Vandersteen 3A Sig vs. Meadowlark Osprey

Vandersteens have better bass. Meadowlark are more transparent with better highend extension.

No disrespect intended toward Narrod, but in comparing the Vandy 3A Sig to most other speakers, some listeners may tend to think that the "other speaker" has better transparency and/or high-frequency extension than the Vandy.

Listen carefully during speaker auditions and I think you will find that the Vandy 3A Sig has excellent transparency and high-frequency response. The 3A Sig has very flat frequency response from about 30Hz to 20kHz, and is only down about 3db at 25kHz. The tweeter in the 3A Sig is the same one used in the Vandy Model 5, and is one of the best tweeters available. Further, the mid-range in the 3A Sig is identical to the one used in the Model 5, and it is a patented, proprietary design that has superb soundstaging and timbral accuracy.

In comparison to the Vandy 3A Sig, many other speaker manufacturers design their speakers with a "tilted-up" high frequency response, which tends to make listeners think the speaker has better extension. This can be attractive at first listening, but tends to become wearing during extended listening sessions. Alternatively, some speakers are designed to have a very slight depression in the upper-midrange, which gives the psycho-acoustic impression of more extended highs.

The current issue of TAS has their annual "Golden Ear" awards, and reviewer Shane Buettner nominates the Vandy 3A Sig (with 2Wq subwoofers) as his "Golden Ear" choice (see page 67 of the Dec 2002 issue).

I personally regard speakers as THE most important single choice in one's audio system, for the simple reason that speakers are transducers (devices which convert electrical energy to mechanical energy, or vice-versa). As such, transducers are the most subject to non-linearities of any component in your system (unless you have an analog front end, which also involves a transducer).

The best suggestion that can be made is to extensively audition the speakers that interest you, using music that you know very well. If possible, try to audition speakers in your home, since your room will substantially impact the sound you hear.

There have been a lot of threads about Vandy 3A and 3A Sig speakers here on Audiogon over the past year, and I suggest you look in the archives for those commentaries.

I don't know anything about the Meadowlark but as a owner of Vandy 5, I can tell you that the Vandy 3A Sig + W2q sub will be a much better buy than the Vandy 5. You will get at least 80% performance for 50% of the cost. In some situations they will out perform model 5 because 3A Sig + W2q will be far more flexible in terms of positioning. Yes having an equalizer in the sub is a good idea but its effectiveness is limited and it is very difficult to adjust correctly. Equalizer simply cannot substitute for good speaker positioning. If I knew what I know now, I would have bought the 3A Sig + 2Wq instead of the 5.

Sdcampbell: I can tell you've talked to Richard Vandersteen. Actually, so have I (and 99 percent of audiophiles), and I've owned the 2Ci and 3A -- along with about a dozen other high-end speakers, so I'm not new to this game. I'm also a fan of phase- and time-aligned speakers. I prefer Dunlavys to Vandersteens, but both are obviously well-designed speakers. I just think the Dunlavys do a better job in the area of transparency and realism. And the Vandersteens do indeed add some warmth in the mid-bass and lower midrange. Still, they're very easy to listen to for long periods.

For this discussion, though, I wondered about the Meadowlark Osprey because it, too, is supposed to be phase and time coherent and is priced at $2,995 -- $500 less than the Vandy 3A Signature. It's also using high-end drivers, according to the manufacturer's hype. And Meadowlark speakers have drawn a lot of praise from the audio rags, too. Thanks.