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Vandersteen 5A or Eggleston Works Andra II

I will be upgrading my speakers in the near future and I have been waiting to one day upgrade to the Vandersteen 5A. I have read some good things about the Eggleston Works Andra II and I have included it on my list.

I have listened to the vandersteen 5A as well as the Quattro and will listen some more. I hope to be able to finally listen to the Andra sometime in the next 2 to 3 months when I travel to a place with a dealer for those.

I listen mostly to jazz.. world music, reggae, and everything in between that moves me.. sweet music i say.

I am interested in a speaker that is full range and flat all the way down to 20 Hz!

I usually buy for long term keeps so whatever I decide on will be staying for a long long time.

Room size is T shaped --12 x 32 long and a 9x14 short and carpeted. Whatever I decide on will move with me if I ever move, then it will be to a more dedicated room in the future I hope.

Current gear:

McCormack DNA 500
Modwright Instruments SWL 9.0SE LineStage
Integra DPS 10.5 Universal used as a Transport
Benchmark DAC1
VPI SuperScoutmaster with Signature arm and Shelter 901 MC
Mirage Frx-9
Velodyne HGS 15 II

Thank you for your suggestions and keep your other possible recommendations coming as well.
ije
french_fries
815 posts
 
vandersteen may have 29 yrs of experience, but the andra-1
became one of the best sounding speakers on the market regardless of price in one stroke (of genius). then eggleston improved it by "30%" when offering the andra-2's- the reviewer in stereophile openly wondered if the even larger eggleston savoys were necessarily better, citing the fact that the andras were already full range, accurate, and musical. the vandy-5's with an active sub delivers more bass according to my friend who has heard both speakers- therefore they're probably more capable in absolute terms. but he still thinks my andras sound superb just the same. if the musical message is still your 1st priority the egg's are competitive with just about anything out there.
evita
112 posts
 
The Andra II was designed primarily by Albert Von Schweikert, who also has a few years in the biz. Both of these are excellent speakers, necessitating an audition to choose between them.
mikej
172 posts
 
IMHO, your ears should make the decision. If it's a close race, then take into account the room tuning with the Vandersteens. They will make most (if not all) rooms work where as virtually every other speaker will be more compromised in setup options and resultant sounds. I'm sure both sound good, but when listening to them in different rooms and environments I'm fairly sure the Vandersteens will be more consistent and musical.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy whichever you buy!
bruce_1
96 posts
 
The conclusion one could draw from the posts thus far is that both speakers have their supporters, with different rationales offered for their preference. The best advice is to do extensive listening tests with your favorite music in your own home with your own equipment and these speakers if at all possible. One thing that hasn't been mentioned that you are likely to find if you do the audition in your home is that the McCormack amp and the 5a's are a Very synergistic combination. If you can't listen in your home, take your amp with you and listen to the speakers through your amp at the dealer's. That will help you decide (it did for me--I bought the Vandy's).
agaffer
256 posts
 
You really do have to listen to both speakers. If they had somewhat of a similar sound then maybe it would be easier to weigh in with an opinion based on personal experience, build quality v.s. price, product support, etc. I have listened to both speakers and they are very, very different speakers and you will have to decide which sound you prefer.
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