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Attention Vandersteen 5A owners/ amp matches

What are all you other 5/5A owners using to drive your speakers these days. I have noticed members using Bel and also Quicksilver. I am really thinking about selling my humble farm and spending up to 15 k (new) or used on an amp. I generally have leaned in the direction of tubes in the past, but am not totally close minded to all SS right now. I prefer a slightly warmer sound, but now of course want (almost) everything with my upgrade. I am now considering Audio research , VTL S400, Jadis Ja 80, and am interested in a used pair of Jeff Rowland 9 monos. I am looking for plenty of power( although I know 5A s are o.k. with less) which I hope will translate to a relaxed effortlessness. I want the 5A to fill my 23/12/8 size room with a nice wide ,deep soundstage with good dimensionality. Thank in advance to any and all suggestions. Boy, am I going to miss that farm.
fjn04

Showing 4 responses by chargerfan

chargerfan
51 posts
 
Aesthetix Atlas mono blocs with signature caps. A hybrid that will give you
the voltage that the sub woofer in the 5a needs. 16k for both amps. RV
has said that these speakers and the Model 7 need that voltage.
chargerfan
51 posts
 
Ayre monos work very well with the 5A and 7. Same for Aesthetix monos. I also have talked with Richard about this. I opted for Aesthetix monos because I have the Io Eclipse preamp. I also think the world of Jim White. The AR 210 can drive the 5a very well. These were used at THE SHOW in Newport with the 5a Carbon
and sounded very good. At Rocky Mountain the 7 will be driven by Aesthetix like it was at CES in 09 which brought rave reviews. For the 5a all three of these would work very well. Take your pick. Richard (along with Charlie Hanson) consulted with Jim on the development of the Atlas.

Note: The new HP filter is just about out now and will be an improvement. Randy Cooley (Optimal Enchantment in Santa Monica) and Peter Roth (Ultra Audio) have both heard it and told me that it is a very good upgrade.
chargerfan
51 posts
 
The new high pass filter is the M7-HP. I talked with RV last December about it at the LA/OC Audiophile dinner. He has completely revised the unit with much better caps and other parts. He has since told me that the difference is very
clear. Peter Roth, who has the unit, told me the same thing. Pete has the 7s. I would think that this would apply to both the 5a and 7 speakers. I'm not sure about the price, but it will be somewhere around double the M5-HP.
chargerfan
51 posts
 
I failed to mention that I believe it also has a fiber carbon enclosure and the pigtails are Audioquest Wild Blue Yonder. So, as you can see, this is a completely
new HP filter.
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