Vandersteen Model 1

I had the opportunity to live with a nice pair of 1Bs for a few months in my system, and they were a lot of speaker for the money (used $300). It is a simple 2-way design, which is not a difficult load for most 30+ w.p.c. amps, tube or solid state. They throw a very nice soundstage, with plenty of depth and width. Bass is a bit ill-defined, but gets down to 40hz with no problem. The midrange was full-bodied, rich, musical and never edgy. The tweeters in the 1B were not bright at all, actually a bit rolled off.
Not a "fast" or highly detailed speaker, but one of the best floorstanders out there for that price when it comes to enjoying the music.

Bondmanp hit it just right.
If you are handy with a screwdriver, or if you have a friend who is, just make sure that the repaired woof is identical, meaning factory spec. You can call Vandersteen and they'll walk you through it. It's usually only a matter of a few screws, and the ability to not over tighten when replacing.
Remove both woofers, making sure to keep them separate. Then give V'steen the numbers. They guide you and be very helpful in doing so.

Good luck,
Larry

I'm not 100% sure on this, but I believe I recall the "A," "B" or "C" designation appears at the end of the serial number that's stamped on the nameplate at the cable terminals.

-Bob

Provided the woofer was repaired properly, preferably by Vandersteen, I doubt you'll get better sound for $300. Note that the letter designation, IIRC, does not appear on the rear label of Vandersteen speakers, so it could be a 1, 1B, or 1C. Check with Vandersteen, who can tell you which model it is based on the serial numbers.

I have read that the 1B used a less refined tweeter than the 1C, and was a little brighter sounding than the 1C. The good news is that your amp should help with this issue, as the Jolida amps I've heard are quite smooth and clean sounding up top.

Let us know how you make out!

My Vandy 1C's sound absolutely wonderful driven by my Rogue Audio tubes, so I'm pretty confident that you will enjoy the Vandy 1's with your Jolida amp. I agree with Stevecham that you should make sure all is okay with the repaired woofer, but as long as there are no problems with the repair, you'll probably be incredibly happy with the Vandersteen sound. Across the entire range, Richard Vandersteen makes great sounding, musically satisfying speakers. Good Luck, and Happy Listening !!

How was the woofer repaired? These are great speakers but I would find out more about this.