Vandersteen Model 7: has anyone heard?

Solid state or hybrid works best although the 7 has been presented at the shows with Audio research amps. Pre amp can be either one.

I totally agree with Adelphiaron. Also, any upgrade you make in your system
will be even more obvious through the Model 7. I just upgraded my TNT 6
with rim drive, super platter, and SDS using an older Benz LP to a Basis Debut,
Vector 4 system fully loaded with all of the upgrades and the new Benz s MR.
All I can say is WOW!! The speakers seem to be physical objects that sit inside
the soundstage with the performers and recording venue all round them. More extention in all directions, especially the bass. I know this is the Basis at work,
but the Model 7s let you hear more of it. And don't forget the new high pass
filter will be here soon.

I have had my Vandersteen Model 7s for about two months. The break-in for these speakers is anywhere from 400 to 450 hours. I have reached 450 hours and feel that they are there. However, Richard Vandersteen has said that even he does not know how good they can sound. They just keep getting better as time goes on. My electronics is Aesthetix Io Eclipse phono preamp with volume controls and two power supplies. My amps are Aesthetix Atlas Signature mono-blocks. Wire is Audioquest Sky and Audioquest Everest. front end is VPI TNT 6 with Rim Drive and power controller. The arm is Triplanar 7 with Benz LP cart. The system is balanced. I became an audio fanatic in the 1950s when, as a kid, I heard for the first time the Electrovoice Georgian speaker system with proper electronics etc. for its day. That was it for me. I have had many speakers systems over the years including Avalon, Maggies, and most recently Vandersteen 5As. I listen mostly to classical music ( a collector of records for over 40 years, RCA, Mercury, Decca, E.M.I. etc.)
I had to wait a long time before I could honestly say that my system is very close to what I experience when I listen to the LA Philharmonic at the Disney Hall in Los Angeles. I have Richard Vandersteen to thank for this because of his years of research and development that produced the Vandersteen Model 7. Robert Harley's review in Absolute Sound is right on the money. The same is true for Pete Roth's review for the online Ultra Audio. The Vandersteen Model 7 projects a sense of truth to the source that the vast number of speakers out there do not. For the first time I can listen to the great Mercury recordings without the brightness that I and other collectors have complained about for years. I can finally really appreciate Kenneth Wilkinson's geat Kingsway Hall recordings for Decca and yes, I can hear the subway passing under ground. You will hear the multi-miking of the great RCA records, but you will also hear detail in them that I was not fully aware of through other speakers. The Model 7 is not just a step up from the 5a. It is a giant leap that takes you into the recording environment and lets you hear an amazing close approximation of what was heard at the recording session. Simply will find yourself totally involved in the music. For me image height is perfect, image size is dead on with the overall recording. And dynamics are close enough to the real thing without drawing too much attention to itself and distorting the soundstage. And finally there is the purity of the sound that no other speaker that I have ever heard has. If you think the Model 7 sound great at the dealers, just wait until you hear them in your own listening room. Once voiced below 120 hz and set up according to the manual, by the time you reach 100 hours you will begin to hear the greatness of this speaker. And that is just the beginning.

This is an update from my previous post on the Vandersteen Model 7 speaker
system. I am now at 850 hours and I can say without any doubt that the speaker continues to improve. I think this is remarkable. I have talked with Richard Vandersteen about this and he told me that he has experienced the same
phenomenon with his own personal pair. And this after three years! The chages are not obvious like when you are breaking in the speaker, but are subtle and act as a sort of audio fix every few days. Properly set up (per manual) and driven by
quality electronics (I have Aesthetix all balanced), this speaker can compete with any speaker out there.

Also, typical of Vandersteen's approach to speaker maufacturing, there will be
a new high pass filter available soon. This will replace the current model. The word is that this will take the Model 7 to an even high performance level and
will be a dramatic improvement similar to going from the Model 5a to the 7.
If there is way to improve a current production model you can bet that Vandersteen will find it and do it.

Amen to that Stringreen. And as a bonus the Micro Ridge stylus will give you
more detail with less surface noise. As HP has said, this is the best effort from
Benz which also allows those who have a Benz LP to trade-in and save about
2K. A no brainer.

Congratulations to Richard Vandersteen for being selected as the Los Angeles/Orange County Audio Society recipient of the Founders Award that is given each year to someone in the audiophile community who has had a major influence on both manufacturers and consumers in high end audio.

More that 300 audiophiles, including print and on-line media personalities from TAS , Stereophile, Positive Feedback, and Ultra Audio plus manufactures of high end audio attended the Annual Gala event. Bob Levi, President of the Society was the Master of Ceremonies while John Atkinson was the keynote speaker.

Richard Vandersteen accepted his award and spoke about how he got started in the business and then gave his views on various issues concerning high end speaker research and development. Richard's gracious wife and proud family were also in attendance.

Oh yes, Miss America was also there.

Everyone had a great time.

This past weekend THE SHOW NEWPORT featured some of the best
hi-fi in the land. One of the best rooms I enjoyed was the
Optimal Enchantment (Randy Cooley) room that featured the Vandersteen Model 7 speakers driven by Audio Research flagship
electronics plus the Basis Inspiration TT with Vector 4 arm and Lyra Titan cart. Analog ruled the room as Randy played
some of the best straight ahead jazz recordings available today. Even with typical audio show noise levels, this system
was a relief from the digital sound found in many of the other rooms.The
Vandersteen speakers were still able to produce a natural, detailed, and dynamic sound that many, myself included, expect from Vandersteen speaker systems. Many people that I talked to told me that it was the best sounding room that they had heard. Being able to have extended discussions with Richard Vandersteen and AJ Conte was a terrific bonus as well. Both are music lovers dedicated to giving us the best sound possible in our homes.