Revel Salon 2 vs Vandersteen 5a Carbon

I have 5A’s (not carbons).....they really benefit from the best components you can fit with them. Very spacious and 3 dimensional. I have upgraded to the Kowazinga wood when I bought them....meticulous woodworking....gorgeous.

I owned the 3A Signatures and recently sold them to fund the purchase of a used pair of Revel Ultima Studios. I've also listened to the Treo and Quatro CTs though.

Soundwise, I think you'll be happy with either.

The Vandys will need a lot more attention with respect to placement. The time aligned design means that the sweet spot will be fairly narrow. If I moved my head a few inches away from the sweet spot, the tonality changed markedly. What this means is it can drive you a little crazy dialing in the sound since small changes to either the speaker's position or your position can affect the sound.

The Revels were much easier to place in my listening space by comparison. The sweet spot is larger and if you move far away from it, the tonality doesn't change as much.

All the standard advice about speaker placement pretty much applies to the Revels. I recommend closely following the placement guide written in the 5A Carbon manual to get the most out of them.

Hope this helps!

Another vote for the 5A carbons from a happy owner. tomic601 said it all with very few words.I will say the same thing with more words.

When I first heard them I was hard pressed to tell the difference between the 5A carbons and the 7s. Now I can tell. But on most recordings its not a big difference. The 5A carbon has the same mid range and sub as the 7. 

The powered bass properly tuned to the room differentiates these from almost everything on the market. I could never go back. You can play music with subterranean bass as loud as you want because the main amp isn't powering the low bass. Its pants flapping, tight, not boomy and definitely not one note. You will hear things you never knew were there. The sound stays relaxed and airy because the main amp never gets pushed.

The carbon clad balsa wood mid range is magic. IMO the only thing better is the 7 but its a lot of money.With the 7 you are paying for a better cabinet and two more drivers made from balsa wood. 

Finally, these speakers transformed my wife's attitude. She used to tolerate the big stereo in the living room. Two days after the 5A carbons were setup I came home to find her listening with the lights dimmed and a candle going. She greeted me with "You have to hear this song on these speakers." Now she invites people over to listen. Complete transformation and she helps me evaluate electronics. 

If you want a pair the best source will be a dealer with a customer upgrading to 7s. You won't find them on Audiogon except very rarely. Audio Connection is a good one and there are others. 

Thank You.

Bought my 5As for under $6k and they are an excellent speaker.  Hard to find something in that price range that will be much better.  I build my own components so I can't help you there.  I was really impressed by the model 7s and if I was going to spend that kind of money that is where I would look for my next speaker.  Not sure how much improvement you get from the 5As to the 5Cs and it depends on the used prices.

Happy Listening.