Cedargrover, the most popular Vandy 1c and 2Ce are still old designs with hardly state of the art drivers, an alloy tweeter and a polycone midrange.
They would hardly be called transparent speakers, they fall into the "musical" camp, so do Harbeth. We don’t sell nor do we want to sell either brand.
If you read any of our posts you would see that we respect Vandersteen to our ears, and by the way to many others they are quite colored sounding which makes Vandy speakers great if you like that type of sound.
Why don’t you listen to a pair of $14k Quattro’s and then come to our shop and we can show you a set of Legacy’s Signatures for $7k, with a similar sound. ie warm and big sounding.
Yet the Legacy’s are 95db efficient with bass down to 22hz and the Legacy will play louder to boot at half the price.
We can also show you a set of Legacy Focus Se with a Wavelet total package about $16k just add an amp as you get a preamp/dac/room correction processor. This combo challenges a set of 5C.
If you read almost every review of even the 5C or the Quattros most people who love them fall into the same camp they are the "musical" uber alles camp, they are not wining over the peole who prefer a less colored sound.
Never have I heard a reivewer with JM Labs or Rockports or Magicos trading them in for Vandy.
Vandy’s biggest claim to fame the carbon balsa cone is hardly a new idea as JM Labs was making composite cones for years.
Please enjoy what you like, please don’t tell me that Vandersteen builds speakers in the class of TAD or Magico or Rockport, YG or Kef.
Other than the 7 which is a good speaker not worth $70k but a good well designed speaker I would never consider owning any of the other models.
Go back to drinking your coolaid, Richard has no formal training as a loudspeaker designer, the video interview was hysterical, he blew out his midrange and alligator clipped a midrange driver to the top of the cabinet and found it sounded better.
Their one patent for the balsa cone included Mike Latvis as co inventor so what exactly did Richard invent?
Jack Oclee Brown, is a trained engineer.
So is Lawrence Dickie look at this list of patents
Our Patents
VIVID AUDIO and the VIVID AUDIO logo device are registered trademarks.
Patents pending on domed driver D26
Patents pending on D50
Patents pending on C125 bass-mid driver
Patents pending on C175 bass-mid driver
Patents pending on C225 bass-mid driver
Patents pending on compliantly mounted reaction cancelling drivers
Patents pending on reaction cancelling ports
Cabinet shape and construction techniques are registered designs
As per Andrew Jones technical experience:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/geoffreymorrison/2014/03/15/12-questions-for-andrew-jones-director-of-s...
True innovation is not making a new way to build a composite diaphram, but really coming out with really new ideas.
And yes Cedargrover we have heard all the newest Vandy model at shows and at other dealers as well as some of Johnneys clients homes.
Another bone of contention is your idea that Musicians who play live music are a good judge, many, many, musicians have tremendous hearing damage.
This is not a personal attack on your or what you believe or perceive.
All products have a house sound, every Andrew Jones speaker strives for speed, and accuracy all except for the cheapie Pioneer line.
If you value these things you will love speakers that fit in this model. if you are in the romantic, warm or musical camp you will love Harbeth, Devore, Vandy, and a ton or other speakers that fit this type of sound.
Happy Listening!
Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ