Vandersteen Quatro CT

Thanks tomic601!  I would love to listen to a set of Ayre mono locks in my system too.  On the tube side, I think a pair of Atma-sphere MA-1s would be interesting to listen too as well. The quatro has low efficiency but a steady 8 ohms across the frequencies might make up for that with an OTL.  Unfortunately, I think my dog might be too interested in an exposed tube amp to be safe. So for now, I'll continue to enjoy the Pass.

-Karl

The Pass is a fine amp for the Quatro's. I personally like the Ayre Ref amp better as there is a ton of synergy, but that's me.  

I own the same integrated, AX5/TWenty, and it will sound a spec better after about 15 minutes or so, but I won't leave it on all the time.  If you don't have over 400 hours on that input (each input must be broken in separately and you want to really beak each input in using the listening volume level that you use normally), then it may also be part of breaking in.  I know that the time of sounding it's best shorted considerably once I was all broken in.  Once I get it back from Ayre with the Vandersteen cross over installed, I'm sure I'll need to run them for many hours to break them in too, but since I need to break in the new Quatro's, it's not a big deal, lol.  

I personally hate the break in time. I'd rather just do a plug and play from day one.  Guess we'd have to pay for the hours of break in at the factory. I know Vandersteen does a pretty good job of breaking in that midrange before assembly, but you still need to break in the rest of the speaker once you get it just like anything else.  With the newer and stiff components used and all the silver in the amps/electronics, it takes so much longer than it ever did.

Ctsooner:
Did you ever get the speakers? Review????

LOL,  YES. I got the Audi Havana Black Quatro's (he said that for the upcharge to paint, he will do any color you want).  

The speakers are just beautiful to look at.  They are pretty in the wood veneers that they use, but painted make them look like they are 50k speakers.  Just a totally different look than the Treo's we had in here.  They were cherry and stunning, but these take it to levels beyond in my humble opinion.

So much metallic flake.  Sorry, but did I say how stunning they are? I'm actually going to have two drop lights installed above each of them just to show them off.

We actually installed them into the corners of the room.  The sound stage is wide and deep.  I thought this set up would have suck out in the middle, but it doesn't at all.  It's a great way to place them up against the walls.  The 11 band bass eq is amazing.  Just dial in the speakers where they sound best and then do the bass eq deal and you are done.  They look great tucked away and it frees up space in the room, making it look much nicer.

I don't even know where to begin on sound quality.  I've listened and truly auditioned so many of the speakers from 60k down. I couldn't afford anything above the Quatro price point, but I wanted to see what and how much I was going to lose.  The answer is nothing.  I like these much better for musicality, pace, timing and rhythm than the Magico 3 mk 2.  They are the most coherent speaker I've heard under 30k (the Vandersteen 5's are about the same in this regard).  They come off to me, in my room as a point source.  I'm not the only one who feels this way either.  The mids are just planer fast. I don't know how else to put it.  The fast mid affects EVERYTHING including bass.  Folks don't alway understand that.  Give me a speaker that has the best mids you can get and augment with a matching tweeter and woofer and I'll probably love the speaker.  It all starts with the mids and this midrange is outstanding, but also integrated properly.

It's a highly percussive speaker.  Dynamics aren't a strong suit as I think it's one of the rare speakers on the market that does everything really good.  The higher up in their range you go, you just get MORE of everything, but the compromises he makes at this price point are amazing in a good way.  I play them on Sunday mornings at a low level (when not using headphones) and they are clean and still dynamic.  The louder you play them, the more they open up and sound better.  Playing them at low levels is fine and they are not veiled etc... I THINK that's due to the design of phase and time alignment etc... You just don't get the smearing that I hear on so many of the more expensive speakers.  I'm just very sensitive to that.  

I use a server that was made by Steve Nugent of Empirical Audio.  It's as good as any server I've had in my system and I've had some top servers in here.  It's only got show recorded, high res and some 24/44 stuff.  Very good recordings of all genres.  I won't even bother with male, female voices....piano strikes, deep/wide/high stage....We all use the same adjectives in discussing products in audio.  Honestly, everyone asks how they sound now that they are broken in and I just say that I don't fully know (yes, I can sit and list stuff), because I just sit and listen for hours more a day than previously.  I loved my Treo's, but to have true bass in my room (I lose a lot of bass due to it being loft layout) means everything.  There is finally a foundation to everything.  I"m hearing sounds like Tympani's or stand up bass that I wasn't getting previously.  I realize how much small little sounds can make in a recording.  

To sum it up, I guess I'd have to say that I never thought I could get 50k sound on my budget.  I think what I appreciate about VAndersteens' in general is that they sound even better with better components.  Not just a little, but a lot.  I could easily run these with the top Ayre or D'agastino or Boulder electronics (or Jadis etc..) and it would be worth it.  I put an Audioquest Horizon, balanced interconnect (it's the same thing as their top WEL/solid silver) and it just warmed it up and gave me more of everything.  Crazy who an upgrade that was.  I've heard the Paradigm 9H which is an active sub also and I honestly wouldn't trade for it. Not even close.  There is a veiling that the Quatro doesn't have.  I have heard some poor recordings on these and you can hear why it's poor, lol.  

I feel that it's the sweet spot in the Vandersteen line. The Treo has plenty of bass, but it's not tunable and doesn't move as much air as the Quatro.  The 5's are outstanding in their own right and the carbon mids with aluminum bass drivers makes a huge difference also.  I feel the 5's are closer to the 7's in sound and the Quatro's are very close to the 5's, but move less air (physic's aren't changing).  

All in all, I got much more than I expected and couldn't be happier.  I'm one of those who usually keeps his components for many years and I'll be shocked if I sell these anytime soon.  They'd have to change the line and make a speaker near this price range for that to happen and I don't see that anytime soon.  Just a GREAT SPEAKER.  Everyone I've had in here has said the same thing. 

I want to clarify something I posted.  When I said 'Highly percussive' this is how it should have come across and I don't think it did:

It's a highly percussive speaker.  Dynamics (((aren't a strong suit))))) as I think it's one of the rare speakers on the market that does everything really good. 

The dynamics are outstanding.  It just does everything correctly, so it's hard to put into words (at least for me it is) how it sounds.  Been listening to a lot of the Joe Bonamassa live from Carnegie Hall as I was there.  It's a good recording and as my wife said, it's like we were there again.  We sat about 12 rows back center stage.  Perfect seats to let the sound just bloom around us.  I hate music that's in my face. 

Just a great speaker and worth auditioning even if you heard it a few years ago.  I think they are just a bit warmer sounding in the lower mids.