2. speakers
  3. 135156-109208

Vandersteen 3A Sigs vs Klipsch Forte III

I'd like to get input on a comparison of both of these speakers. I have not heard them. No dealers in my area. I realize it may be an apples to oranges match up to many but want to hear the pros and cons of both. Haters welcome!!  I'll be driving them with a Mac 6200 integrated. 75w into 8 ohms and 100w into 4 ohms. Room is 27x18x10h. I listen to all music. Some vinyl. Appreciate moderate base, clarity in vocals, imaging, and like the speakers to "disappear".  Thoughts?
heardthat
gawdbless's avatar
gawdbless
1,235 posts
 
Man, a room that size!, if you have two corners free, may throw in a banana?, Klipschorns! very cheap used. I bought a pair without an audition. The (cheap) punt for me was worth it.Totally.
I am a horn guy, so maybe just a tad biased, although there are quite a few conventional loudspeakers that I could live with.
minorl
1,018 posts
 

I agree.  If you have a fairly large room with two dedicated corners.  Klipschorns for sure!!!!!!

enjoy

tomcarr
1,618 posts
 
You are trying to compare two polar opposite speaker designs. I happen to love the sound of Vandies and think Klipsch sound like PA speakers, but that is only my opinion, no more or less valid than every other poster's.
Book a flight, audition what you might purchase, and buy smart.
 Don't buy ear-blind unless you don't mind the possibility of disappointment. Buy once, buy right.
heardthat OP
52 posts
 
Yes, yes and yes....I would love to get K-horns and I have the room for it. BUT, it would totally turn the room into audio only (not a bad thing), no big screen, furniture issues, selfish??  
Tomcarr, sound advice for sure. I'm going to ask a couple of repair shops if they know of anyone with the Vandy's and less likely, the Forte's that I could audition. 
helomech
1,799 posts
 
The Vandy's are 10 or 15 years old and won't have Vandersteen's most recent upgrades. I have read that he tweaks without changing the name of the speaker. Are any of those changes significant, like a woven composte midrange cone?

Yes, the overall design had been around that long, but there have been unpublished upgrades along the way. I almost bought a used pair a few months ago and confirmed with Vandersteen that they've made both minor and significant revisions over the years. I was told the most significant upgrade was the move to the woven midrange cone. The older cones have a smooth surface. This should be easy to detect by shining a light through the fabric. 
More to discover