Vandersteen updates and amplifiers


Seeking experience and advice. I have the Vandersteen Quatro Wood (non-CT) and have enjoyed them on a large variety of music for the past 7 years or so. I have been able to hear changes with improvements in upstream gear and tweaks. I use a Pass Labs XP-27 phono - XP-22 Pre and the good ol XA 30.5 to power the Quatro. Balanced M5 boxes.  

Two things recently elevated the performance of the Vandersteen's in my room. First was the addition of Isoacoustic Gaia I footers. I was pretty skeptical about using these as Vandersteen designs to couple the speakers to the floor. These footers are supposed to decouple. But I felt is was worth trying because the speakers are positioned on a suspended wooden floor above a storage area in my house. I had to use the more expensive Gaia I because the 110 lb Quatro has to be supported with just 3 footers. Also, I had to buy 8 not 6 footers. It was not difficult to maintain the appropriate tilt angle by adjusting the footers. Be aware that the rear spike threads are different than the front. After many weeks of use, I think they are a significant improvement. The quality of the imaging and the tonal richness of the midrange expanded to my ears. More palpable presence in the room, better separation of instruments so that you can hear into the recording better. The bass quality changed almost like adjusting the Q. The bass may be a little less high impact and certainly less is transmitted into the floor, but overall bass better integrated into the music.

The second change was the addition of an HRS S platform under the Pass XA 30.5. This is the only component of the system that is near the speakers and in the high acoustic energy zone. Improvements in detail and clarity were not subtle. Very impressed!

So, fellow audiogoners, what might be the next steps for me if I choose to stick with the Vandersteen sound. I hear good things about Vandersteen M5 HPA mono's. This would eliminate the M5 boxes and the Pass XA 30.5. For the same price I could probably trade in the XA 30.5 for a more powerful .8 series amp.  Anyone with experience want to share? I would also consider updating to the Quatro CT if that would be a similar jump in performance. The Quatro seems to be the right size for my medium/large room. 
128x128karl_desch
@tomic601 ,
I use the KX-R (non Twenty), and find it to be a fine preamp. It even bests my Atma MP-1, which is no slouch either, though if I played around with tubes and made some additional upgrades, I bet it would get even closer to the Ayre.
Funny, I asked Mr. V. about a preamp at the Kento demo at Audioconnection, but he was very cagey.
I think I will proceed with the KX-R upgrade when finances allow, or they have an upgrade special.
B
There are plenty of very fine affordable tube and SS amplifiers to pair with Vandy speakers. Peek under the hood of the model 7 amplifier ( you can see a rare internal photo on my Poverty Bay Sound system page ) and imagine trying to trickle that $50 k plus down into a $15k price... not easy when you start out listening to the M7.
Value isn’t being the cheapest- look at the model 2 - still beating inflation:-)
On Brinkmann- typically paired w Vandersteen 7’s at the Munich show - I appreciate the genius of Helmet - I use gis Bardo direct drive table and have his DAC on my short list.

on the long rumored preamp - ? Who knows when - just keep playing music !!!


Hey Karl,
just checking in to see how the new Vandersteen amps are running in?
Best JohnnyR 
buddy here in Seattle just ordered Quattro with M5, driven by Aesthetix signature preamp and PS Audio DAC.....going to be fun :-)
@audioconnection The amps are a pleasure to use. They continue to surprise me with their natural presentation and increased resolution compared to my previous amp (XA30.5). Over the weeks they are becoming slightly more extended in the high frequencies but never harsh or analytical. All this is also in context of new speaker cables (AQ William Tell Zero and Bass biwire) new power cables (AQ Hurricane and Thunder) and a new 10M interconnect (AQ Earth XLR). Very impressed with how the old Quatro Woods are delivering it all in their new positions in the room.