Vandersteen VLR CT
Richard will be in my neighborhood at Stereo Unlimited San Diego on the 26th of February- hopefully with a pair but as Bruce displays everything, he may already have them.... when I spoke to RV he had just sent a prototype pair to a dealer who loved them - May have been Johnny R i think a pair of VLR-CT on Sound Anchor stands with sub 3 would be astounding i have heard the regular VLR many many times at Advanced Audio in Tacoma w modest power...sweet but I am biased... |
"Anyone know if there are any changes to the mid/woofer driver in the VLR CT?" I have to wonder if Vandersteen had to in part raise the rent on VLR Wood by changing the tweeter to "CT". Surely they changed the binding posts as well. That is a big price hike, not that I am criticizing. That happens all the time plus the bane of inexpensive bookshelves in my experience is the tweeter. |
Ohala, you may be right; I have no inside information on that front. My interest stems more from the fact that the mid/woofer driver operates up to 3500 Hz (with a 1st order crossover, of course). I know the carbon tweeter will be pistonic, but I'm doubtful that a conventional 6.5" mid/woofer would be fully pistonic in that configuration. I hope I'm wrong. :) |
sometimes picking up the phone is hyper productive and cuts thru speculation ( my own included )... press 2 to connect with Richard...he is working today.. yes, very pistonic no change to binding post, they utilize terminal strips same as used everywhere in the line which facilitates a direct connection to the crossovers...no wire needed. ( as an aside, for those of us who have taken Vandersteen apart to replace crossover bias batteries in the 5a for example understand how cool and robust the direct connection is !!!!! ) yes some upgraded and changed components in the filters and unlike the regular VLR they go into anechoic chamber for hand tuning to the drivers... the RV builds the carbon tweeter dome in house... so add all that up and to me anyway does not sound like rent jacking.... Jon at Ultra Fidelis has sold many, many pair of the new VLR-CT suggest a phone call to him as well. best to all, enjoy the music !!!!! disclosure, I own 3 pair of Vandersteen in a collection of ten pair of speakers...well ten is the number I use for WAF.... |
@mr_m , I wish I could buy them new. And, I haven't seen any used Treo CT's on Hifi Shark, either, which is probably a good thing, as that means people don't want to change. To be honest, I think my non-CT Treo's are amazing. Since I can't go that route, I am trying to sell some unused equipment and get the Sub 3's. If by some miracle, Mr. V. would do an upgrade, I would have to get another pair of speakers to listen to while they are in the shop. I've had my eyes on a pair of MBL 126's for some time. I haven't heard them, but I like the design, and heard good things about them. B |
I will agree, there's nothing wrong with the standard Treo's. I've been looking at the sub 3 also. I've got a few bass node problems that can't be fixed with the limited controls of the 2Wq sub. Jim (tomic601) had some good ideas that I used with using furniture in strategic places to reflect the sound rather than absorb. Pretty amazed with the results. Cheers, Tim |
Been living with the VLR CTs (powered by the Moon ACE) for just over a month now (thank you Ultra Fidelis). I'm blown away by their performance. Vastly improved over the normal VLRs. They made the LS50s I had sound like they were buried underneath a pile of mud. I've listened to a lot of speakers, and I know there are many other variables, but I can't think of anything I've heard under $9K that would compete with the VLR CTs. I've never posted to this forum, but felt compelled to after an especially great day of listening. If you're on the fence, here's a nudge. |
Bob, I agree! You really do get your money's worth from his products. The first vandersteen speaker I heard was the VLR. I was comparing it to the 1C. Couldn't make up mind. Next thing I knew, I was sitting on my couch at home in front of a pair of 2CE Sigs. I think it was some kind of hi-fi blackout. I've had a few more since then. I wasn't even expecting to like the VLR CT's. I didn't think they would be able to do much in my room. I live in an old warehouse with big rooms and super tall ceilings. I was completely wrong. Anyway, would like to say thanks to everyone for being nice to a first time poster. I sometimes cruise around audiophile blogs only to find people being terrible to other people. |
A pair of VLR-CTs on Target stands with sub 3 Running in very nicely. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Oix9Ebgktc Cheers ,JohnnyR |
Question about stock VLR &/or VLR CT... I listen to 2-ways strictly in a nearfield/desktop setting. There's perhaps 1 foot behind the speakers to the big picture window in front of desk (covered w/blinds). I have found that sealed/asoustic suspension designs work/sound better in this setup than ported designs. Has anyone here used VLR or VLR CT in a nearfield setting? Or near to back wall. If yes to either question, how did they sound? |
My VLR's are mounted near the ceiling/corners of the room with a little downward tilt and angling toward my desk. I wish I could listen a little further away, but that is where they have to go. I love the way they sound. ( I had a pair of Zu Omen Bookshelf speakers before, but the Vandy's are much, much better. I can't believe such a small box can make so much quality sound). I also have a pair of Hsu subs under the desk to flesh out the lowest notes, but to be honest, I really don't think I need them. Are they as good as my Treo's, no- especially considering the positioning, but they sound very nice. No fatigue, lots of definition- as a Vandy should be. Bob |
OK I have to bump this year old thread because I can't find much information anywhere about the VLR CT. I've searched but haven't round any reviews or much discussion. As I posted in the thread about the new 2C Sig III, I owned a pair of Signature 3As and loved them. I downsized and have missed them ever since. It's hard to imagine what a small speaker from Vandersteen might sound like but I know it wouldn't exist if it wasn't something special. I'm listening to comparable size, slightly more expensive Revel speakers in one system and they're great, but.... the whole concentric driver, carbon tweeter, each pair hand tuned, designed by Richard Vandersteen...I have to hear them but can't in the present state of the planet. Any proud owners of VLR CT care to share more info ? |
Have thoroughly enjoyed the VLR Wood model for nearly two years, based on recommend from John Rutan at Audio Connection. Paired with Belles Aria integrated, Bryston bdp-pi streamer, Ayre Codex dac and AQ speaker cable and interconnects. Will be making the move to the CT model, once again based on Johns recommmendation. |
The carbon tweeter is just hyper fatigue free ( no breakup until a very high frequency ) it has the accuracy needed but without the leading edge bite of metal. Sure metal can sound very good but less breakup gives the designer more latitude on bandwidth and filter design.... with the caveat that the aerospace grade CF diaphragm is expensive... sure the holy grail is pistonic and inexpensive- some of us lay awake at night working on that... imo breakup and non pistonic motion should be the bane of any speaker designer who is not selling flavors.... |
I’ve had my VLR CTs for over a year now. I couldn’t be happier. In the past I was usually bitten by the speaker upgrade bug after about 6 months. I listen to these things everyday and am still more than happy with them. Where are you located? Thank you for the reply. That's encouraging. I definitely need to go longer than 6 months before upgrading speakers because I tend to keep everything I like and just add to my collection instead of selling them on. But do the VLR CT have a ’Vandersteen’ sound ? such as the floor standing models or is that not possible with a stand mount speaker ? I’m in Southern California. |
@glissando They definitely have the Vandersteen sound (of those speakers with the carbon fiber tweeter). I was able to hear these in relation to the 2CE SigII, 3A Sig, and Treo CT. I really preferred the VLR CTs (with a subwoofer in use) over the first two (I would buy the Treos if I had the dough). There was so much more life in the music. The carbon fiber tweeter really is incredible. I'm probably not giving you much to go on, just trying not to regurgitate the usual audiophile tropes. I definitely recommend auditioning them if you can. If you were in western PA, I'd invite you over. |
I auditioned the VLR CT's at Audioconnection last year. Setup: VLR's, Belles Integrated, Ayre Codex, Bluesound Node/Aurender N100. So, Peter (ctsooner) wants to hear the new AQ William Tell speaker cables. Johnny disconnects the Sub 3 and plugs in the new cables. Holy cow! The increased definition across the frequency spectrum was easily heard. Now, I never subscribed to cables being a significant factor, but these sure changed my mind. @ediconretro, Using the William Tell cables made the VLR's perform like the Sub 3 was still connected. Bob |
Thanks for the replies guys ! @edicionretro I haven't heard the CT in anything so that's the reason I asked if they have a Vandersteen sound. If you preferred them over classic Vandersteens that's saying a lot. I found the web site for Sunny's, oddly they're not listed as a dealer on the Vandersteen site. I'm about 125 miles north of Covina so that's a possibility...eventually. @tomic601 do you work there ? |
@tomic601 Thanks. I had my assistant engineer call all the L.A. Vandersteen dealers last fall, including Optimal Enchantment and they did not have the VLR CT. I don't think he called Sunny's. I just checked the Vandersteen web site and now Sunny's comes up as a dealer so I'll check them both out when I venture south. As of yesterday we're now required to wear a mask in public here in California so I'm not headed out to audition anything any time soon. |
