2. speakers
  3. 1166159753

To those who've tkn Vandersteen 5A upgrade plunge

I've got a pair of Vandersteen 5's (am the original owner), and am curious as to what the experience has been for those who have upgraded, in regards to changes in the sound, since it's an expensive upgrade, and I've heard differing opinions before as to just how much of a difference it makes.

I've considered taking the money it would cost and putting it into a relatively better turntable cartridge, cd player, or possibly preamp at a future date; I currently have an SME 20/SME V combo plus an Ayre cx-7e, K3x, and V5xe(though it's quite possible I'd spend the saved money on the rig anyway, even w/ the upgrade...). Do you think the money is better spent elsewhere, or as well or better spent here?

Thanks for any feedback!
aubullience
mikej
172 posts
 
Hi,

I've been the original owner of my 5s/5As and the upgrade is very significant. Absolutely worth every penny. Feel free to read about it in my system. However, I can't comment on how to spend your money. The turntable is also a worthwhile upgrade...so it's up to you to prioritize.

I never thought there was anything wrong with my 5s...but when I got the 5As I realized I was wrong. Not sure which comes first for you, but I decided I wanted to resolve all of the changes in my system when I auditioned them. So I upgraded the Vandersteens first.

Good luck and have fun!
aubullience OP
28 posts
 
Mike-

Thanks for the feedback; just a question about the 5A's. Someone recently told me that the 5A's are considerably more sensitive to room placement/setup than the 5's (is this your experience as well?) and might not work for a relatively smaller room. My current listening room is 12 1/2 feet deep and 18 feet wide; the speakers would be w/in 1 1/2 to 2 feet of the front wall, about 8 feet from drivers to my ears, and I'd be about a foot from the back wall. Room is 18 1/2 feet wide. Any major concerns about this (might move system to new home/larger room w/in a few years, but this is what I have to work w/ now)?
machine
71 posts
 
9000.00 to replace drivers[not even sure all],mod x-over.mod woofer amp.,and test.this is what i was told by vandersteen you get.seems to me price is based on keeping price inflated,rather than actual cost.i own 5's and would like to up-grade,but this is just to much to justify,even with intellectual property value factored in.every-one is entitled to make a buck[i run my own buss.],but come on.can anyone en-lighten me? i guess you could say when your done you have 5a's,but you started with most of the spkr. and labor to build already paid for.thanks for replies in advance.
4yanx
1,576 posts
 
As an owner of 5's, I tend to agree with Machine, if I understand his post correctly, that is. :-) And, given that I have had other components upgraded, I am not oppsed in any sense to upgrades. But, $9K+ is way too high, IMHO, though I can see why a manufacturer would not want someone to be able to buy a pair of used 5's and upgrade them to 5A's at a subtaintially lower cost. I figure, if I decide to upgrade, I'll sell the 5's and buy something else - maybe Vandersteen, maybe not.
mikej
172 posts
 
Hi Aubullience, the 5As have more top and bottom end range than the 5s. They're also considerably faster and more transparent. You'll find that the room problems you had before will be more noticeable, but just as tunable. Your dealer will do this as part of the upgrade. Tuning time takes 1-4 hours depending on the room. My room took 90 minutes whereas a friends (who has the worst bass response for a room I've ever heard) took 4 hours to get right. So in a nutshell, you'll be fine. The difference between tuned and untuned is just much more dramatic than before.
More to discover