Vandie .7 vs Maggie .7


*** I tried to edit the TITLE.,,Sorry   I mean Vandie 1ci    Thanks

Hello to all! I am hoping I will get some opinions on these 2 speakers. I’m 65...a Pro musician with a degree in music. I’ve own of equipment for sure. Nothing in the Mega buck range. I did own a par of Maggie III’s 25 years ago. Vandersteen’s are really a brand I have never owned or stopped at a dealer or known someone who owned them.

I know opinions are GOING to vary. These are kinda 2 different speakers...but a similar approach. Maggie flat panel, and Vandie "no baffe.

I have an NAD 326BEE integrated amp..( very decent)....I’m about to spring for a Schiit Vidar. I have an MF V90,,Schiit Saga... I own Whafdale Diamond 240’s.

I was also set to pop for the Vidar and got into a discussion with someone at Schiit, and he generally said, looking at speakers/ headphones are usually a bigger change. So started my re-evaluation.

These are the 2 I am down too. I have 1400-1500 to spend. True-ness of timbre, soundstage are most important ot me ...because I have listened and played live music since I was 15.

I do very much appreciate your opinions. I want member to BE subjective and give me your take based on personal experience. Thank you very much, Otto

128x128ottoa63
Congrats on the VLR’s a fantastic and as you have seem overlooked coax that can give the deservingly lauded Kef a run for the money !!!

on stands I would say concrete is pretty light, porous and resonant in blocks, invest in some Sound Anchor or other metal stands, Blu Tac is worth its weight in gold!!!

do not modify the inputs, even the 7 use the barrier strip gold plated soft brass tied directly to the crossover as only the frugal Dutchman can do

serious do not change those !!!!

enjoy and keep us filled in !!


Otto Great move.
 Many Kef 50 owners with the Metal drivers after hearing the Vandy VLRs say I wish I had heard these things first.

(((am going to do a small MOD....take the terminal strip OUT and replace the copper binding posts. I also asked RV if there are any upgrade to these)))

Otto The Terminal strip sounds better than the fire hydrant connections.
 Most folks never did the actual listing test and A/B these things.
 I have and it's not even close terminal strips more cohesive.
 
Take that energy and put it into some used Audioquest Go 4 with DBS
 or find a Pre-owned Belles Aria integrated / Rotel Dac amazing combination.
  Best,
 JohnnyR
@audioconnection 

When I had 1Cis, they had a strange distortion characteristic in the upper midrange. It wasn't present in all music, but often enough that I couldn't live with them. I let them break-in for about 100 hours, but this trait remained. It was the only real qualm I had with those speakers. Being that the VLRs are slightly higher in price, are they a better speaker than the 1Cis (with the obvious exception of bass extension)? Are they smoother through the midrange?
(((When I had 1Cis, they had a strange distortion characteristic in the upper midrange.)))
Helomecch
You seem to go thru change with many speakers and amps.
reading the Vandy manual and others is important and may prove beneficial.
Most speakers need 200 hrs run in and perhaps your speakers were too far out from the front wall or side walls for decent even power response, not dealing with the first reflection points off the side walls.
Perhaps compounded with a hi feedback Chinese amp in the chain.
squeaky, wispy, multi-strand speaker wires.
The Vandy’s set up right, bases filled, tilted back, achieve superb delivered performance.
Definitely, sound great with Belles Aria, ARC, Quicksilver, Rogue Audio, Audioquest cables, etc
The VLRs bass is less extended yet true to life, the midrange is more sophisticated than most because unlike other smaller speakers they don’t have a built-in bass hump.
This in itself is refreshing and surprising at the same time for the music.
Note VLRs get set right up against the front wall and pointing straight forward.
Best,
JohnnyR
I'm back. First....the banana terminated Silver Signal speaker wires fit perfectly into the connectors terminal strip. Was this designed in? Took the screws out and put them in...perfect. GEZZZZZ I am very HAPPY! I'll going to sound like a reviewer I guess...but its my opinion. After 2 hours things started settling in. The VLR's have to be the most revealing speakers I've ever heard/owned. I'm going to start another thread about Hi-passing, because to my amazement, I started listening full range w/o the HSU electronic xover...then went back and forth on the same tracks. And I started to notice the music was fuller, had more body. I know, some may say....there is NO place for this "crap" in audiophile listening.I am putting this out here to get opinions. As I said I'll start another thread and see what this community thinks of the whole concept. Bi and tri amping are used in professional sound reinforcement, so why not in home audio?

More....I'm going to contact HSU and discuss this with them...my question, : does a crossover add some kind of phase abnormalities or something to the mix? I'm sure Dr HSU is no dummy....nether is M&K and others. Now I have 1 sneaking suspicion. Could it be the 90hz xover point I have have had it set to all these years? It came with a 70 or 75hz module..its a IC that plugs into the socket. MAYBE, just maybe changing this out will solve the slight less "body" I hear...I say body... but I was listing to Roy Hargrove's Moment to Moment CD... ( I'm a trumpet player ),and his horn just had more overall body and was more real without the crossover button pushout   I can use it or not with a push button.I know... I would be eliminating 3 pairs of cables too...and this electonic box in the signal path...which many might say....NO WAY... I would ever use this. Soooo....I'll change out the IC..and see if this does,,,,then I will have the benefits of hi=passing....I will run the VLR;s full range...and may add the sub very low...and set the crossover on the sub to the lowest setting.... and see what happens. The  bass on the VLR's is thinner for sure than a big tower....but its all "integrated together. To close this out...please let me know if any still think the 1ci's or the 2Ce's are still the better way to go...there will be no need for a sub and crossover is not part of the equation anymore. I was so relaxed this afternoon listening to this cd...I fell alseep....hahaha. Finally real music... I value tonal accuracy above all in my listening....since I know live music so well ( I mentioned this long ago, I direct an 18 pc Jazz Big band )...this is the most important to me. Recreating a live space is so room dependent...its not top on mind. Give me a decent soundstage,  but tonal accuracy...I'll take that.

Otto