Vandersteen Model 7: has anyone heard?

I recently had the opportunity to listen to the model 7's in Tacoma, WA, and will say this; I don't frequently voice comment on the attributes of sound equipment, as I usually prefer to quietly listen. But these things put a grin on my face I couldn't wipe off. The idea of distortion free drivers was merely a concept to me before hearing these speakers. The 7's have an accuracy to their sound that I have never heard reproduced through recorded music. The listening session changed my perception of what a dynamic loudspeaker is capable of. Remarkable.

Asktheaxis,
It's not often that I read something written so succinctly and honestly, that I have to step back and reread it two times. THIS was such a comment.
I too think that Rich Vandersteen has something magic here with this speaker. That midrange driver is a work of art...only the best Planars have the qualities that this speaker offers. He's done a remarkable job building, and YOU did a remarkable job reporting on that.

Best,
Larry

I was shocked a couple weeks ago. Usually I don't have much time and am not looking for new speakers so I don’t spend a lot of time listening to speakers. I have been doing this a long time and also have a company that installs home audio systems, home automation, HT etc. Besides I have 5a and they are great. When Vandersteen was out doing the demo of the sevens in the area I didn’t even go. Several month ago I walked into Audio Connection for something else and he had the seven set up I listened to them and was impressed I knew they were special right away but just didn’t know how special.
Well a couple weeks ago I was there and there was a guy there seriously looking at different speakers so I didn’t feel bad following him around since I was not wasting any ones time and we had a good conversation about audio anyhow. I spent several hours listening to everything 2’s 3’s magnipans etc. I was shocked. I have owned Vandersteen 2,3 fives etc and many other brands. I know the differences between the two’s and three’s and then to the fives, the fives are just more there. Then we went to the sevens in a small room with glass in back right on the street, I wouldn’t say is ideal and the music just came alive and was so much clearer. So clear that I had to go back and wonder what was wrong with the 5’s, I couldn’t believe the difference.
I always though Vandersteen speakers where way laid back. These are not, the music is right there. It is hard to describe on vocals is it soft and nice to listen to but if you crack a symbol it is right there just like the guy was in front of you. There is always a compromise with speakers, the laid back sound of phase correct. The overly harsh thin sound of some but these just seemed to have great balance. The base was also terrific, same woofer as the 5a so I don’t know what is different but it is just better. I also have been back a couple of times and listened to them on different equipment and found my conclusions to be the same.
Anyhow I regret that day because I now find myself looking for a pair of sevens. But it was eye opening once I spent some time with them.

I have had my Vandersteen Model 7s for about two months. The break-in for these speakers is anywhere from 400 to 450 hours. I have reached 450 hours and feel that they are there. However, Richard Vandersteen has said that even he does not know how good they can sound. They just keep getting better as time goes on. My electronics is Aesthetix Io Eclipse phono preamp with volume controls and two power supplies. My amps are Aesthetix Atlas Signature mono-blocks. Wire is Audioquest Sky and Audioquest Everest. front end is VPI TNT 6 with Rim Drive and power controller. The arm is Triplanar 7 with Benz LP cart. The system is balanced. I became an audio fanatic in the 1950s when, as a kid, I heard for the first time the Electrovoice Georgian speaker system with proper electronics etc. for its day. That was it for me. I have had many speakers systems over the years including Avalon, Maggies, and most recently Vandersteen 5As. I listen mostly to classical music ( a collector of records for over 40 years, RCA, Mercury, Decca, E.M.I. etc.)
I had to wait a long time before I could honestly say that my system is very close to what I experience when I listen to the LA Philharmonic at the Disney Hall in Los Angeles. I have Richard Vandersteen to thank for this because of his years of research and development that produced the Vandersteen Model 7. Robert Harley's review in Absolute Sound is right on the money. The same is true for Pete Roth's review for the online Ultra Audio. The Vandersteen Model 7 projects a sense of truth to the source that the vast number of speakers out there do not. For the first time I can listen to the great Mercury recordings without the brightness that I and other collectors have complained about for years. I can finally really appreciate Kenneth Wilkinson's geat Kingsway Hall recordings for Decca and yes, I can hear the subway passing under ground. You will hear the multi-miking of the great RCA records, but you will also hear detail in them that I was not fully aware of through other speakers. The Model 7 is not just a step up from the 5a. It is a giant leap that takes you into the recording environment and lets you hear an amazing close approximation of what was heard at the recording session. Simply will find yourself totally involved in the music. For me image height is perfect, image size is dead on with the overall recording. And dynamics are close enough to the real thing without drawing too much attention to itself and distorting the soundstage. And finally there is the purity of the sound that no other speaker that I have ever heard has. If you think the Model 7 sound great at the dealers, just wait until you hear them in your own listening room. Once voiced below 120 hz and set up according to the manual, by the time you reach 100 hours you will begin to hear the greatness of this speaker. And that is just the beginning.

Interesting at a dealers place they outright beat the new Quads.

They have very nice imaging like a small monitor, but with pretty good low end grunt.

Only thing was a little "thin" in the lower midrange/upper bass like a ESL. Again not to pull any one's strings, I'm splitting hairs here.