Vandersteen Quatro Wood CT

I’d go for the Quatros — whole other level of bass.  I’m not an expert, but I’ve never heard of anyone needing a volt meter to set them up, and it would surprise me if that was the case. 

You just need to know the input impedance of your amplifier.  The high pass filters are dip switch controlled and super easy to adjust.  The only time you need a volt meter is when you don’t know the input impedance of your amp. That procedure is not difficult either but obviously a little more involved.

ive had Quatros for years. They are worth the hassle to set up.

Thanks, for responding. Very helpful.

If you need help, just contact Vandersteen directly. Often Mr. V. will call back, himself.

Otherwise, you can find the directions on the Vandersteen website under Resources, then Manuals.

And, it you own Vandersteens, you can join our forum, too.

Bob

I can’t lie that is what has always kept me away from those speakers. I probably would’ve bought a pair if not for that hassle. Or at least my opinion that it could be a hassle.

Don’t know if the filter is an additional charge when buying new, but Vandersteen now markets the Quatro evo, which does not use one. Speakers are tough to set up in general. I think the filter and eq setup looks relatively easy. Maybe easier overall for good sound. 
 

Greetings Referee1,

I've had the original Quatros - pre-wood days for decades.

Yes, the M5-HP is necessary for the Quatros proper functionality.

Every time I roll an amp into my system, I go through the setup process. Signal generator > M5-HP > Amplifier > DMM.  Don't be turned off from buying them because of this. I love the speakers.  (I have expensive TEK bench top sig gen and a few other cheapo from fleabay which are accurate enough. Of course I verify the test signal first in Hz.

Ask a friend with a good DMM  and decent skills in it's use.Or, pay someone for the first time. If you have several amps, do them one after another and write down the dip settings for all your amps. When new, the M5-HP filter was an additional charge.

Hope this helps; feel free to ask more........

Cheers,

-W

The HP filters are easy-peasy to set-up.  Any dealer can assist you or Vandersteen directly.  We used our preamp and amplifier on them and placed them almost up against the wall for WAF.  The sound amazing when matched with the correct components.  There is a chart on the cover of the filters so as mentioned before, once you know the amp specs or you can use a meter to measure that (place the probes on the meter on the output jacks and that is it) you are ready to go with each amplifier.  Nothing to be concerned about at all.

I love having the capability to dial in bass response on the Vandy speakers.

Happy Listening.

Reach out with any questions.

Yeah, they're worth it. 

As @karl_desch said, "You just need to know the input impedance of your amplifier.  The high pass filters are dip switch controlled and super easy to adjust.  The only time you need a volt meter is when you don’t know the input impedance of your amp."

The other huge benefits of any of the speakers that utilize the high pass filters are:

1) You're taking much of the difficult task driving the low bass off your regular amp and shifting that burden to the powerful plate amps inside the speakers, designed specifically for that task. This opens up the opportunity to get great results with medium powered amps(e.g. ~75w). 

2) You get 11 band ANALOG bass EQ adjustment that will allow optimal placement in most any room without resorting to DSP. 

IMHO, these two benefits are HUGE!

One of the benefits of the new EVO model is that it can work well with most integrated amps since you don't need to insert the high pass filters between power and preamp sections. Ayre, Aesthetix and a couple of others can build in high pass filters, but many other integrated amps aren't going to be an option with Quatro CTs, 5A variants, etc., but those amps would be fine with EVOs. Cheers,

Spencer

I have model 5s and did not find the filters difficult to configure at all. Don't let that deter you. You only have to use a meter if you're a nerd, like me. The published specs will do just fine. Some of the best and most underrated speakers out there. Have fun.

A lot of fussing with multimeters when your budget can bring something that connects and energizes the first time and every time. 

The website say if you are purchasing used  Quatros,"There must be set using an electrical meter and test tones from the included CD, which is demonstrated in our crossover setup video". If I know the input impedence this should not be necessary, correct?

No, you still must go through the setup as it comes down to a relationship between 100Hz and 1KHz for the -3db down point. A rather simplified but not so accurate example/explanation of the process.The owner's manual will detail the process. As mentioned above, try to source a video.

Cheers,

-W

It sounds daunting, but is actually quite a simple process. There are You Tube videos showing Mr. V. setting up the speakers. And, if you do buy, you can always pick our brains on the Vandy website. We have a few members that can walk you through it.

Bob

I’ve had the Quattro CT Woods for years. I wouldn’t trade them for anything. If you don’t want an additional sub in your system forget the treos. Used is the way to go 

I just got am new amp which has its own filter settings so I have an extra pair of the  filters sitting around. Let me know if you’re interested. They are expensive new and not readily available used.  

As a long time owner of the Quatro's they are among the most accurate/bang for the buck speakers out there with their powered bass modules/damping controls and 11 band EQ. Concerning the external X-overs, one just needs to know the input impedance of the amplifier to get a pretty close rolloff that will work in most situations. For those perfectionists, the multimeter and frequency discs are required. As to issues I've encountered, I've had to replace one midrange driver due to a "buzzing" issue at certain frequencies, mainly female vocals and now the other speaker has developed the same issue. The other inconvenience is that the output leads on the external X-over are very short and with my Pass Labs Aleph 3 amp, present a challenge to connecting them to the inputs. I had to get Female to Female RCA couplers to extend the connections to allow the modules to be dressed well clear of the back of the amp and placed on a solid surface(rack shelf). Other than those issues, they are one of the best speakers I currently own and will certainly trounce the Trios but care must be taken in their setup to achieve their full potential.