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Stereophile Review of Quatro Wood

Anyone read the review of the Vandy Quatro Wood in the latest Stereophile? With this effort, Wes Phillips has moved the bar a full notch lower, further diminishing the relevance of the major audiophile rags.

After a (too) lengthy treatment of the design specifics, he touches on a fairly narrow range of performance characteristics and then spends the rest of the review on a useless (and superficial) comparison of the Quatro Wood and the Wilson WATT/Puppy 8--which is way more than double the price. What was he thinking? Why not compare the Quatro to several other similarly priced floorstanding models? How about a comparison with the sock version Quatro or the 5A? At least the consumer could get some sense of where the Quatro Wood falls within the Vandersteen line and whether the wood or the larger 5A is worth the extra bucks.

It's not that I am disappointed--the only reason I keep my subscription to these mags is because they are dirt cheap (a consequence of the inflated subscription figures that the low rate provides) and the record reviews are somewhat helpful. It's just that this particular review has demonstrated just how useless these reviews have become.
dodgealum

Showing 3 responses by tom_hankins

tom_hankins
928 posts
 
The only comparison I wanted to hear was going to be with the Quatro sock. I am very familiar with the Quatro, and like it alot. I want to know what the wood version offers over the sock version.
As far as the reviewers it seemed to me like Fremer liked the original more than Phillips liked his.
tom_hankins
928 posts
 
I saw Richard Vandersteen at a local shop about two months ago and he said the speaker is alot different than the sock version. Not just made to pretty up the Quatro. Reworked midrange and tweeter drivers, and reworked crossovers.
I can see how the bass may have been a problem for Phillips. The store I met Mr. Vandersteen at told me it took a few days work to get the bass right. they sound very, very, nice now.
Anyway, I like the Quatros so much it would have been nice to know what is gained with the wood versions.
tom_hankins
928 posts
 
Stevecham,
I have heard the Quatros sound beautiful in a fairly modest system. Ayre CX-7E CDP, Ayre K-5XE preamp, Ayre V-5XE amp. I heard alot of systems that cost alot more that weekend and thought this was one of the best.
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