5A Vandersteen

I bought a used pair of 5As to replace my Quatro woods, there is no question the 5As are vastly superior and they are better than the Quatron CTs as well. I’m in a 38’ long room so there is plenty of room for the waves to develop. Sad to hear they have been discontinued.

If I had the cash and a big first-floor room in a detached house to put them in, the 5 carbons would be a top choice.  I remember playing a track from "Time Out" on the 5 Carbons at Stereo Unlimited and then going home and trying to get that deep kickdrum sound with my Quatros.  Was not going to happen. 

So the Kēnto has been released to the wild.  Rick had an amazing set up at the RMAF from what I was told by a few who attended.  Heard that the new push pull aluminum woofers mated with the same carbon fiber drivers of the 7 is a killer combo.  

Can't wait to hear them myself, but those of us with Vandy's already have a great idea how they will sound considering it's the 7 in a bit smaller and easy to place cabinet.  With the right paint job or wood veneer, they will look super to boot.

It does not have the 7’s tweeter, it has the 5A Carbon’s tweeter and midrange. The midrange is the same for all three. This is based on looking at all the specs on the Vandersteen website. Not mentioned for the Kēnto is if the crossover’s are battery biased. I’d like to understand better how exactly the side firing woofers allow for better room integration. I can only surmise that in the upper bass, say band 9 - 11, that you’re going to get less left side for the left and right side for the right potentially unwanted side wall, as well as rear wall reflections as opposed to the floor firing arrangement, but I’m not really satisfied with that idea. Bass is supposed to be omnidirectional up to a certain frequency, so maybe that’s key in understanding this.

I upgraded form 5s to 5As because my 5s that I purchased used were cosmetically in poor shape.  I had a guy lined up to redo the speakers for a very reasonable price but found a great pair of 5As for cheap, not $5K but close enough.  I really never did a side by side comparison but if my memory is correct the 5As have a little more detail as mentioned already and possibly in ways more separation but that can also sound a little thin.  I have not had the chance to really adjust them so that could be a simple change.  So for what others paid new for the 5As, you can get them relatively inexpensive.  Properly set-up they will sound better than most $30K & under speakers today.  I know that Audio Connection will be the first dealer to get them in so I hope to hear them soon.  I heard the 7 MKII and fell in love with them.  I just cannot justify spending that kind of coin because I just don't listen as much as I want right now plus I'm too cheap.  If someone wants to sell me a pair cheap, I am interested!

Happy Listening