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  #1  
Old 07-28-2016, 12:27 AM
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ylee ylee is offline
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Default Benefits of Vandersteen's Powered Bass Speakers

I own a pair of Vandersteen Quatro Wood CT speakers that I bought in September of 2013. I decided on it after a 3 hour audition at a local dealer close to where I live, comparing it to the formidable Magnepan 20.7. Since then, I've come to really value Vandersteen's approach to bass reproduction in his top three models - the Model 7, Model 5, as well as the Quatro Wood CT.

While the Models 7 and 5 have 400 watt/ch class-B amplification for their in-cabinet subwoofers, my Quatros have a 250 watt class-B amp for the subwoofer in each speaker. This alone gives me a 250 watt/ch bump in power, which complements medium power amps nicely. Each built-in amp has an 11 band equalizer (at 20Hz, 24, 30, 36, 42, 50, 60, 72, 84, 100, 120) along with adjustments to fine tune the bass Q factor and loudness. I came to appreciate this adjustability when I recently cycled my Classe CA-2200 amplifier out of my primary system for a new Benchmark AHB2, which has half the power of the Classe (100 watts/ch vs. 200).

The Benchmark is a lean sounding amp relative to the Classe. Given half the latter's power output, this is somewhat to be expected. The AHB2 is fantastically quiet (the second quietest amplifier on the market I'm aware of, after the Ayre MX-R Twenty) and highly resolving. Having 100 watts/ch coupled with a slight leanness could be problematic for some highly resolving speakers that have smaller enclosure volume. With my Quatros, the settings that proved right to my ears with the Classe sounded pretty lean. After measuring "Vandertones" thru the AHB2, I found the bass frequency response curve from 20 - 120 Hz to be identical to the Classe, which is a good sign for both amplifiers. That said, I found adjusting the bass volume and Q-factor necessary to add a touch of warmth with the AHB2 and maintain much of the bass slam I had with the CA-2200. In fine tuning these two settings by ear, I was able to get a very satisfactory tonal balance out of my system. It sounds better than ever. Bass is extremely important, but not just for the reasons most people think it is. Bass has a profound influence on our perception of the recording space and the size of the bodies of singers and instruments. Being able to adjust this to our taste as well as using live performers as reference points gives Vandersteen's upper-range models a unique selling point.

I loved my Quatros before, but with this newfound appreciation for bass adjustability I think I'll stick with Vandersteen speakers for a long time. Add to the above the time coherent nature of the design and the stiff yet light properties of the cone drivers and you have a very natural sounding speaker that soundstages incredibly well. There are a few things I own that give me very high pride of ownership. My speakers are one of them.
__________________
Primary System (Always in flux):
Analog Source: Rega RP10
Phono Preamp: Bryston BP2/PS3
Digital Software: Roon, Tidal Streaming
Digital Music Server: Melco N1A/2
Digital Sources: Totaldac d1-twelve SE MkII (factory upgraded from MKI) with "live power" 4 output power supply, Oppo UDP-205
Preamplifier: Rogue Audio RP-9 (factory upgraded from RP-7)
Amplifier: Vandersteen M5-HPA
Speakers: Vandersteen Quatro Wood CT w/IsoAcoustics Gaia 1 feet
Cabling: WW Platinum Starlight 7 digital wires, Totaldac Gigafilter USB filter, AQ Sky XLR, AQ Fire RCA
Speaker Cables: AudioQuest Oak spades ---> bi-wire spades
Power Cables: Esprit PC (for DAC), 2 WW Platinum Electra PC (Preamp/Phono Preamp), AQ NRG10 (Melco N1A/2), AQ Blizzard (Quatro Wood CT built-in subs)
Power Conditioning: 2 AQ Niagara 1000, 3 Oyaide R1 outlets
Sound Treatments: 23 ASC Tube Traps and 10 Panels

Last edited by ylee; 07-28-2016 at 12:32 AM.
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  #2  
Old 07-28-2016, 05:30 AM
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gaboudreaux gaboudreaux is offline
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Great post! I'm in the process of trying to schedule an audition with the 5's and 7's and can't help but think they would pair well with my Ayre gear. I really like the idea and flexibility of adjusting the bass for the reasons you mention.
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Aurender N10 / Ayre QX-5 Twenty / Ayre KX-R Twenty / Ayre MX-R Twenty / Wilson Sasha DAW / Isotek TITAN and EVO3 / Transparent Reference / Meze Empyrean
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  #3  
Old 07-28-2016, 09:51 AM
ctsooner ctsooner is offline
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Great post. You hit many nails on the head. I have Treo's I've got up for sale so that I too can get the Quatro's. It's the sweet spot in the line, but as you go up, you keep getting so much more. It's not even small amounts like so many other companies speaker lines. Most companies just give you larger cabinets and drivers and louder music. Vandersteen's give you more of everything and he does it with properly sized cabinets so you still get a point source listening experience. That's why so many Maggie folks LOVE the Vandersteens. That bass is palpable. The fact that you can adjust it means you can place the speakers where they give you the best presentation and then dial in the bass. That's just an awesome feeling. That's the only reason I'm wanting to upgrade.

Gaboudreaux, the Ayre and Vandersteen match is made in heaven. Unless you go with Richard's amp, you can't go wrong with the ARC Ref amps, the Aesthetix amps or the Ayre amps. That's the biggest reason that most dealers carry those three lines. You have to be able to match things. I can't wait for you to audition the 5 and 7's at Timbre Audio. I will be surprised if it doesn't blow you away. Make sure you bring your own amps with you if he doesn't have the Ayre ref/Twenty amps. I forget if he's a dealer or not.
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Old 07-28-2016, 11:43 PM
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ylee ylee is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ctsooner View Post
Great post. You hit many nails on the head. I have Treo's I've got up for sale so that I too can get the Quatro's. It's the sweet spot in the line, but as you go up, you keep getting so much more. It's not even small amounts like so many other companies speaker lines. Most companies just give you larger cabinets and drivers and louder music. Vandersteen's give you more of everything and he does it with properly sized cabinets so you still get a point source listening experience. That's why so many Maggie folks LOVE the Vandersteens. That bass is palpable. The fact that you can adjust it means you can place the speakers where they give you the best presentation and then dial in the bass. That's just an awesome feeling. That's the only reason I'm wanting to upgrade.

Gaboudreaux, the Ayre and Vandersteen match is made in heaven. Unless you go with Richard's amp, you can't go wrong with the ARC Ref amps, the Aesthetix amps or the Ayre amps. That's the biggest reason that most dealers carry those three lines. You have to be able to match things. I can't wait for you to audition the 5 and 7's at Timbre Audio. I will be surprised if it doesn't blow you away. Make sure you bring your own amps with you if he doesn't have the Ayre ref/Twenty amps. I forget if he's a dealer or not.
+1

I've corresponded with Richard Vandersteen. He likes Ayre amplifiers. His demos with the Model 7 over the last six years or so saw frequent use of the MX-R amps. He also uses Audio Research a lot in his demos of the Quatro Wood CT. These are stellar brands known for their exceptional products.
__________________
Primary System (Always in flux):
Analog Source: Rega RP10
Phono Preamp: Bryston BP2/PS3
Digital Software: Roon, Tidal Streaming
Digital Music Server: Melco N1A/2
Digital Sources: Totaldac d1-twelve SE MkII (factory upgraded from MKI) with "live power" 4 output power supply, Oppo UDP-205
Preamplifier: Rogue Audio RP-9 (factory upgraded from RP-7)
Amplifier: Vandersteen M5-HPA
Speakers: Vandersteen Quatro Wood CT w/IsoAcoustics Gaia 1 feet
Cabling: WW Platinum Starlight 7 digital wires, Totaldac Gigafilter USB filter, AQ Sky XLR, AQ Fire RCA
Speaker Cables: AudioQuest Oak spades ---> bi-wire spades
Power Cables: Esprit PC (for DAC), 2 WW Platinum Electra PC (Preamp/Phono Preamp), AQ NRG10 (Melco N1A/2), AQ Blizzard (Quatro Wood CT built-in subs)
Power Conditioning: 2 AQ Niagara 1000, 3 Oyaide R1 outlets
Sound Treatments: 23 ASC Tube Traps and 10 Panels
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  #5  
Old 07-29-2016, 01:28 AM
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PlanarSpeakerFan PlanarSpeakerFan is offline
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I received the Vandersteen 7 MkII speakers two months ago and I have the Vandersteen M7-HPA monoblocks incoming in a few weeks. I've heard Ayre, ARC and Aesthetix amps with Vandy 7's and all sounded excellent but there are many other amps that will work well too. Just keep in mind the amplifier minimum input impedance on the M7-HP filters is 10K ohms and the M5-HP filters is 5K ohms. I learned this the hard way because my previous amp's input impedance was 2K ohms.

Best,
Ken

Last edited by PlanarSpeakerFan; 07-29-2016 at 01:31 AM.
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  #6  
Old 08-01-2016, 07:48 PM
Tomictime Tomictime is offline
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When I heard the 7's at Richards he was running MXR's ..so yes I suspect he thinks highly of them..
having said that he thought he could do better. many say he has. I have yet to hear the new amp..but I will..and I trust Richard. I think if you add in the extras: power cond, isolation and silver speaker wire the price is reasonable..from a SOTA value perspective...
I should disclose I am running 7 mk II with an Ayre VX-R twenty....
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  #7  
Old 08-01-2016, 07:50 PM
Tomictime Tomictime is offline
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Ylee: congrats on Quatro CT..they are true giant killers....and work in more rooms than the 5/7 series. Vanderbass is incredible when you get it dialed in.
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  #8  
Old 04-09-2017, 10:48 AM
randyhat randyhat is offline
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Default Vandersteen Quatro CT

Having owned a pair of Quatro CT for the past two months myself, I certainly recognize the sonic qualities you have cited with the CT and I can relate completely with your obvious enjoyment of the speaker and the satisfaction of ownership. The more I listen to these speakers, the more I want to listen. I never tire of listening to these speakers. There is a combination of detail, smoothness and accuracy that draws you in to the music. It is both subtle and profound. It doesn't confront you with detail nor does it dazzle you with its presence. The music is just there, in the right amounts and proportions. Everything is there...all the detail, the bass, the separation, soundstage but not so much as separate characteristcs of the sonic quality of the speaker that demands your attention, but as a cohesive mixture of music. I can listen to these speakers for hours on end. Absolutely no listening fatigue or weariness. I always end my listening sessions wanting more. The built in subwoofers and their adjustability give you the ability to adjust your speakers to your room and placement within the room with a degree of refinement than I was ever able to accomplish with a single REL sub in my previous setup...and the REL was very good. These speakers represent the single largest component investment in my system and likewise represent the single greatest improvement in the sound of my system and the enjoyment of listening to my music collection.
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