Vandersteen Forum


I bought an older pair of Vandersteen 2Ce and did not like them. Found out one woofer was crackling (what I did not like was poor tweeter and midrange). I went onto the Vandersteen forum to see if changing a component or two would better the sound than 25 year old speakers. In 2022 almost anyones speakers sound better than 25 year old Vandersteen technology. 
The replies raised my eyebrows. I was just wondering if anyone else has had any experience with that forum and did they find it cult-like or is it just me?

128x128geworthomd

If anyone is to blame, it is I. (-As Jane Hathaway would have said).😏

 

I invited Ralph to join in a thread to discuss time/phase delay in his new Class D amps, because I don’t have the knowledge or verbal/written ability to either make or rubut any questions regarding said topic.

I felt having the designer say, in his own words, what he has done or believes, would be the most direct way of addressing the issue.

Yes, the forum says you have to own Vandersteen, and I have no issue with that. But, when it comes down to providing information on a subject that is directly related to the Vandersteen Time/Phase issue, I think it wise to allow other designers to have a say, if only in the interest of ’fair play’. Yes, Mr. V. is footing the hosting bill, but to exclude differing or questioning opinions, based on a forum technicality, seems to lessen the benefits of discourse.-Especially, considering that Ralph conducted himself properly.

 

@ctsooner , and @audioconnection , are people who’s opinion I value.

However, in this case, I have to disagree with them.

bob

If anyone is to blame, it is I. (-As Jane Hathaway would have said).😏

Nice one Jethro.

Season 6 episode 20 was with the Vanderponts?

gdnrbob +1  FWIW I didn't notice that the forum was for Vandersteen owners only!

Helping with personal invite from Bob, was sort of gentlemanly.
And Bob’s reaching out was in an honest spirit. 

There is a bit of bias against Class-D (if you see what I did there.)
So it is good for those interested in Class-D to hear other perspectives, and we do not have a lot of Class-D amps that one might consider worth investigating.

So in my mind you acted honourably.
And ​​​​@ctsooner is a fine fellow as well, so it was a bit perplexing to see.

It is 41C here today and 42C is scheduled for the morrow, Body temp is 37C.
So the extra heat from the tubes, is at least one reason, that I am thinking about Class-D.

I am an aerospace engineer.  My dad was an audiophile for decades.  He designed and built his own amps, preamps, feedback loop subwoofer (circa 60's), and even designed and built an electronic starter for cars in 1973-4.  Because of this background I have always looked at specs.  Over time I started getting away from the engineering and started listening to the music.  This can be good and bad.  Everyone has a sound they like, hence all the variations of sound from manufacturers.  However, if the goal is to repeat the sound as it was produced then you can't turn away from the engineering/science.  I've now come full circle; I will look at specs then listen but if the specs are bad I won't.

I own a pair of B&W 802 D3 Matrix for over 20 years.  Been very happy with them.  My goal was not to color the music.  I liked these speakers because of their "newer design" stiff individual boxes for woofer, mid, and tweeter so as not to color the sound.  I'm in the market for new speakers now.  I have always been impressed with the sound of Wilson WATT Puppies, ignoring the specs, they sound brilliant.  This could be due to men not having as good capability to hear highs.

Again, I want no coloration, my definition of my goal as an audiophile.  When reading about speaker design, enclosures/reflections, baffles, cross-overs, and cone distortion I saw few that met my goal, no distortion.  Then I read this article SoundStage-Richard-Vandersteen.pdf (troelsgravesen.dk)

I've read your above comments, thinking Vandersteen people are cult like, so maybe you will consider me as another "drinking the Kool-Aid."  Again, I don't own a pair of Vandersteen's I read the article regarding his research and reasoning.

If your goal is to have speakers that reproduce the sound, then they should be time and phase correct; I had to consult an expert in electronic cross over theory.  His statement is that you can't simply change the polarity + to - to correct for phase.  I think Richard Vandersteen created his first speak, with multi-cabinet enclosures and minimal baffles in the 70's.  In the 70's all speak designs, except of V, had one enclosure with a huge baffle which creates distortion.  He even looked at when the speaker cone is on the return, there is reflection (distortion) due to speaker structure, to create minimal distortion.

When I looked at the Wilson Watt-Puppies plots, phase correctness, ect, I was at best disappointed.

From an engineering standard V are better.  It's up to you if you like the sound.