tips for Vandersteen 3A sig

Hi Flying; I also have 3Asigs-- great speakers IMO. I haven't tried a sub in my 14 X22' room, but I have done quite a bit of room treatment and some vibration control of components-- all to good effect. I use five 11" ASC tube traps, one in each corner and three centered between the speakers and up against the wall. I also use three ASC floor standing panel traps to control wall reflections. My 3As are 4 1/2 ft. from the wall behind, and about three ft. from side walls. I think the combination of good speaker placement (I used the Vand. manual), and room treatment has given me very good bass-- tight and articulate. I don't think the 3As are the quickest speakers around, but bass is solid, satisfying, and rhythmic in my room. I use Townshend Seismic Sinks under my tube pre-amp and its power supply-- this tightened up the bass some more, and also cleaned up the midrange. I also think that the amp/speaker combination is really important, and I use a McCormack DNA-2DX, which has excellent bass-- quick, and tight (well as quick as the 3As allow). Happy Listening. Craig.

Gasman; even though I didn't start this thread, your post was of great interest to me because I have 3As but no subs, and have actually been considering Vand. 5s. But you make the 3As with subs sound very attractive, ie another option. Thanks. Craig

Flying; IMO, you are right about the tube amp producing slower and more bloated bass than a good solid state amp. I auditioned an SF Power 2 (110+ wpc) for about a month, and it's supposed to have good bass "for a tube amp", but it could not even come close to the quality of bass I got from my McCormack DNA-2DX.

I personally think that if bass (and PRT) are really high on your list of favorite music characteristics you might consider a good SS amp such as McCormack, Bryston, and many others. I sold the Power 2 partly for bass and PRT considerations. It had a nice mid-range though. Cheers. Craig.