Vandersteen 5a or Eggleston Andra II

I have Andra IIs in a 22' X 13.5' X 9' living room, no sound treatment but about 40 framed prints on the wall which breaks up a lot of wall reflection. I have never been a big fan of what seems to be called tight bass by audiophiles, because that isn't what you hear in a hall, either large like Carnegie or even in a small recital hall, since there is so much reflected sound at most points in the hall. When the AIIs are teamed with amps which can control the woofers (I use Mac 501s) they put out what sounds to me remarkably like what I hear live. As to setting them up, my experience is that they present such a wide soundstage with so much center fill, that as long as they are 2-3' from the back wall, 7-9' from each other, on some sort of device (I use Aurios Pros on a rug) to isolate them from the floor, and not too sharply angled in, moving them around (which isn't easy, anyway) didn't change the sound too much. I'm not challenging anyone else's experience, I'm just saying that I have found them about the easiest speakers to live with I have ever owned. (Now the original Andras--they weren't so easy....)

I own Andra IIs which replaced my Wilson WP7's that I owned for 2 years and prior to that Revel Salon's in this system set-up. Both of the speakers you are referring to are world class contenders and you really can't go wrong with either. A good friend has the Vandy 5's with Dartzeel gear along with EMM source, really nice system. In my opinion I prefer the Eggleston's and feel that they are just in another league over all, more musical and over all more convincing. Regarding set-up, I have not had any issues and found them to be very easy. Regarding the Vandy's and their built in amp does not impress me, I have Mac 501's driving the Andra's and feel the bass bettering the Vandy's. I have recently put the Andra's on Sistrum platforms and found positive changes in the sound characteristics along with presentation, I will leave them on the platforms for a few more months and then remove to finalize my over all thoughts. Other associated gear, Audio Research Ref 3 pre (I have a Supratek Sauv. pre. that I'm comparing right now) I have a Oracle 2000 transport connected via Stealth Sextet AES digital cable to a Accustic Arts Dac MK4 which is just a amazing combo. Connection from the dac to pre is XLR Stealth Indra, from the pre to amps XLR Virtual Dynamics Rev. 2.0 and speaker cables Virtual Dynamics Genesis 6ft bi-wire.

I purchased the Andara II's about 3 months ago and there is no doubt that the first thing about the speaker that strikes you is its overall tonal balance followed by how natural the tweeter sounds (although I would have to believe that an excellent crossover comes into play here as well). With solid electronics in front, cymbals sound like cymbals (not irritating metal hash).

I came off of Quad ESL-2805's (just couldn't live without deep bass response and extended highs that I was used to, even after adding a sub - which creates integration problems) which are midrange killers. The Quads are simply at the top of the list when it comes to midrange performance (especially vocals).

Eggleston has done an excellent job at integrating the 6" drivers with the Esotar tweeter to create a high level of transparency and midrange clarity (maybe not to the level of a Quad but I much prefer the overall presentation of the Andra II). I do not find the woofer to get in the way at all and in some ways I wish it was a bit more pronounced in the presentation - however if they did that I think it would have a greater likelihood of making things muddy, which is currently not the case.

I am always looking for weaknesses in my system but for now I am focused on electronics and cables as I find the Andra II's to be simply outstanding speakers.

I have heard the Vandy 5A once but not long enough to give you a good evaluation.

Hope it helps

As much as like the Vandersteen, and they are excellent, the clarity and neutrality of Eggleston appeal to me more. Another speaker you may want to consider is the Merlin VSM-MXe which also uses the same Esotar tweeter. The speaker is much smaller than the Andra 2 and much easier to drive which may give you some more flexibilty in choosing an amplfier - 30 tube watts should be enough. Since you mention the subwoofer capabailities of the VS, the Merlin may not be able to provide the kind of bass you desire, but it does go to 33Hz -2db, and is exceptionally balance throughout the frequency range, but it is ideally suited to a small to medium size listening room, it won't move air like the two you are considering.

Firstly, as others have mentioned, I would not choose a speaker for the tweeter. Mid range is much more important. Secondly, Bob Ludwig currently uses the Andra II's - do a google on him and you will probably find that he has mastered a great deal of the music you listen to (one of the highly respected sound engineers in the industry). Speakers that are highly regarded for use in prestigious mastering studios tend to be neutral, transparent, non-fatiguing, yet dynamic and natural sounding. I do not have listening experience comparing either of these speakers but I would not hesitate to take a page out of Bob Ludwig's book and follow his choice.