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

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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 





I'm listening to first dose of female vocals and it's the best I've heard in all my system.I thank you guys for putting me on to the Vlrs....boy I'd love to do o a face off with the LS 50s!! Lol

I'm smiling ear to ear...I'm hearing more details from my music than ever before. Next decision/direction? I have a Musical Fidelity v90 dac. Pretty incredible piece for 299.00. Reviews you know are Gaga.  Do I do a Bitfrosh. Or keep the top and replace the NAD with a Schiit Vidar? Hummmm. What do you all think...
Yes, Ayre Codex.  Ayre + Vandersteen is a great combo.  (check out my system page!) 
You’ll notice a much greater difference with by going the route of amplification.

IMO, SS DACs belong in the category of placebo products, i.e. cables, fuses, and most power conditioning. If you want a different flavor of sound (not necessarily better) you can get it with a tube DAC.

Another path that will yield greater results is a speaker stand upgrade. Anything that’s mechanically coupled to your speakers will affect resonance behavior and therefore, the sound. This is clearly audible. $600 on Sound Anchor stands is a vastly better purchase than $600 on a DAC.

If you get something like a Bifrost, and you’re objective in your listening, you’ll realize why the $300 V90 DAC is rated "class A" by Stereophool, higher than far more expensive pieces like Shiit’s Yggdrasil. Hint: it’s not because it’s better.
BTW, I’ve owned the V90 DAC. I also own a DAC that retailed for $1800. If I’m honest with myself, they sound almost identical to my $100 Topping DAC.