2. speakers
  3. 180866-91028

For Vandersteen owners & lovers: Which other brands do you like?

If you didn’t own Vandersteens, what would you own instead and why? Or, if you switched to another brand what did you choose?

First, let me say that I am a Vandersteen owner for 20+ years, now on my 2nd pair of the 2CE, the Signature III. I have owned other brands, and heard many others and even liked some. 😀 I don’t change gear frequently once I settle on something. Lazy & frugal = me.

I am on the verge of being on the verge of getting the Vandy Treo CT. I have auditioned them at length. I have also heard the Quatro CT and if budget allowed (including upgrading my front end) I would get them for sure. I’m not a fanboy—there is a reason why Vandersteen has sold something like 100K pairs of the 2CE. They sound very good and all of their models are a real bargain/value in their category, imo.

I have heard and liked, for different reasons, Maggies, Magicos, Harbeths, Focals, Linkwitz-Riley, and other brands. Others that I have not heard intrigue me too. I keep circling back to Vandys—maybe it’s what I have known the longest. I have flirted with the Larsen 8 or 9, which is a totally different design (AbSound has reviewed them well), and also the MBL 120 and 126 (omnidirectionals).

I know I could be happy for life with Vandersteens (Treo, Quatro, or dreaming—the Kento or 7). I am interested in detailed opinions of alternatives in the $10K range though. Thanks!

128x128patrickdowns

Showing 1 response by zimick

zimick
32 posts
 

@patrickdowns figured I’d throw in my input.

I had 3’s for 30 years with sending them in for upgrades 3 times, the last time a full upgrade to Signature 3 spec on all parts. ( Richard’s answer when I asked what would be different before I sent them was “ the only thing you will get back from your speakers is the wood, the frame and maybe the cloth”) 

I was thinking about the switch to Treo’s and went and listened to them ( New Jersey dealer, well thought of) and after my audition I went to look at some finishes in another building with him ( basically deciding on what I was going to buy)  and he had some Harbeth SLH 5 Anniversary speakers set up that he had on commission. I had never heard Harbeths so I asked for a listen. 
I ended up buying a pair of the Harbeth SLH 5 Anniversary about two years ago.

I loved my Sig 3’s and liked the Treo’s which to my ear had similar sound but just cleaner with more detail.

The Harbeths are to me even more detailed and incredibly realistic while being not fatiguing in any way. The first day I had the Harbeths they seemed almost too detailed, it was like the Sig 3’s had been more blended…? But after a few hours I haven’t looked back in any way.

The real input is to just get what sounds right to you. Just give your ears a touch of time to adapt if the sound is different at first. For me hearing the Harbeths that first time they just seemed effortlessly detailed and they just stuck in my brain.

Enjoy!

More to discover