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Vandersteen's new affordable mono blocks at the CES 18

Just got an email that his new amps will be unveiled at the CES.  Here is what I got.  I can't wait.  He has adjustable crossovers so you can use them on any speaker that doesn't go down to 20HZ, which is 99% of teh speakers on the market.  Here is what they said:

Vandersteen Audio Introduces the Next GREAT Amplifier at CES 2018!Venetian Suite 29-203
Vandersteen Audio shook up the audio world with its liquid-cooled M7-HPA monoblocks, a radical advance in power amplifier design and loudspeaker performance that is Stereophile Class-A rated as a true reference.Vandersteen is doing it again at CES 2018 in Las Vegas, where you can get the first look and listen at a pre-production pair of the upcoming M5-HPA (High-Pass Amplifier) monoblocks! The M5-HPA is a solid-state design descended directly from the flagship monoblocks. It will be substantially less expensive, but will offer an astonishing amount of the flagship's sonic magic. While the M7-HPA is designed specifically for Vandersteen's Model Seven Mk II speakers, the M5-HPA will work with a much wider variety of loudspeakers and Vandersteen powered subwoofers. To accomplish this goal, while the M7-HPA's high-pass is fixed at 100Hz, the M5-HPA's internal high-pass filtering is adjustable to any of the following five settings: 20Hz, 40Hz, 80Hz, 100Hz, 200Hz.Vandersteen for years has employed high-pass filtering with powered subwoofers for the ultimate in powered-bass performance. When paired with a Vandersteen powered-bass speaker like the Quatro Wood CT the M5-HPA forms a complete powered-bass speaker system in which the amplification is perfectly optimized over the entire frequency range.
Richard Vandersteen is responsible for the M5-HPA’s overall design and architecture; the amplifier was developed and is built in partnership between Vandersteen Audio and Dean Klinefelter, a talented designer and engineer in his own right. 
Vandersteen powered-bass speaker systems are the ultimate expression of Richard Vandersteen’s philosophies on design and performance, formed over decades of industry-leading design & research & innovation.
M5-HPA's technical attributes:
  • Zero-Feedback Solid-State Design With Dual Single-Ended Circuits Connected By The Speaker Load
  • All Signal Transistors N-Channel Bipolars 
  • No Emitter Resistors
  • Minimal Circuit Path- Only 5 Parts In Signal Path Per Phase
  • 10 Separate Power Supplies
  • Adjustable High-Pass Filter (20Hz, 40Hz, 80Hz, 100Hz, 200Hz)
  • 300-Watts Into 4 Ohms / 150-Watts Into 8 Ohms
  • Made In The USA


128x128ctsooner
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
13,140 posts
 
the new amps are factually $15 K the pair, the CES flyer will say preliminary pricing but if any of you have ever built anything of substance with hundreds of parts and a complicated supply chain that should be understandable. I have not heard them yet but I have spent the last three very enjoyable days and evenings ( very late sleep deprived listen all night kind of evenings) listening to his M7-HPA in my system. They replaced a no slouch Ayre VX-R Twenty.....

i will write a detailed review at some point but so far on no parameter would I go back to the Ayre.

on the point of amplifier chops. Dean is the man behind PSE which were giant killers, try to find one - people dont sell them for a reason. i think RV’s unique speaker and amp designer experience ( where do you think all the feed forward, power factor corrected sub amps came from ? ) drove some very unique engineering solutions into the M7: liquid cooling, no emiter R, cyclotronic SS topology, tube front end, built in power conditioning, DBS and HRS isolation....the list goes on

ya i am biased...

but wow am i happy listening...

now back to The Wayfaring Strangers - Shifting Sands of Time....sounds like microphone feeds off my high speed Revox



ctsooner's avatar
ctsooner OP
2,480 posts
 
great music choice!!!  Thanks for sharing thoughts on your amps.  They really are special. I owned PSE for a spell, but needed to make a change adn the money was right, lol. I didn't realize Dean's masterful pedigree.  I can't wait to get a pair in my room to listen to them.  Smart move on their part to also have a 20hz crossover so that it's basically a full range amp that anyone can use since hardly any speakers go lower than 20hz and if your's do, I"m sure that you will be using amps at 30k or more most of the time.

I like the look too.  
earthtones
111 posts
 
I’m interested in anyone’s long term opinions of running the Vandersteen M5-HPA’s with the 5A Carbons, especially, or the other high passed models. Are they significantly better in this application than any other amplifier, tube or solid state?
ctsooner's avatar
ctsooner OP
2,480 posts
 
Thanks for asking.  No time to answer right now, but I will in a few.  
ctsooner's avatar
ctsooner OP
2,480 posts
 
Ok, I have a moment. I have not had enough time to listen vs other amps.  I do know that those who have auditioned them love them.  They are voiced for the speaker.  It's Richards way of basically making a fully active system.  Teh amp itself sounds great running full speed on other speakers.  I know of a few folks who like them better than many of the 25k plus amps on their 5's and Quatro's and they auditioned most of the contenders which are awesome amps that I'd die to own.  

They will not sound 'fast' or 'highly detailed' like many amps do.  Not saying they aren't these things, but they are on the slightly warmer side of the equation compared to some amps that folks feel are 'high end' amps.  I like a bit of meat on the bones personally.  

My personal thought is that there are plenty of great amps on the market.  Your pre is going to be HUGE in the equation.  That's probably more important than the amp is.  I am hoping to hear the KXR pre amp with a pair of Richards amps as I bet that would be a killer set up. I know they play GREAT with the AR preamps (which I also love) as well as Aesthtix's preamps (a true Best Buy in high end audio for MY money).

I have spoken to a few dealers who sell them and feel they are an outstanding value for a true high end set of mono's.  Richard is a serious designer and the person he brought in with him to collaborate with him is the same one who helped with his big amps.  Those amps, for my money, are KILLER amps in their own right.

I'm hoping to get a longer audition.  Do you have the 5CT's? What are you running now?
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