Any Vandersteen 7 Owners in SFO Bay Area ?

I had the 5As which I considered to be a breakthrough speaker especially for the price. Bought those from Bruce at Stereo Unlimited in Sand Diego. Bruce is a super dealer in every way. A few years later along comes the Model 7. Living in the LA area I heard the 7s at Optimal Enchantment where I met Randy Cooley who I discovered knows more about Vandersteen speakers than anyone else out there.
Purchased the 7s and use them with Aesthetix Atlas Signature mono
blocks (that are being upgraded as I write this to Atlas Eclipse) plus the Aesthetix Io Eclipse phono preamp with volume controls. I believe the best amps for the Model 7s are the Vandersteen, Aesthetix, and Ayre
amps. As for the 7s,  is there better speaker out there that will work in an average sized listening room? Not to my knowledge. My tastes are classical and jazz. These speakers will bring the sound of a concert hall
into your living room better than anything I have heard.  I have heard Richard Vandersteen say many times that the difference is in the drivers. His perfect piston drivers are simply the best available today. The rest of the 7s design is state of the art as well, but the drivers really set this speaker apart from the rest.
  

I Finally got my Atlas amps back from Aesthetix. They have the Eclipse upgrade . So far I have 45 hours on them and I can say without any hesitation that this is a major, major upgrade from the Atlas Signature. I am truly amazed at the difference. I live about 90 minutes from the Aesthetix factory so I have talked to everyone  there. When they first heard the  upgrade they were totally shocked. Jim told me that they expected better sound, but what they actually heard was far beyond what they expected. They 7s love these mono blocks. The upgrade is expensive, but like the Basis Superarm 9, worth every cent. No question that Richard's amps are fantastic with the 7s. Those amps were out of my price range. Anyone with the Atlas Signature Stereo or mono blocks should  consider this upgrade.

I just thought I would also mention that the Atlas amps have a built in high pass filter. I was able to upgrade the caps to a very high grade and the improvement was significant. Some have mentioned cables. I use Audioquest Everest bi wired speaker cable and Audioquest Wild Blue Yonder interconnects. I cannot use any line conditioner with the Aesthetix amps or pre amp. Jim says the massive power supply
combined with a power device makes the sound worse. I tried one out and he was so right about that. So, I put in a dedicated line from the main box to a sub panel outside the living room (listening room). Each component has its own circuit except the Basis table. Power cables are Kubala S. and Audiuoquest on the 7s because the termination fits. I also added a Lyra Etna cartridge when I bought the Super Arm 9 from Randy.
He did the set up and yes, he is very good at it. He gave me great trade in value for my Vector 4 arm. My system is now complete, I think.

Those perfect piston drivers make the difference. Plus, the Vandys are phase aligned. Many speakers are taller and bigger than the Model 7s, but not better sounding. And for my money, that includes the Magicos as well.

I think we have to accept the reality that international sales are keeping many of the high end manufacturers healthy. I have been told by people in the business that shipping to Asia via container ship is very cheap and cost effective. I know that Aesthetix does business throughout Europe
and elsewhere. The most important factor in international sales is having a very strong distributor who is active and has many contacts in the country. More US manufacturers are deciding to attend high end shows in Europe and Asia (Berlin and Tokyo). I remember a few years ago I wanted to hear a new speaker made by Avalon Acoustics. I could not find a dealer in LA that had that speaker available for audition. I called Avalon and asked where in SO CAL I could hear the speaker. They said forget it because their sales concentration was overseas and they had not shipped that speaker to any of their dealers on the west coast. 

Richard Vandersteen is an amazing manufacturer and business owner. Veerapaneni, If you just got the Model 7s your pair are probably better sounding than mine. I know for a fact that no matter how long a Vandersteen speaker has been in production RV is always finding ways to make it sound even better. You can rest assured that you got the latest and greatest 7 available.

Also, in the Southern California area, Randy Cooley is the top dealer of Vandersteen. He will make you deal you cannot refuse. I am living proof of that. Even if you do not live in So Cal (too bad) you should still contact him if interested in something. Just kidding about "too bad".