2017 ‘Keeper’ speakers under - $25K

Thanks for the explanation.  Vandersteen does list theirs right under the picture of each speaker when you scroll down the page.  Very easy to read and understand, lol.  

Funny you bringing up the foreign markets.  I have spoken to many companies about pricing their units for the Asian market.  All have said they have to inflate their prices at least 50% as the Asian market kind of demands major discounts in order to sell.  All have said this who do business there.  They end up being over priced for the US, but the dealers will will then discount them the same 50% and make people think they are getting the buy of a lifetime.  I hate that type of situation and won't do business with those companies. I understand their dilemma for sure, but I like a company to do a fair mark up and then sell their gear without the huge discounts, which also helps the resale value much of the time. 

@blindjim 

@ctsooner 

I read the last few posts and walked away. But I felt like I needed to come back and post.

Don't want to get in the middle Jim, but if you go to the Vandersteen website, you'll find all the info you are looking for. I know since I've been researching Vandersteen for a few weeks now based on my very recent demo of the Treo CT with  McIntosh tube pre (C2600)/SS amp (MC452). That demo revealed a great speaker but maybe not as good as it could have been. The dealer said Ayre gear is what he believes to be the best synergy though they don't have it in the shop currently. ctsooner says the same thing. I think that the Quattro Wood CT is probably a very good deal even though I've never heard them. I've heard few very good speakers in the $10-15k range and I live in SoCal so I have access to shows, get-togethers, and many dealers. The Treo CT was convincing and never flinched as the volume increased or the material became more complex; no fatigue at all. The  Quattro Wood CT has the advantage of two eight-inch sub's with room correction and EQ and according to ctsooner, is much better.

After all this, Vandersteen/Ayre has gone on my short list along with:
Wilson Sabrina/ARC
Mbl + Mbl components.

I still want to further check out the Marten Django L. They were very nice sounding with Zesto tube gear at the LA Audio Show. Also want to hear T+A HV series SS electronics with the Sabrina's - supposed to be very good.

If you look up ctsooner's posts, you will find a wealth of info on Vandersteen. I think it is a worthwhile pursuit.

Ctsooner > What are you talking about?

Blindjim > good question. Too bad you let others inspire you to not find out before you were promted to launch such a ridiculous affront here.

Atmas figured it out all by himself. He is spot on with his input.

How did this get missed by your constituency? Where were your buddies? Why did they not drop by and have you post so off the mark all alone?

So far you have been utterly helpful. Very thoughtful and I sincerely have appreciated all of your efforts. Thanks very much. Really.

I must exclaim here however the ‘PM’ facility on this site works quite well and if someone wants to really know what is what rather than ‘assume’, and we all know what comes out of the word assume, they could pm me…. Anytime and for any reason.

it looks like you chose to answer your own question or allowed your friends to decrypt the obvious statements I made and twist them into a manner contrary to reality.

Snarkey? Probably but I did not ‘snark’ it first.

I’ll try to use short paragraphs so the content is not overwhelming to your friends ability to comprehend it, as it seems you prefer to rely on others to think for you at times.

As for personally attacking someone I’ve never met. Never even spoken with, well, perhaps that is the way of things for many people today. I’m not from this period. I come from a time where respect was given to anyone. It was coveyed by way of consideration, thoughtfulness, and benefit of the doubt.

To read into something when it is not actually there says someone has a real set of issues they should deal with… asap. Like feeling threatened when no threat is apparent…. Like now.

Or if someone has an old axe they wish to regrind. As such, they should step up and get to getting.

In this current you furst after me, generation it seems things are being rearranged towards a more selfish self centered, slightly paranoid slant or spin.

Spin, that’s what people call truth, yet it is no more the ‘truth’ than a billy goat is a lawn mower.

I know from VDS and a few other maker’s speakers, amps, DACs especially, etc, posts those speakers are the end all be all for them in modern audio…. Great. Enjoy. I’m happy for you all.

Troll. In the real, just outside my door world, out on the sidewalks, an streets, that term could be and should be argued as slander. Only sheer idiots would walk up to anyone and call them such a name.

As the opportunity here extends itself beyond the forums and into sales of costly electronics those words are libelous too.

This ain’t a quiet talk on a park bench is it?

Nope. It is a published and compywrited form, thus its legal and legit.

Grow up.

Its what children say. Or what English language challenged people use to allow them to not fully apprise themselves of the actual contant.

So they will use reactionary paranoid assignments to derail anthing resembeling some perceived affront or attack on their ego (s), equipmebnt, man crushes, etc, exclaiming epithets at anyone from whom they feel concerned..

Troll. Ridiculous! Pitiful!

Directed or implied, I will expect an apology for this unwarranted reactionary attack!

Only online. And from supposed adults.

Disparaging. Its one more sign of our ongoing social decay. Only the truly self absorbed will find any of this humorous. Most will find it pathetic and senseless.

I was not and will not in the future or ever, intentionally thru premeditation be attacking anyone or anything specifically. I’m not responsible for inappropriate perceptions of others. and made mention of that as well.

My assertions surrounded content which could and should be put to greater light when a report is being written. Especially with speakers. Routinely specs are left out of many published online reviews. But here once more ‘’sloth’ or laziness ride hand in hand. As it does with any number of online published articles on audio equipment.



FYI…… FWIW
What usually takes someone a couple minutes or less online to seek, find and archive takes far longer if you must do it with your eyes closed.

Gee. That was sort of snarkish and trollish huh? Well, too bad.

I should have said, if you are BLIND…., like me, LIFE IS A BIT MORE TEDIUS… way more often. Like freakin’ daily.

I spend an enormous amount of time if and when I need or want to search out things on the web.


You and your friends should try that. Try life with your eyes closed for say, one day. Just one 24 hr. day and see just how much more complicated and frustrating life becomes

Put that sleep mask on and don’t ask anyone else for help, as you will pretend to live alone. I live alone.

Nobody will. They never do.I ain’t asking for sympathy. Merely explaining my side of the fence. I knew the risks when I joined the military.

We tend to keep our eyes open and our hearts and minds closed. Especially in the 2000s.

The adaptive ‘accessibility’ software I use is expensive, but not fool proof. Some web sites do not allow decent or good integration with it or them and at times a web site is nothing more than a blank page for someone who is blind… when the website itself and the access software don’t like each other.

Yeah. My personal confuser reads to me…. That which it can IF it is working well, and IF it is working well with a properly written web page and IF all the content on the page is accessible to it.

Nearly evey website are written for sighted people. This poses significant issues quite often for non sighted folks.

Sometimes just bits and pieces of a web page are incompatible. Sometimes information on sites are input using images .and not using text.

It will look like text to a sighted person, but it ain’t always.

My adaptive software does not read images. At best it might say one is there, but that’s it. Now and then. Not always. Only HTML and Text get anything close to being able to have them read to me.

Navigating the site is another huge obstacle. Its why I ask for links if possible.

On the VDS site just to find out some info on the $5a’s I had to click on five different links to get to the review of the 5’s with the VDS amps.

Then my apps would not read the info online, so I had to copy and paste it onto a notepad text only doc and then cut to a std. doc for reading purposes.

It only took the better parr of an hour or so. And it did not answer my concerns for the dimensions of the VDS Q CTs. lol

Stereophile and a few other online pubs are even less accessible. I can not copy and paste their countents into a document for later reference. If the app is not feeling well, I miss the content completely. All the links on that page and others as well.

Still … all can be really rocking with the software and site, but still a this or a that is not stated, or Holy crap! I, me myself, simply missed hearing it!! Crap. Often I re-read what ever content way more than once. Tiome permitting and I feel up to it.

Additionally, manufacturer and online magazines as well as basically the world, needs to be far more aware there are people whose challenges prevent them from being in the game. Meaning sales from contact are lost. For no real good reason than poor judgement in erecting a website. Providing owner manuals in unlocked accessible formats , enabling easier navigation etc.

Pdf’s are another horror story all by themselves.

Due to blindness there are more than a few hoops I routinely am forced to deal with, others do not need to contend.

usually I’ve little trouble with this disadvantage but felt compelled to loose some of my frustrations in the areas which time and again aggravate me and in all are simply needless lacks of information which could have been posted by an author in such a way as ALL OF THE CONTENT IS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE.

Anything not totally transparent here or otherwise can be unveiled via PM.


Atmosphere > Posting no model prices? Why not?
in the days of the internet a potential customer might be lost to the national distributor in that country if they see the US retail price.

Blindjim > Atmas… as usual I am grateful.
Wow. I’m very myopic too it seems. Never even crossed my mind as to the ‘hidden’ costs. Not once.
Thanks.

pokey77 > I read the last few posts and walked away.

Blindjim > Fan boys! Sheessh.

pokey77 > I still want to further check out the Marten Django L. They were very nice sounding with Zesto tube gear at the LA Audio Show. Also want to hear T+A HV series SS electronics with the Sabrina's - supposed to be very good.

Blindjim > for the most part, We are on the same path in our curiosities. I saw the account on the martin Django XL… not the ‘L’, and liked what I read. The WAS Sabrina as well seems a pretty interesting option although I feel both to be better optimized will need more than a couple handfuls of watts, which in all I don’t mind going with Solid amps, although tubes this time would be a primary choice if possible..

A hybrid amp might be the solution with either speaker. Indeed with a few speakers, like the upper ranges of Vienna Acoustic, KEF, or Audio Physics.

Simple works best for me. Even incorporating subs is not my preff, but often a necessity.

The ONLY reason for even thinking about active sub speakers is my desires on using a tube amp for power. 100wpc or less. Certainly no more than 200w.

Wherever things can be simplified in a system, I’m going to opt in for it. For now anyhow. I’m even beginning to like the notion of a single pair of speaker terminals vs two pairs.

Past years said to me, Focal are not speakers I’d likely ever own, but now, maybe so.
The Soffra versions, Audio Physic, WAS Sabrinas, Django XL, VA Music or Listz, KEF Blades, and on the outside the Personna lineup just out on paper at least all look like really viable well put to gether solutions..

Most, however sure look like they’ll want or need more than any 50 – 100 wpc to control them well. Driving them is another story and less than 100 wpc sure ought to work OK.

Good luck checking out the combos you noted. Clue me in on what you find interesting. Many thanks.

blindjim,

one of my bigger pet peeves is to read thru a review or article on audio equipment, and no one posts the just as important info... like weights, sizes, number of inputs, or outputs, sensitivities, IMP's, damping factors, even cost isn't always squarely confronted on the home website of the manufacturer..

Oh boy do I ever agree with you! 

I've been in the market again recently so have been reading a lot of reviews and it drives me NUTS reading reviews were the specs aren't stated somewhere in an immediately accessible, organized fashion.
How big are the speakers?  How much? What's the stated sensitivity, frequency response, etc. 

Having to wade through the body of the review hoping the reviews has stated these somewhere is so aggravating. 

This is one reason why I appreciate Stereophile reviews so much: I always know exactly where to go to clearly see the relevant specs (not to mention the bonus of the measurements).