Vandersteens on active speakers and room correction

I'm not a Vandersteen fanboy per se, but last time I was at a show near LA, the Vandersteen's were the best sound of the show.  In particular, they sounded really good inside a cramped hotel room, a feat few others could accomplish and I chalk this up to exactly this feature, being able to tailor the bass output.

Of course, they were driven by top notch electronics, but I swear it was practically the only room in which I could hear the electronics at all. Everything else was noise.

Best,

E

My three most memorable hifi moments were the following but not necessarily in the following order

1. A pair of horn Avantgarde 
2. Thiels CS2.4
3. And Vandersteens 5A driven by some huge tube amps

Of the three, the 5A had the most unique presentation in which I swear I could see the air molecules moving :-)

I owned TReo's and now own Quatro's. I needed the bass EQ in my room.  It's a loft with a 48" high back wall to an open 20' high LR ceiling. Bass is really difficult and the Quatro's nailed it.  I've had some very expensive high end speakers in the room over the years and nothing sounds as good or coherent in my space as the Steen line.  

I never liked them years ago and I think it's because the rake wasn't set up properly in the stores.  I used my ears and not my prejudice's when choosing my speakers as well as the associated electronics.  Heck, I never loved AQ wire/cords/cable years ago either and now I have yet to hear anything close to what Garth is coming to market with.  

Richard is one of ht most opinionated designers around, but for those of us who don't worry about the name on the product, it's easy to understand WHY he feels the way he does.  His choice of caps is as good as anyone in the business.  Same with inductors.  He never puts out MK 2,3 or more unless it's a HUGE change.  He constantly changes caps etc... when he finds better and his gear just keeps pushing it's envelope.  Most companies just decide to throw a new mk whatever on the product and force folks to sell and buy new if they want the 'latest and greatest' as most audiophiles do.