Vandersteen fans
 

Let's find out how many Vandersteen fans we have. ;)

I have been a big fan for nearly 30 years! I have had the 2C's and the 3A's I downsized to the 1B's and am enjoying their fantastic 3D quality with my Cary SLI-80. For a smaller room it is a high performance, low cost system.

I am considering returning to the 2Ce Signatures soon.

I had some 2CE's when I was broke and they were wonderful.

I did a lengthy audition of the Vandersteen 7s a few months ago and was extremely impressed. Vocals were liquid and amongst the most natural I've heard. Imaging was holographic with tremendous air around instruments. The bass was too much of a good thing with the powered subwoofer (measured 7.0 on the Richter Scale) but I'm sure could have been ideal if dialed back to a reasonable level.

PSF

When I was in college (30+ years ago..) I worked for a small audio store that focused on "Bang for the buck" quality. We tried to see what the best sounding system was that we could assemble at the lowest price point. I seem to have kept that search going.

I love the Wilson's and have spent a lot of time with the Sonus Faber Amati Futura's recently. For the $$ it is hard to beat either the Vandy 2CE Sig's or 3A Sigs....

The 7's are very adjustable. Once dialed in they seem like they are made for the room. Love them with ARC gear!

Awesome speakers, but uber pricey :faint:

No doubt! But it seems like all the top models are pushing north of $40k these days. At least the 7's are considered to be one of the best you can buy for1/2 to 1/4 what the other TOTL models are going for.

What I enjoy is the trickle down effects of the innovations great designers have come up with. Aspects of the 7's have made it down to the 2Ce's.

I have to say that I really like the carbon/balsa sandwich cones on the Vandersteen 7s. Richard hit a home run with the design.

PSF

My first real pair of speakers where the 1B's. Still listen to them when I visit the east coast. A few years later I purchased 3A's. Wanted to get the signature upgrade, but sold the pair before I purchased a pair of Legacy Focus 20/20. Those Vandersteens speakers have a synergy when powered by a McCormack DNA-1 with Conrad Johnson tube pre-amplification. I wish I still had those 3A's. I always felt the 3A's were a tremendous value.

Agreed that is an excellent solution for the midrange. Magico are using a similar carbon/sandwich rohacell cone on the Q & S series, though the Magico's (particularly the S5) sound subjectively warmer. So it's horses for courses.

I agree with you on that point. If I had the money for a pair of Magico Q5's for example, I can tell you I would be buying Vandy 7's. But I don't. I admire those things, but can be perfectly happy with my Magico S5's :music:

Recent Vandersteen convert.

Still have a soft spot for them. I owned an original pr. of model 2`s in the 80`s, but a move to a larger house gave me motive to buy my Duntechs.
I would love to demo the 5 carbons, with the built in sub amp, but few and far between dealers in chicago.

Any word on the new Vandy amp...liquid cooled ?

Have owned 4 Vandy speakers since 1987. 2C, 3A, Wood Quatro, and 5As. Thinking about buying the new Treo

Read is either Stereophile or TAS that the 2c is the biggest selling high end speaker ever. Been in production since 1979

Treo review 6 thousand

SoundStage! Ultra | SoundStageUltra.com (UltraAudio.com) | Vandersteen Audio Treo Loudspeakers

Great! What model did you choose?

I have not heard anything about their amp.

There is a Vandersteen dealer in Milwaukee. Ultra Fidelis. Bob and John are awesome with customer service. They almost always have a pair of 5A Carbons on the floor.

I love the 5A Carbon's. Too much speaker for my space. The Treo's would probably be the top of the chain for me. I am not sure if my Cary SLI-80 could drive them properly though. Maybe with the KT120's....I am torn as to which Vandy to upgrade to from my 1B's. Keeping with my "Bang for the Buck" philosophy I should probably get the 2Ce Signatures and be done with it.

7s were Best-In-Show at Newport 2013... Even though the Quatro's and up have an active sub, I wish they didn't require as much amp as they do. Richard was showing with AR 250s... The other thing is bi-wiring them with the small screws are a PITA! No bling... but he is pretty much the guy behind bi-wiring and phase/time alignment of the drivers. I have the 2Ce Signatures and they still are so good that I would only consider moving the to a 2nd. system. Word on the street is that he is clandestinely working on a much larger speaker than the 7, called appropriately enough, the 9...

Does everyone want to make a $100k+ speaker these days?

Call Richard Vandersteen and ask him. I've talked to him about upgrades and he's very helpful.

2012 2Ce Sig II.
Love 'em.

Good suggestion JBT. I spoke with Richard when I was setting up the VCC-1's for the first time. Amazing he is so accessible!

I am going to spend some time with the 2Ce sigs Friday on my way home. Time to get serious about upgrades...

A big +1, these guys are awesome!

Like Vandersteen speakers. Never owned a pair. Find them to be very musical and well priced.

Nothing fancy, just a very musical transducer.

I read somewhere that the Model 2's in their various forms have sold over 200,000 pairs! 36 years of excellence indeed!

200,001pairs... I have a new pair of 2Ce Signatures coming home tomorrow night. Pics to follow!

Congrats on the purchase longbowbbs!

Thanks Ritmo! I got a nice deal on a Demo pair. I spent a couple of hours with the 3A's but ultimately, they were just too physically large for my space.

Have any of the Vandersteen fans used the additional Vandersteen Subwoofers to supplement their speakers? I know the VLR's would require a sub, but for the 2Ce's, 3A's or the Treo, where they are passive has anyone used the subs too?

Big Congrads! :thumbsup:

Thanks Ivan!

Congrats on the new twos.

Mine are powered by a MA6600 and no subs are needed, IMHO.

Thanks Humbuster :thumbsup: I'll give them a couple hundred hours of break in before I worry about that. I do have room for a 2Wq though...:D

Huge Vandersteen fan.

His approach (time coherency, low order filters, low distortion drivers) makes so much sense to me.

My personal upgrade path is the 5A "Carbon" upgrade or the Vandersteen 7 within the next few years.

I love that idea! The 5A Carbon's are one of the best speakers I have heard. I have not had the opportunity to hear the 7's. I really like the Treo's. That may be a path from the 2Ce Signatures, but I'll wait a while and enjoy them. The Treo's will only get better while I am enjoying their siblings!

I've done lengthy auditions of both the 5A Carbons and the 7's. The 5A Carbons are great all around performers with no weak points. However, the 7's are on an entirely different level in terms of the lifelike quality of sound they produce. The naturalness of voices and instruments and the holographic imaging are jaw dropping. Performers truly seem like they are in the room!

Ken

If Ultra Fidelis ever has a pair in to hear, I will enjoy that moment!