My next pair of speakers will definitely be one or the other. I had a chance to listen to both and they each have different strengths and weaknesses. Who can convince me to pick one?
I am a Wilson Audio dealer. Richard Vandersteen is now becoming a good friend. You picked 2 designers who agree 100% on time alignment. have been around forever. If God had a living room and a family room, he would have a Wilson and a Vandersteen.They both have similar design principles. Hence their products sound right to you. I have not heard a Quattro CT so I will not comment on that speaker.
The Wilson Sabrina is in my opinion a speaker that is very easy to place in rooms. She somehow disappears more than any other Wilson speaker. The new Soft Dome tweeter blends so well with the mid-range. The Bass reproduction is amazing. Very true and attainable. I stock all colors and love setting them us as they are very electronics friendly as the Sabrina sounds great with Arcam, NAD and Dan D Agostino. I hope this helps.
I like the Vandersteen Model over the Wilson Did you over look the Vandersteen binding Post Do dad's? What is going on with that. After years and years Come on.
My friend pointed out your dilemma. I am the global sales guy for Vandersteen and years ago was the Marketing Manger at Wilson Audio. Both products have great potential when setup properly in your space. It is time for an in home demonstration if possible. The Vandersteens do offer a lot of in room adjustability on the bass and that may be a factor depending on your space. If you wish to email me at Brad@vandersteen.com with the Vandersteen dealer you are working with, perhaps I can help. Good luck and I hope you find the best for your for years to come.
As a Sabrina owner, I'll put in my 2 cents that this is a wonderful speaker. But as others have said, only you can decide which is right for you.
What I will strongly urge, though, is that you arrange an in-home demo of either or both speakers. I had my dealer bring his store's pair of Sabrinas to my house for a 4 day weekend (paid $200 for them to bring them and take them back - well worth it when considering paying $17,000 for a pair of speakers), and he spent about two hours positioning them and setting them up. You're going to live with these speakers (hopefully) for many years to come. Don't decide based on how they sound in a completely different room with very different acoustics, and different source and amplification components.
@tomic601 I have two 2wq subs. in my system and my family used to complain about how they could "feel" the bass upstairs (I am in a dedicated basement room). After looking into the idea of decoupling my Treo CTs and loving the results (clarity, openness) I ordered giant decouplers from Herbie’s for the subs. Wow! The decouplers raised the bottom firing subs. about 1/2 inch off the carpet, yielding what my ears perceived as a cleaner bass response. The most astonishing result was I can play Donald Fagan’s "Morph the Cat" at volume, go upstairs and not experience the bass at all, and that album has kick-butt bass. Huge deal. If you take the leap into sub-land maybe that would be a good solution for your living concerns.
@tomic601 , From my experience with the 2wq subs in my home, I do not find the bass notes traveling beneath to the basement, so unless your condo is built with minimal insulation, I think you wouldn't incur the wrath of your neighbors. Bob
.....broken....man that hurts a bit, but i understand.... i have spent last several weeks breaking in and dialing in the Treo CT ( which you know do not have powered bass ).... then came “ home “ to Seattle to the 7’s......€¥&*@@@@@@@ !!!!! holy, what is missing....that bottom 2 octave wallop....
but it aint fair, with amps 16:1 money......and a condo with subwoofers essentialy banned ( self imposed )
i will say in the Treo and the Quattro for that matter ( some value for the OP ) what is not missing is absolutely seemless driver integration in the treble, critical midrange, the midrange driver is very very good. With a Basis / Delos front end it is liquid smooth with superb depth of image....Eva can make me cry, as she does on the 7
No idea what the Wilsons sound like but the Quattro CT paired with an ARC integrated was probably the best sound I’ve heard in anyone’s house. It made my home system (older McIntosh, 2Ci) sound broken by comparison. I was very depressed to say the least. Sorry no help, just sharing an experience.
What are your perceived strengths and weaknesses of each? What are the most important aspects of speakers and sound reproduction that are most important to you? Just curious and may have a thought based on your answers.
I agree with previous comments that you should convince yourself as to the sound you prefer.
My love of Vandersteen is documented on this board, so you know where I come out. I will say that even putting sound to the side, Vandersteen is very good in terms of product upgrades and product support. And the powered bass section also provides practical advantages in terms of amplifier flexibility.
BTW, not that it matters but I have Magnepan MMGs in one audio system and Vandersteen 2ce Sig II speakers in my other system. I am a fan of Vandersteen but one has to choose speakers for themselves. I know the Quatro CT speakers have a tremendous following. Perhaps one day I will own a pair!
Sorry to add to the Vandersteen recommendations, but I, too, think the Vandersteen's are superior to the Wilson's. Make no mistake, I listened to a pair of Sabrina's and was very impressed, but Mr. V. has been around a long time, answers questions personally and builds his speakers to last. I own the Treo's(non-CT), and love them. If I could afford the Quattro CT's, I'd get them in a heartbeat. Bob
+1 stereo5 and tomic601 stereo5 your quote "That Kind of up front Wilson sound is great at first, but over time would irritate the Hell out of me." is what I was tempted to say but then there are many listeners who like that more "upfront" perspective". For me, in my limited experience listening through Wilsons, they do wear on you the longer you listen. Vandersteen's offerings have that plane of the speakers and behind soundscape that invites you into listen.
Tomic's comment about the powered and equalized bass from the Quatros is a great selling point!
Best of luck making the choice that is right for you.
A further comment, I owned Vandersteen 2ci speakers for 20+ years and they sounded excellent on Classical, Jazz, and Rock. I was powering it at the time with a Classe 10 amp and Audible Illusions Modulus 3 preamp. As I have heard every Vandersteen John Rutan at Audio Connections had last year, I would lean towards Vandersteen. That Kind of up front Wilson sound is great at first, but over time would irritate the Hell out of me.
Both speakers are top quality offerings! I'm a 30+ year Vandy owner and love the truth of that sound. However, as @stereo5 said, you should probably audition them again. They represent very different approaches to sound reproduction. Which one puts a smile on your face and gets your toes tapping?
For your sake, don't let yourself feel rushed to make a decision. IMHO there is no more important system decision. Good Luck!
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