Back in the mid- to late-1980's, after the audiophile bug hit me hard, I picked up a used pair of Vandersteen IV's, his then-flagship. It was a revelation to me then, and in some has yet to be surpassed.
Every speaker mfr "voices" their speaker. Vandersteen certainly does, and I agree with his voicing more than most. But it's more than that. His consistent use of 1st order crossovers & fabric/soft tweeters gave the music an organic, unforced quality--power without brightness or hardness. It really sounded so much like real music from the symphony hall...I just relaxed into whatever I heard through those speakers,
It didn't hurt that I used tubes biwired to mids & treble + SS on the subs.
Several years later one of the technicians at my company asked me for a speaker recommendation, and I advised him to get Vandersteen 2C's. He did, but (very politely) complained to me that they weren't "forceful enough" for him. I understood that I'd made a mistake: this man came from the audio of lower-end Japanese & Korean manufacturers; he simply couldnt handle a sound that wasn't bright, assertive, dominant (he also adored early digital, which I thought was pretty miserable. What could I say? I apologized.
PS: I own and love a Pioneer Elite 42" (720p) which renders things in the most beautiful Rembrandt-like tones. Also have a 50" Panasonic 1080p model from 2012 (one of the last ones). Both caress my eyes, rather than assault them, as even the best LCDs do.
Every speaker mfr "voices" their speaker. Vandersteen certainly does, and I agree with his voicing more than most. But it's more than that. His consistent use of 1st order crossovers & fabric/soft tweeters gave the music an organic, unforced quality--power without brightness or hardness. It really sounded so much like real music from the symphony hall...I just relaxed into whatever I heard through those speakers,
It didn't hurt that I used tubes biwired to mids & treble + SS on the subs.
Several years later one of the technicians at my company asked me for a speaker recommendation, and I advised him to get Vandersteen 2C's. He did, but (very politely) complained to me that they weren't "forceful enough" for him. I understood that I'd made a mistake: this man came from the audio of lower-end Japanese & Korean manufacturers; he simply couldnt handle a sound that wasn't bright, assertive, dominant (he also adored early digital, which I thought was pretty miserable. What could I say? I apologized.
PS: I own and love a Pioneer Elite 42" (720p) which renders things in the most beautiful Rembrandt-like tones. Also have a 50" Panasonic 1080p model from 2012 (one of the last ones). Both caress my eyes, rather than assault them, as even the best LCDs do.