Vandersteen Quatro speaker - link to info

I was at CES and spoke with Richard. I came away with the understanding that the quatro is an attempt to reach a broader faction of audiophiles due to an increased WAF. It will not outperform 3A Sigs and 2WQ's, but has a purpose for the Vandersteen supporter who does not have an understanding wife :-) It looks real nice and can be used in smaller rooms due to its scaled down size. As for the sound, it has the 3A sig stamp!

The cabinet is a lot deeper on the quatro's, which would make me think that maybe there is more insulation for the back wave off the speakers to run through (vs the 3A sig).. which *might* give the quatro an advantage.
Then again, the quatro has two subwoofer drivers in the enclosure with the tweeter and midrange, so maybe that will cause more vibration in the cabinet itself.

Will

I think the design is a very smart choice on the part of Vandersteen. It provides a two-box solution at the 6-7K price point for those who can't quite handle the 5/5A pricing. And WAF is nothing to sneeze at - it is a consideration for many (when the room is to be shared by spouse and/or family). It is a real solution that is a step up from 3A (deeper bass and more effciient use of main amplifier)without the "unsightly" addition of two big-bozes into the room. The audiophile without WAF is going to choose the 3A/2W solution and it sounds as if RV knows that. Can't wait to hear it.

Several years ago he was working on a stand model speaker,that never came out. Also read he threw these speakers together just before the show. He could use a speaker in between the 3A and the 5, but if it is just a glorified 3A there are much better speakers in that price range, but I wait an hear for myself ARF

It is my impression that Richard was slow in coming out with a 5/5A because he did not see an easy, cost-effective way to improve upon the 3A (he does not beleive you can just create a bigger box, add more drivers (bad in prinicple), charge more, and say it is improvment).

The 5 series (with essentially the same tweeter and midrange as the 3ASig)took a more sophisitcated approach. Internal Powere susbwoofer, and low bass equalization). This techncial improvment (rather than more drivers, bigger box)helps produce deeper bass and permits ideal placment for soundstaging, while contouring bass about to fit your room.

It seems to me, that as such, the Quattro is more than just a glorified 3ASig, but a significant step in providing the susbwoofer and bass shaping capabilites of the 5s in a smaller package. This, of course, does not mean that it will sound better than a 3A/2Wq combination - but it should add some of the powered subswoofer enhancement to the 3As on their own, but without having to add two large boxes to your lisenting environment - this is a good thing if that envirnment is also your living room and you don't live alone.

I'm looking forward to hearing the Quattros.