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Vandersteen 5a. How refined a product are they

Im interested in this speaker and went to hear them at a dealers yesterday and they sounded only adequte. They seemed to disappear quite well for a large speaker and dynamics were incredible. They had the detail for sure, But lacked (dear I say- Magic!) I was wondering if there are any Vandy 5a owners who have been able to make peace with this speaker. It definitely Plays at louder levels without strain and thanks to the built in powered subwoofer, (12 inch bass drivers) I would be able to drive it With my moderately powered tube amps which otherwise would have some difficulty with a speaker with the 5a' s size and capabilities. I would greatly appreciate any info including some of the associated equipment which you 5a owners are using. Thanks
fjn04
abruce's avatar
abruce
245 posts
 
One of the best speakers I ever heard was the 5a set up in LA, One of the worst speakers I ever heard was the 5a set up in Minnesota. Set up and system matching is critical with these and all other speakers for that matter
themadmilkman
182 posts
 
Heck, I've heard the 5A sound like absolute magic, and then sound like absolute crap in the same room. Same equipment, too. The difference? The dealer had to move them farther back to make room for other equipment. They still sounded pretty good, but they blew my mind in their first position. It was the single most convincing reproduction of music that I had ever heard.
machine
71 posts
 
first poster obviously has not heard the 5 or 5a,or at least spent any time with them.sounds like an axe to grind.refer to second poster for objective and more accurate info.
no_money
638 posts
 
5a is an awesome speaker, hopefully it was the setup. At this price level a home audition is mandatory though.

Didac....calibrate your hearing? That's a new one to me.
fjn04 OP
1,561 posts
 
Thanks for the feedback. I do think the 5a could have been set up better and they were certainly very resolved w/ deep articulate bass and obviously will be very revealing of assoc. equipt.. I have a VAC 220 sig. Amp (4-kt88 per mono chassis) ,First Sound pres del Mk. 2 linestage, Aestetix Io mk. 2 phono, AA capitole 2 digital, Basis 2500, GRaham 2.2, Koetsu RSP cart, Koetsu standard red Cart. Kubala sosna emotion cabling and a 23L - 12 W- 8 high room. I did hear them at 2002 CES with the Tenor 75 and it was much better than my recent audition and the fact that they can be driven with fairly lower power is great because I would then have so many options for amplification. A home audition with this speaker just isnt happening. Thanks
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