To Vandersteen or not to Vandersteen

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.

I have owned both the 3's and the 2's. I liked the 2's much better,I could never get the 3's to sound right in my listening room! Placement is very critical with Vandy's! If possible see if the dealer will lend you a pair for a home trial!

Have heard the 2 and 3 many times and they lack the resolution and jump factor(previously stated)needed to duplicate live music or the nuances of a great recording. IMO the smaller Vandy's play it to safe. Give me the aggravation of synergy with the Thiel 2.3/4-ATC 40 or a Magnepan 1.7 where affordable near SOTA sound is possible!