Vandersteen Model 7 speakers are incredible. I have lived with a pair of Vandersteen 5A's for about 10 years and still feel there is no speaker in their price range that is even close.
I went to hear The Model 7 with not necessarily intending to buy, lets face it they are not cheap. One thing I would tell anyone wanting to hear them make sure the dealer has set them up right as Richard Vandersteen has instructed. On hearing them the first time I felt the were slightly better than my 5A's. I then was able to hear a pair of Model 7's that I was told were set up correctly and experienced a completely different opinion. I was now hearing things I had never heard with my Model 5's. Yes, I was was more than a little impressed. Still at this price range your thinking what else is out there and maybe I better take a listen, which I did. I listened to the other very high end speakers, which we all very familiar with and came away with an even greater opinion of the Vanderteen Model 7. They especially do not have the coloration I heard in other speakers. I am not here to knock any other speaker or manufacture but the Vandersteen Model 7 just stands out impressively above the others.
I decided I had to have a pair still wondering how will they sound in my sound room. Fortunately I had heard them at the dealer with Ayre MXR monoblocks and KXR pre amp which was what I had. I believe I have a very good sound room which I have worked on for over 15 years to achieve the kind of sound I wanted. The speakers were delivered and set up as Richard Vandersteen had instructed. The gentleman who set them up had the jigs and laser that Richard designed for setting them up. Then came dialing in the eleven-band equalizer and woofer level controls to my room.
Finally the moment had come to see if I had made the right choice, to hear them the first time in my sound room. I sat there unable to say anything to the gentleman that helped set them up, not believing what I was hearing. We both just looked at each other amazed at what we were hearing and I new I made one of the best choices I would ever make.
I now have many hundred hours on my Model 7's and know they are better than my Model 5's across the board. The base is tight deep, dynamic and detailed in every way. The mid range thru the top end has a wonderful clarity, transparency and openness. High end notes for lack of a better word just seem to shimmer with no hardness or glare. The soundstage is huge and every well defined. The vibes in Jazz At The Pawnshop just seem to fly across the room with amazing clarity. From the quiet brush work to the high end piano notes in the 45 rpm Misty by the Yamamoto Trio you find yourself immersed in the music of the Model 7's. No matter the type of music I played thru the Model 7's I heard things I have never heard before. They just seem so real, so life like and you get a feeling of being right there. The astounding thing is the more I listen to them the better they seem to get. Richard Vandersteen spent many years in creating these speakers and all I can say is Richard they are PURE MAGIC.
