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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
evita
112 posts
 
Thanks for the response, Rex.
martykl
3,578 posts
 
Re: The 5A sounding laid back. I don't know the Andra, but I've auditioned the 5A's extensively and offer (FWIW) just two observations:

Unlike the passive Vandy's, I find that the 5As are less sweet and somewhat more analytical sounding speakers. However, unlike most speakers fitting that description, the 5A doesn't sound harder as the volume increases. In fact, for dynamic impact, I've found they sound better at SPLs significantly higher than my usual listening volume.

The bass tuning capabilities are amazing. Most systems of this type have left me lukewarm at best. I've heard the 5A in three different systems (Optimal Enchantment, Brooks Berdan, and at a friend's home) and, in each case, bass response was as good as I've heard and significantly better than my Verity P/E in any of the three rooms in which I've had them.

Overall, I think the 5As are very fine, unusually versatile speakers with superb bass that sound best when played LOUD. However, I don't think I'm impressed enough to replace my Vertiy P/Es.
mgottlieb
334 posts
 
I'm a bit puzzled by the narrowness of this thread: why Vandersteen vs. Eggleston? I'm not particularly a Vandersteen lover, but lots of people are. I own a pair of Andra II's and truly love them, but one major reason for my purchase is that they are designed to go within 18" of the front wall, which is critical for me. If that were not the case, I have been blown away by Dalis, delighted by Sonus Fabers, and awed by Avalons. You can't go wrong with the Egglestons (and again I really love them), but I'd listen around a bit. And on the subject of power, the A IIs, unlike the Andras, were redesigned to be much more efficient, and although I use a pair of Mac 501s, I doubt that they ever put out 125 watts a channel on the loudest music.
colopilot
28 posts
 
Ije, any update on your decision?

I am looking at the Andra's as well, have a DNA 500 and SWL so your findings are of interest to me.
vladimir
346 posts
 
I have a comment and a question for those who have heard both speakers. Years ago I listened to the original Vandersteen 5s and liked them very much; however, both by itself and when compared to the original Eggleston Andra, with which I was very familiar, the soundstage height of the Vandersteen was low, not much higher than the top of the speaker; by contrast, the Andra's height was tall and natural. Is this still the case with the newer versions?
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