!
You don't need this. If/when you put in the threaded inserts, you will thread your spike stud into it. Then, depending upon your floor, you will adjust each spike to give you the proper tilt(as per the Vandy manual), then tighten the jam nut to secure.
However, rest of the thread is fine.
There is no thread in there. Hence the need for threaded inserts. B
Bob, What I want to know is how much tilt does it usually require to correctly position the speakers. Hence the question. And yes, there is thread both in the front holes (cones) and in the back (Spike).
As far as length of bolt is concerned, it depends on how un-level your floors are. In my 100 year old house, things are definitely out of plumb. Thankfully, I didn't need to alter the spikes, so I doubt you will. If I recall, the spikes have about 1.5-1.75 inches of thread exposed before the spike. B
which you can down load from the Vandersteen website
for free
you need to follow isoquant lines depending on two important variables: distance from acoustic center of speaker and height of your ears in the listening position
those will tell you how many washers to put under each cone
Yes, but the front ones are toо feeble and not deep enough to hold the tilted speaker - without proper support by the washers, of course. I even broke part of the thread.
The back hole will hold the spike, though, as the cone is pressed directly against the speaker bottom, so no sideways pressure on the wood.
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