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Vandersteen 1C to 3A Signature

I currently own the 1Cs, paired with a Naim Nait 5i. I like the sound, have had these speakers for the better part of 15 years and I still love their presentation, the openness and sense of space they provide. They are fabulous to my ears.

Which isn’t to say they are perfect, they don’t like being played too loud (seem fragile, break up at higher volumes), and the bass isn’t as deep or (more importantly) as defined as it could be. Also I sometimes hear some lack of refinement in the tweeter (although at other times it sounds positively glorious, especially with horns and flutes).  So after refinishing the basement and adding a big TV with prewired surround sound I found a used Vandersteen center speaker, so I’m thinking of moving the 1C to the basement and getting a different (hopefully better) speaker for upstairs. I did a bit of research and it appears Spendor is supposed to be a good match for Naim, so I was able to borrow a pair of S8E to try out. You can tell the speaker can handle much more power and can play cleanly at those high levels, and the sound is nicely balanced throughout the frequency range, but they sound like boxes. The Vandy’s don’t. I think I’ve written off Spendor, Proac, Totem and the like, as the design looks similar.

I should probably stick with Vandersteen or similar sounding speakers. I have an opportunity to buy some 3A Signatures, but am afraid I will lose the lithe nature of the 1’s which I like, so I’m looking for opinions on this, and maybe for suggestions of other models that would sort of fit into the sound I’ve tried to describe. Thanks
128x128phaco
relayer101's avatar
relayer101
615 posts
 
Good advice from @oldaudiophile

The best advice anyone can give you on something like this is to spend some critical listening time to a variety of speakers, under conditions as controlled as you can get them (i.e. same or similar amp; etc.). More than just about anything else in audio, speakers are a very personal, subjective choice. Different ears like different sound signatures.

I can only speak to the original Treo that I have been completely happy with for a few years now and have no desire to look anywhere else. I am often surprised at just how good they sound as if it were the first time that I was listening to them. Some would say that at 85 dB sensitivity they would be hard to drive but I have them paired with a Class D power amp and they sound great at all volume levels with zero issue at all. Low and mid volume levels sound great and I can go as loud as my ears and body can handle and they sound great. 
Since you are already a Vandersteen fan you won't go wrong with any of your choices. They are all great speakers. Happy Listening!
phaco's avatar
phaco OP
3 posts
 
Wow, a lot of good advice and information, thanks to all for your responses. Budget is an issue here, I’m sure 3k for another amp and the same for speakers will add quality, but that’s not really in the cards at this point.  I must say I’ve spent more time with the Spendors and they have either grown on me, or as speakermaster said warming them up properly changed their sound; either way my decision is more difficult. I will take the general advice of going about it by trial and error, and have noted specific suggestions such as Ohm Walsh and maybe Larsen. With respect to buying Vandersteen new - they basically don’t have any real dealers in Canada any more, and definitely none within 300 miles.  I will mst likely buy used, unless I buy Magnepan.  Any opinions on LRS? They are within my budget…
jl35
4,025 posts
 
I’ve owned the LRS over a year now, always liked them a lot, but first added a REL T/Zero lll and now a REL T/9i and they are incredible. Good success Belles Aria integrated, Musical Fidelity M2si, Schiit Vidar and Gato 150...I use in small room, where Magnepan said the LRS would sound better than a larger model...
gdnrbob
4,452 posts
 
@OP,
If you have the Vandy 1's, I would suggest buying a pair of Vandy subs. Now that the new Sub 3 has come out, you can find a pair of 2wq's for close to $1k used.
These might add the 'punch' you need. They also relieve your amp from the power demands of the bass frequencies.-So, you might notice an improvement in performance
 they don’t like being played too loud (seem fragile, break up at higher volumes), and the bass isn’t as deep or (more importantly) as defined as it could be. Also I sometimes hear some lack of refinement in the tweeter (although at other times it sounds positively glorious, especially with horns and flutes).

The best part is that you can use them with any other speaker- Like the Magnepan LRS's which I know will benefit from adding subwoofers.

Once again, please reach out to Johnny Rutan (audioconnection). He won't try to sell you anything, but will offer the best advice to anyone who like Vandersteen. PM me if you want his number.
Bob

bondmanp
1,818 posts
 
@gdnrbob and o.p....
That's exactly what I did in my quest to improve my 1Cs, along with upgrading most of my electronics. It helped to add one, then a second 2Wq, then a pair of MHP-5 crossovers.  But after all of that I felt I had taken the 1Cs as far as they could go, and I still wasn't happy.  That's when I began the search for new speakers, ending up with the Ohms.  For the price, the 1C is a great, if compromised, loudspeaker.  But it isn't an MBL Radialstrahler, not even a poor man's Radialstrahler.  It sounds to me like the o.p. is ready for a real loudspeaker upgrade.
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