I have owned multiple Vandersteen speakers and heard many of them in different rooms. IMO, the 5As, properly driven and set up, are head and shoulders above all of the others. No contest. The 5A simply reveals more information with less distortion than the others and is the most coherent multiple driver speaker I have ever heard. That being said, the 3A Sig/2WQ combination is very very good. Try to find a way to listen to both in the same room before you decide.
Vandersteen 3a sigs/ 2wq vs. 5a or 5
I currently have a pair of 2wq's with the model 5 crossover and am considering buying a pair of 3a signatures. I have heard this is 80% or even 90% of the performance of the model 5a's. I am a little skeptical of that though given the cost. Can someone who has compared these setups give me your impressions. Is it close or not, and what are the sonic differences. Thank you for your input.