To Vandersteen or not to Vandersteen

Vandersteen has never been my cuppa either. I like something with more jump factor and the feeling of live musicians in the room. Their top of the line might do it (although the original Model 5 didn't overly impress when it first came out) but I have never heard the 2 or 3 sound more than average.

Shakey

Granted, not the best of conditions at dealer showrooms and audio show, but IMO: 2Ce seemed nice enough for small jazz combo and girl with guitar, but not more dynamic jazz or rock - did not seem to be able to properly handle/sort out the music; Treo and 7 had ill-defined bass. Top ends sounded fine, but not very good bass control: too fuzzy/wooly. The 7 mids and top end though seemed very promising, very sophisticated. Regardless, overall not my cup of tea.

I've owned deCapos, effectively lived with the Vandy 2 in a girlfriend's home many (many!) years ago, and have heard the Vandy 3 pretty extensively.

In some respects, the Vandy 2/3 family is very different from the deCapo. Even putting aside the Vandy's extra octave + of bottom end, the deCapo is voiced quite differently than the Vandy. I personally find that both sit well within the range of neutral, but thought that the deCapo sounded slightly overdamped while both the Vandys sounded slightly underdamped. It's anyone's guess whether the change will appeal to you.

Good Luck.

Marty

BTW, the Quattro and 5 sound very different to me and - bass extension aside - much closer to the de Capo sound.

These are so readily available for audition, that unless your circumstances are very unique, you would be remiss not to audition them. With that said, I'm a big fan, and though some here disagree with me, I'm absolutely convinced that all but the higher end models are very room sensitive.

Heard the Vandy 3A Sig at a dealer and thought they sounded fantastic, but the treble was a little softer relative to most other speakers I've heard so that may be a consideration. Could be good or bad depending on your tastes/equipment. Because of this I would not purchase them before hearing them in person. Best of luck.