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Vandersteen 5a. How refined a product are they

Im interested in this speaker and went to hear them at a dealers yesterday and they sounded only adequte. They seemed to disappear quite well for a large speaker and dynamics were incredible. They had the detail for sure, But lacked (dear I say- Magic!) I was wondering if there are any Vandy 5a owners who have been able to make peace with this speaker. It definitely Plays at louder levels without strain and thanks to the built in powered subwoofer, (12 inch bass drivers) I would be able to drive it With my moderately powered tube amps which otherwise would have some difficulty with a speaker with the 5a' s size and capabilities. I would greatly appreciate any info including some of the associated equipment which you 5a owners are using. Thanks
fjn04
vladimir
346 posts
 
What a didactical oxymoron. Vandersteen 5as are great speakers, better than the previous 5s and especially so at the price. As I am sure others have, I have listened to great speakers badly setup by dealers (in fact one of them was a Vandersteen 5 in Texas years ago) but that just mean the dealer isn't very good.
bruce_1
96 posts
 
Didactically,
Your pen name shows an admirable degree of self awareness.
sdcampbell
2,136 posts
 
The just-released issue of "The Audiophile Perfectionist" (Richard Hardesty's quarterly audio publication) contains a lengthy review of the both the technology and the sound quality of the Vandersteen 5A. Hardesty was the first audio store owner to carry Vandersteen speakers, and is arguably the most knowledgeable person about them, other than Richard V. himself. If you can borrow a copy of the new issue, there is a wealth of info about the Vandy 5A.
rex
245 posts
 
No need to borrow a copy of the Audio Perfectionist to read Hardesty's article. It's posted on the Vandersteen website. I guess Richard Vandersteen liked it too.
shadeddog
1 posts
 
I listened to the Vandersteen 5A at a dealer's store in San Diego. I was most impressed with this speaker. In all respects it had the "magic" for me. BAT electronics were used with a VPI TNT/Transfig Spirit front end. The Decca, Mercury, and RCA recordings that I brought along all sounded wonderful. One other thing to note is that the speaker can be upgraded when the time comes. Time and phase correct speakers offer a revelation in listening if you have never heard them. After hearing other speakers in the 14K-25K price range (including the much talked about Kharma) I purchased the 5As.
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