Richard sure is moving upscale! Read he's working on a Model 9 speaker too. Waaaaay over my budget. I thought I was doing good with Model 5's, some day I'll hear the 7's and see how far behind I really am.... |
The amp is the 3rd item down on this page:
http://cybwiz.blogspot.com/search?q=vandersteen
Liquid cooled! |
My guess is what you end up with for this price is an amp that is a near perfect match for the speaker in question. You could certainly spend that much chasing your tail trying out amps until you found merely a very good match.
I would guess it's too early for impressions on this amp to surface. You would think the Model 7 paired with these monos might be the ultimate embodiment of the Vandersteen sound, until the Model 9 comes out. What could be in line for this, and at what cost? Model 9? |
That's the direction the entire market is headed...up, up and away. Richard is simply following the market, like every other high end company trying to stay in business.
Folks just don't want to spend $20K on a system anymore, they want to spend $200K+. The rest of you can shop at Walmart. ;) |
Even though you may see 200k systems on Audiogon it's not the norm. The average person probably has a 500-1000 stereo.
It's the same thing if your on www.ferrarichat.com It seems like everyone is driving a Ferrari. The reality is very few people are driving Ferrari's. I live in Southern California where there are more Ferrari's than anywhere in the world. I rarely ever see one. |
If Richard can get some plutocrats to pry open their wallets, that's fine with me. As long as some of that money "trickles" down to improvements in his more affordable speakers. |
I lived in Los Angeles for 10 months, and saw more Ferraris there in 10 months than in 50 years in Pennsylvania. LOL!
You are right about the average person stereo Taters, but then the average person has probably never heard the Vandersteen name. I've noticed in general, the high end manufacturers prices are going up, waaaaay up. I can't think of a single manufacturer whose top of the line product isn't at least twice the price of his top of the line 5-8 years ago. Many have gone up 3, 4 or even 5 fold.
For instance, VAC's top of the line preamp used to be $10-12K, now it's $50K. They used to sell several models under $10K, now, you can't buy anything under $10K. VAC is NOT an anomaly, it's the norm in the industry. I can't blame them, they are simply chasing the money trail. |
Taters.... Come to Scottsdale, Arizona.....I see them all the time...and Lambos, and Bentley's. etc. |
Jmcgrogan 2,
You are right about the manufacturers catering to the rich. For years Vandersteen focused on inexpensive speakers for the average Joe Shmoe. Now he's looking to hit home runs with 50k speakers and amps. |
One morning in London....walking around Knightsbridge......I counted nine Ferraris..
Two were actually in motion whilst seven were parked in the streets.......no garages for 18th century townhouses.......:-) |
Taters come out and listen to see how well the latest 2500 buk Vandies focus.you will be surprised. If ya can't afford them either its no reason to be bitter with progress. By the way the Seven is more than a home run its a game changer. Be thankful for what you have or do something about it yourself. Cheers JohnnyR
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Audioconnection,
You're maybe the best one to ask. Do you have any experience with the M7-HPA or is it still in development? I'm sure it will be a quality product and a near ideal match for the 7, 5 and Quatro speakers for those who can part with the money.
Also, is there any truth to the Model 9 being in development or is this merely an Internet rumor? |
Audio connection,
I have heard the 7's and they are fantastic. I just don't have 50k to drop on speakers. |
The is an advantage to designing an amp to go with a particular pair of speakers.... |
Has Vandersteen lost his Dutch value of value? |
I think Richard has simply gone the route/business strategy of appealing to the 1% who can afford it. |
Stevecham,
I think you are right. |
Hey Guys
Vandersteen still builds better then ever Model ones, twos and three"s at what are amazing prices corrected for inflation over the last 35 years.
The Patented Midrange in the Five As trickled down to the Treo's and now to the 2 and 3 series along with other much better sounding parts.
You really need to get out of your assumptive mind set and in for a listen to appreciate these advancements.
Any designer sometime in his or her lifetime would like to pull out all the stops with no consideration of price.
If a very expensive caps sound better, put it in, etc. That's what he has done in the Model Seven and many people appreciate them. So cut the guy some slack even if you can't afford it you might enjoy a listen anyway.
Best JohnnyR |
35-40 $K for an amp that doesn't need to provide bass. Not exactly how Vandersteen started out, huh? Sure, the dealer likes it. Hey, he can do what ever chooses, just seems to have strayed off the path that made him so successful in the first place. |
Agreed that the new 1Ci is a great speaker and a great value. Vandersteen keeps trickling down its technology. I'm probably the only person in history to have stepped down from the 2CE Sig II to the 1Ci (I prefer the better off-axis coherence of the 2-way), and I love them. Johnny R was kind enough to sit me and my wife down to listen to the Model 7 the day we bought our 1Ci. While the 7 is amazing, I'm still smiling every time I sit down in front of my $1K Vandersteens. |
Has anyone purchased the Vandersteen M7-HPA monoblock amps yet? If so, it would be great to hear your impressions. I recently heard them with the Vandersteen Model 7 MkII speakers at a dealer event. They sounded very nice but it's hard to do a really good audition under those conditions. |
just noticed this thread. Hope you got a chance to listen to the amps. All my friends who own the 7's have ended up getting them except for one, lol. I'm now waiting on the new smaller mono blocks he's coming out with. Heard they will crush the 30k amps that are out there (from a friend who has heard them and owns all reference gear). Blew him away.
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Richard was pressured/criticized for years about not having a flagship, no compromise speaker. He finally gave in. His amp ideas are noteworthy at the least |
Totally agree. He also brought in a top amp designer on this 15k set of monoblocks. He knows how to make music, that's for sure. |
remember too that these amps come with their perfectly voiced silver speaker cables.
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and HRS footers. Crazy stuff when you think about it. Wonder why others don't do the same. |
