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Initial impressions of my new Vandersteen Quatro's in Audi Havana Black

I will post pics when I get more time on them.  I had them delivered and set up by Johnny Rutan of Audio Connections.  He moved them out to the corners of the room and close up against the back wall. I love the look as does my wife.  I also LOVE the HUGE soundstage these things can now throw.  NO SUCK OUT either.  I was shocked at that aspect. I was scared to death when he started them in the corner of the room. I have a very difficult room for bass as it's an open floor plan. I lose a lot of bass on the right channel as it's by a stair case.  I'm putting up a temp wall by the railing.  I am using a screen right now, but I need treatment of some sort still. 

That said, it only has about 30 hours or so and it's already starting to sweeten up.  I'm hearing so many things that I haven't heard in the room before.  I'm hearing bass passages that hasn't been there before.  On one passage of a  Bela Fleck song, the room just moved.  The thing is that I've heard so many of these songs on Wilson's and Magico's and B&W"s and Focals, Paradigms, Legacy's and so many other speakers, but the tonality of the Vandersteen bass is just special.  It's so accurate. What so many don't know is that the way he designed the bass amp, you still have the same sound as YOUR main amp.  Not sure how he does it, but he does.  You don't hear the difference. 


I think that the reason some don't get the Vandersteen's at first listen is because it's not like other speakers.  We aren't used to hearing a speaker that isn't 'hifi' sounding.  Its very organic. To me, it's like analog vs digital.  Both can sound GREAT, but digital is still digital and that's why vinyl and reel to reel are still going strong after all of these years.  Kind of reminds me of a plasma TV vs the LCD TV's when I went to purchase mine.  I was originally taken by the brightest TV's in the showroom, but I keep going back and watching all the Plasma's in the darker room that Magnolia was showing them in.  I wanted the Pioneer, but could only afford the Panasonic's. I have two of them and love them.  People actually ask me why their TV doesn't look as good.  I first ask if they had it calibrated professionally.  The answer is always no and then tell them it's a plasma.  

Set up isn't fun for me, so Johnny does it for me.  I'm digging my new set up and will write more later, but i am Jonesing to go up to the loft to listen some more.  I'm really loving the organic sounds of my system right now.  All genres too which is just awesome.  Not taking any digs at others systems, just loving mine.  We all hear differently and I get that.
128x128ctsooner
ctsooner's avatar
ctsooner OP
2,480 posts
 
Bob, for 7k more or so, it's a huge difference.  By upgrading to the built in subs, you get a much much more dynamic system with huge depth and it frees up my amp so it only has to handle 100hz on up.  It's a killer speaker AND it makes the amp better.  I personally love an active system if implemented properly.  Doesn't mean that all active systems are great as some I've heard are still too bright for my ears or when done in the digital domain, it masks the sound a bit and throws it off.  This is why I personally don't like speakers like Persona and some others that are using DSP.  I have personally never heard any DSP sound as good as without.  

Bottom line is that it's smoother and more natural.  Those Treo's you have are outstanding.  The tweeter difference is big, but in an incremental way not a night and day per say.  
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
13,037 posts
 
To be fair Treo  are like 3x the best model 2

but the basic Vandersteen design tenets are alive and consistent thru the line:

first order filters for time / phase accuracy
minimum baffle
easy load - no bizarre phase angle or impedence 
drivers are highly pistonic
no ringing in the audible range of the driver / filter
time aligned
cabinet resonance well controlled 

gets better as you go up the line


dentdog's avatar
dentdog
506 posts
 
I'm a big fan of active bass in a speaker. It does introduce some complications as to placement but it sounds like that really hasn't been a problem for you. 
desktopguy
387 posts
 
@gdnrbob, he probably was using a typical receiver of the day (2CH, maybe 60wpc max, power supply the size of a pack of cigarettes, if that).

I was using real power on my Vandersteen 4's (100 wpc tube amp on mids + treble inputs) & a 200 wpc SS amp on the input for the subs. It got really loud & dynamic, for sure. Still, I never managed to make those speakers sound 2-dimensional, hard, bright, brittle, "accurate," or any of those code-words for unmusical. They always breathed and made music sound quite real.

My technician friend was no doubt used to systems that rattled his privates (boom, boom) and razored his ears off. The 4's could shake the walls, but neither the 2C's nor the 4's were going to become treble cannons.
ctsooner's avatar
ctsooner OP
2,480 posts
 
Dentdog, placement of the Vandersteen semi actives are very very easy. That's why I needed the Quatro.  The bass has that eq and it allows you to set them up where they sound best and then you dial in the bass.  It takes a little time, but it's fairly easy (with two people it's quicker) and sounds GREAT.  Huge difference in a difficult room like mine.
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