Does the Vandersteen 1C Hold Up to Modern Standards?
There are a pair of Model 1C speakers in my area on the used market. We don't get many of them up here in New England. I am considering going to listen to them and possibly buying them. I'm in a small room (14'x9'x7'). They look to be in excellent condition and they are inexpensive enough that shipping the woofers (if needed) back to Vandersteen for re-foaming is still a good deal. I have a good subwoofer I can use if needed. Since I'll be listening in an unknown room with gear I don't know, I just want to put it out to see if anyone has experience with these.
I currently have Wharfedale Evo 4.2 speakers and find that they sound a little tubby in my space and I just wish the imaging was a little more open. The vertical dispersion of the AMT tweeter is pretty bad, so I have to be sitting for the tonal balance to be correct. I've moved them around quite a bit within the available space. They are on the factory stands and are located 3' from the wall which has a built-in bookcase.
I listen to large ensemble jazz, orchestral music, pop from the '70s/'80s, and a variety of other music. I enjoy scale and dynamics of the large ensemble music I listen to, but I'm not a headbanger by any means. 85 dB peaks do me just fine. Not a fan of speakers that are too forward (B&W/Focal, etc.)
The rest of my system is a MacBook Air, Bluesound Node, Schiit Freya+ Tube Preamp, and a PS Audio Stellar S300 power amp.
Any thoughts before I go over there are appreciated!
Glen
Should be similar to the 2C, which I have had for coming up on 40 years, Objectively the 2C rate a 4.4 on the olive scale. https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/vandersteen_model_2/ |
Thanks for all of the advice folks. I forgot to mention that I have a Schiit Modius D/A and the system runs fully balanced. I'm not sure that it helps much over the D/A that is in the BlueSound Node. But the suggestion from @audiotroy has not been lost on me. The trouble for most of it is that it is so hard to try things out before buying. I get that the tonal balance is opposite from the Evos. I'm hoping they are worth the 1 hour drive to get to them. In my heart, I'm hoping for that "sound coming from nowhere" effect that I haven't heard since my friend's Snell A II's back in the day.
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Still in production since 1977 and highly evolved is the 1Ci + model. They sound great but the low diffraction time and phase accurate design is optimized for a sweet spot. A new pair is a inflation beating $1,400 with Soundanchor stands… remarkable value IMO. You can replace drivers and fabric socks yourself w video support on Vandy website. Owners forum same place. Jim |
