Does the Vandersteen 1C Hold Up to Modern Standards?

@spacecadet65 , Jim(@tomic601) probably didn’t consider recent price increases.

I will also say that you could also go with the VLR’s. Nifty little bookshelves that will work best in corners, but can also be stand mounted.

I use them in my office and find them to be a real sleeper in the Vandy lineup.

PM John Rutan (audioconnection). I know he will steer you in the right direction.

Though he is a dealer, he won’t try to sell you something. He offers great advice for free. (And, believe me, I hated dealers until I met Johnny).

Though you probably don’t want to start from scratch, I can say that if you bought a pair of VLR’s or 1’s, added a subwoofer (preferrably a Sub 3), and a Belles Aria Integrated- you’d have the makings of a very impressive system.

My 2 cents...

Bob

oooops, last time i bought a pair they were 1ci at $1,390 a pair, i see now the + model is $1,887. ;-) There are probably Vandy dealers w demo 1Ci looking to get the  + model. Johnny Rutan is a great Vandy dealer as Bob has noted !

Made in USA ;-)

Jim

oooops, last time i bought a pair they were 1ci at $1,390 a pair, i see now the + model is $1,887. ;-) There are probably Vandy dealers w demo 1Ci looking to get the  + model. Johnny Rutan is a great Vandy dealer as Bob has noted !

Made in USA ;-)

Jim

You have received some great info from Bob, Jim, and Holmz.

I still have my 1C’s, 2C’s, and now Treo’s. All great speakers in their own right. For ‘big sound’ with orchestration, the 2C’s would be better, but, I still listen to my 1C’s in my secondary bedroom system, and they still sound great, even though not optimally set-up. 

How much are they being sold for? I got my 1C’s for about $350 which was a steal. If they are closer to $1K used, I would consider used 2’s, but again, depending on cost, the 1’s used can be a great bargain.

As far as foam surrounds, I believe Richard just stated on the Vandy forum the only 1’s with foam surrounds were some of the original 1B’s, thus, all C’s should have rubber surrounds.

As far as a more ‘modern sound’, maybe not if you want absolute clarity and detail, but regardless, to me, Vandy’s just sound ‘right’ to my ears.

As far as a more ‘modern sound’, maybe not if you want absolute clarity and detail, but regardless, to me, Vandy’s just sound ‘right’ to my ears.

Well said @bkeske 

I am not sure how much more modern it gets?
most of the “modern stuff” appears to be “modern manufacturing” and “modern marketing”.

At the top shelf, there is a lot of R&D and good engineering in some, but even at the top, there is a lot of designs that do not seem right. (Time and phase)

That said, I did lash out on some new speakers yesterday… which is going to be a bit of project and some months of time until they are ready.
I think that they are better than my 2Cs I got ~37-38 years ago,.. maybe, maybe not. They measure better, and at least I can compare them.

And the fact that I love the 2Cs is saying something when I actual spend money on something else. I heard some 27 k$ focals that I thought sounded better than the 35+ year old Vandys, but not a whole lot better. 

Worst case is I have the 2Cs in the main room, and the smaller speakers in more of a reading room… Plus the Mrs’ old bookshelf jobs (Richter of Au) are a bit dilapidated with the (de)vinyl covering falling off when they get touched.

I doubt I would sell the 2Cs …they are worth more to me than someone would pay me for them. They are too good, 

 

But what is a “more modern sound”?

• I can think of distortion
• … and compression (as two things that are objectively measurable.)
• As well as impulse response… (which most modern speakers still get wrong.)