2. speakers
  3. 1164637286

Thiel 3.6's vs. Vandersteen 3 sigs

Looking to upgrade. Currently have Vandersteen 2ce's which sound great, but have slight bass. So, I had to get a Velodyne FSR 12 to compensate, but this is not a really good match, I know. Anyway, I miss the bass that my old Thiel 03a's had by themselves. I'm guessing that Thiel 3.6's may cover all bases well. I'm not familiar with the VD 3 sigs, just hoping that they would cover the low frequencies better. Of course, the other option in to get the Vandersteen sub and keep the 2ce's. By the way, the speakers are powered by a Moscode 600 with a Rogue Audio 66 Magnum preamp. Any suggestions?
bdunne
chadnliz's avatar
chadnliz
3,737 posts
 
It doesnt bug me if Pepperdog doesnt like Vandersteen speakers but to say they are cheap and for "unsophisticated listeners" makes me question if he is Ignorant or a snob, or most likely a combination of both. The 5A and to a lesser extent the Quatro have anything but sloppy bass and cheap components so I doubt this opinion is one of experience.
stevecham
3,340 posts
 
As an owner of both CS6s and 2Ce Sigs, I can say that I am very fond of both Thiel and Vandersteen and can't imagine ever owning other brands from here on. Both manufacturers offer something quite different tonally, BUT they also both provide what few others can in the area of timbral accuracy from a time coherence standpoint. For me that's a gotta have. I tried to veer away from Thiel in favor of Dynaudio years ago and had to return to Thiel simply because I missed what these speakers do.

And for a lower-powered tube based system (Rogue Cronus or CJ CAV50) in a smaller room, the 2Ces rule.

Poor high-end response in Vandersteens? No way.

What Vandersteens are: some the best values and executions in speaker design and manufacture, ever.
bigtee
803 posts
 
Vandersteen uses some of the highest quality components in even his lower line of speakers that are available. I know, I've taken them apart.
Opinions like pepperdog just shows his biased ignorance.
BTW, Vandersteen's are some of the more accurate speakers available. They are easily in Theil's class for a lot less money and sound more musical to boot.
chadnliz's avatar
chadnliz
3,737 posts
 
Getting lectured about Sophistication from a guy named Pepperdog........priceless.
bigtee
803 posts
 
If you can find an old copy of the Audio Perfectionist Journal, Richard Hardesty does an excellent comparison between Theil and Vandersteen.
I think price wise, a better comparison would be between the Theil's and the Quatro's.
I owned 3a sigs for a long time. The Quatro is a better speaker top to bottom. The 3a Sig is an excellent speaker but with the built in subs of the Quatro, the integration is better.
Theil's are good speakers but you must pay close attention to what components you use with them. Vandersteen's are more forgiving although the Quatro gets bright with the wrong electronics.
More to discover