How would you compare these two Vandersteens?

The Quatros are better in every way. If you can stretch to the 5A's you're really talkin'. Vandersteens - no matter which model, are a steal in their respective price ranges. The wood Quatros are a bit better than the cloth ones and are worth the extra expense.

To my ear, the 5s and Qs sound very, very different from the 2s and 3s. The 3s are what I think of as "classic" Vandys: Warm and musical are the first words that come to mind. The Qs and 5s are punchier and feel more tonally neutral (less warmth and more forward through the treble). Some people have commented on the similarities in sound, so this is only my take and YMMV.

Caveat, because the powered woofers on the Q and 5 are adjustable, the speaker will sound somewhat different depending on who did the set-up and where the speaker is located. Although the set-up CD is (I'm told) supposed to address this issue, it really doesn't. I've heard both the Qs and the 5s multiple times and the bass balance has been all over the board. The good news is, you can tailor it to taste.

Good Luck,

Marty

You are comparing apple and orange here. You really should compare Quatro with a pair of 3A sig + a pair of 2Wq. In that configuration, I would pick 3A sig + 2Wq over Quatro for easier positioning. The EQ for Quatro sub is useful only to a certain point because null cannot be solved by EQ.