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In Reply to: RE: I fail to understand how anyone can posted by kavakidd on November 18, 2014 at 13:44:28
Some would say that Vandersteen loudspeakers are "too smooth."
As a kid? I thought that too. Then? I spent a couple hours at a place called Quintessence Audio in Illinois (this was better than 25 years ago).
They set up a pair of Vandersteen 3 (whatever the iteration was at that time) alongside another top selling loudspeaker.
The Vandys weren't so exciting at first listen, but they were much more natural.
Always found MOST Vandersteen loudspeakers since to give a great value for the money. Maybe not the most detailed, they MAY have a slight haze over the presentation, but the faults are more subtractive than additive - sometimes that is easier to compensate for!
Follow Ups:
about the original Advents. They didn't excite in the showroom but they sounded like music at home
"Man is the only animal that blushes - or needs to" Mark Twain
Vandys DO sound like music. That, I think is what you are considering detail, and in that context you are dead on! They just don't convey softer sounds. I always liken capacitors to sound sponges. The Candy crossovers allow good rendering of tone, impressively good, but they, IMO, don't convey reverberations and such as well as other speakers. At this point I have sufficiently explained what I mean, so if you have not heard better, you'll just disagree, what else could you do, I'd do the same...In fact for years I wanted to like Thiels, but never could figure out why folks were crazy about them. They always sounded OKAY to me, but only okay. Then one day I heard some Thiels being driven by spectral gear and I got it, the magic was there! They were AWESOME! No one apparently ever had them setup with gear that was really good enough to drive them properly.
Likewise until you hear a quality system driving articulate speakers, you'll not believe what I am saying, why should you, it runs contrary to your experience.
Best Regards,
Lou
Edits: 11/19/14 11/19/14
Lou-
The Thiel speakers are my reference. Quite better than Vandy, as those speakers, deliver true 'timbre'. Once you have had a taste-there is no turning back!
I know, I just don't want to lay out Thiel dollars, I think I can get most of the way there with the old KEFs though. I am also weary of the metal domes the later models use, I know, they have done a lot to tame them, and the Vandys with Teflon aren't harsh, so perhaps I'm just overly paranoid of them. BTW, the Thiels would have a much more difficult time spanking "these" Vandersteens! :-) I suspect they still would, but it would not be the a$$ whipping your used to! :-)
Best Regards,
Lou
I lived in Kenosha for a time, I believe it was Quintessence Audio where I heard Apogee's, their statement speaker, the full range ribbon speakers. I did not spend hours with them, but I did fall in lust with them. I may have them confused, but I have been to Quintessence.
A few years ago some reviewer was toughting Vandersteen 3, whatever, Signatures, a Sony ES CDP, perhaps a Classe amp, and some preamp. I auditioned the system and that is when I came up with the blanket analogy. It was just a dull sounding system to my acquaintance and I. I had Ellis Audio 1801's with subs at the time. That was before adding Teflon caps as Dave Ellis later recommended.
Later I purchased a pair of JH3's, Jim Holt won some sort of audio contest and the 1801's were said to have been bettered by them, so when Jim decided to sell them, I bought them. I fell in lust with the Morel mid range in those speakers. I do believe the Vandersteens are more tonally neutral than Morels, but I'm no expert. it's just my perception.
I could live with the Vandersteens now, though it would be easier had I never heard the Morels. Anyway, I think audio is a personal preference arena. Shimano and Daiwa both make very good fishing reels. Some love one, and tend to not care for the other. I own both, a lot of both, I understand and respect their different strengths and weaknesses.
Further I suspect that there are those for whom a really detailed speaker might result in sensory overload, not that I have any basis in science for that belief, but I can conceive of it. So I have no issues with people liking what they like. I am just saying that this is an upgrage path many might like.
If you own them, or want to buy a good speaker at a good price, and are willing to do a little work, and take a gamble that I am not full of it, this may be a good option. From what you have said, if you own this specific speaker, you might actually like it... Since at first you found them flat, this addresses exactly that issue, and I think does not impact them otherwise. That IS an assumption, I had not used them to speak of before I missed them. I did the mod the night I brought them home! I had the 1's years ago when I had less knowledge, and a substantially less articulate system.
Best Regards,
Lou
VERY WELL STATED, IMO. They do sound right! That I do like and respect them for! The mod makes them articulate AND right! It adds the excitement that is missing. They do not have the buttery mids Morels have, but that is an ever so slight coloration which I prefer, it's not "right", but it help draw you into the music, in MY case. The modded Vandersteens are, to my ears, more accurate to be sure. I respect them, I just don't lust them. I can listen to the modded Vandersteens for hours, but I am just slightly less drawn into to the music than I am with my speakers.
Best Regards,
Lou
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