Vandersteen 5A vs Meridian DSP8000

I work for a high end dealer but don't sell either one.

The Vansersteen's are more musical and have more potential but are much harder to set up. Only get 5A's from a knowledgeable dealer.

Well I have herd the Meridian but not in the same envirnment so I don't want to compair. I own the 5a and use them in a 2 ch - 7.2 set up. Since you are in the HT forum I would guess you would want to use them in a ht. I don't see a Meridian center to match the 8000.

One of the things with vandersteen is his speakers match so well it is seemless for me from the center to the sides to the sourounds. Heck even his wall mount vsm sorounds have tuning pots. If you are looking for HT remember 70% of your sound is that center speaker and it has to tonally match the rest withthe exception of the sub that can be different. With all of vandersteen speakers they all match each other, I don't know if this holds true with any other line.

Thanks. I am more interested in music than movies, but I do have a 7.1 channel Meridian system (analog system, not DSP speakers).

The nice thing about Meridian DSP speakers is that you don't need to match electronics. They are already integrated, which makes the system very modular. If you want to add speakers to a different room, you don't need to add more amps. You can multiple rooms from just 1 central preamp. Very convenient and professional level integration. The nice thing about Vandersteen, to the best of my memory, was their accuracy. But then again, that also beceomes dependent upon amps and preamps, and speaker placement is critical.

I don't have that much room to place floor standing speakers 30" from the wall so I went with on-walls, Meridian 300 series analog speakers and G series amp/preamp. I am very happy with the sound for music and of course for movies too. But I am considering adding a new system to a second room. I still have space restricitions. The most I can place them off the wall is 20". I think Meridian DSP speakers may be more forgiving in terms of placement.

Follow up.

Vandersteen's are not the only speaker that matches centers and rears perfectly but I do agree that it is rarer than you would think.

My issue with the Meridian speakers is that they can lean towards bright and harsh even with there built in amps. They sound very digital and mechanical. I have taken a few in on trade due to this.

A powered speaker that is incredible and has a perfect center channel is Intuitive Design Summits or Gamma Summits. They get top 3 best sound every year at Rocky Mountain.

They have a huge disadvantage. They take up to 9 months to get after you order. They are made out of Granite and I guess this is very labor intensive.

There are reviews on Audiogon by owners.

Since you have space issues and you realize the Vandy's may need some room to do their magic it would seem you've answered your question.

There is a lot to be said for Meridian gear but as sensible as they may be Vandersteens simply make music. The attention to time and phase that goes into all Vandersteens blows away many other fashionable designs. You may notice that real audio improvements are rare which is why some designers can maintain a customer base without evolving a new model every year or two.

My suggestion is to get the Vandy 5's or the Quatros, empty your room, dial in the speaker/room relationship, then backfill with your stuff. Otherwise why waste your money on high end speakers then set them up in a mid-fi environment?

I have a question as to why you would empty the room. Would this allow a more accurate set-up of the speakers? If so, when you put the items back in the room do you have to redo the set-up or tweak it so to speak? The reason I am asking is that vandys are in my future and I am curious about room set-up. Thanks and look forward to hearing more.

Joe in Mobile

Joe, Not at all. Listening to speakers at this level one should experience their potential with the boundary space needed for their optimum performance within that particular room. After restocking the room and relocating the speakers he would then know the sacrifice made.

In many cases room furnishings can be beneficial. Speaker placement can be one of the most enlightening aspects of this hobby. Reading a recent review of the Model 7, I believe Richard Vandersteen has a specific method for setting up his speakers by which the reviewer experiences and incredible degree of accuracy.

While I don't own Vandersteen systems I'm a big fan of their core goals of time and phase. Now, if only the recording industry paid closer attention to polarity, playback would take on an increased level of realism.