Vandy 5a's spider cracks in heads

the cracks are not due to their age but rather began to appear in the first year of ownership, and I did once ship them back to have them upgraded to "A's" and at that time Richard told me there was nothing to fix which is why I was curious if any other 5a owners had heard the same and it sounds like at least one other has.

My pair of Vandy 5 has the same cracks and I had called Richard about it. He told me it is normal and there is nothing to fix.

"I imagine that the shipping charges for sending the speakers back and forth for even a free repair could be more than the loss of value due to the flaw. You also run the risk of additional damage from faulty handling during shipping. If the flaw is visually minor, I wouldn't sweat over it."

Its not likely that the speakers will have to be shipped. In order to sell a pair of 5A's, Vandersteen requires that the dealer goes out to the customers house and set them up. So unless the OP bought the speakers used or has moved since the initial purchase, its likely there won't be a problem.

I imagine that the shipping charges for sending the speakers back and forth for even a free repair could be more than the loss of value due to the flaw. You also run the risk of additional damage from faulty handling during shipping. If the flaw is visually minor, I wouldn't sweat over it.

Agree with the above. He will fix them for free or very little if the design is not structurally sound. This is how he built his business!

Vandersteen is usually very good about stuff like that. I would just call and see what he says.

I certainly wouldn't buy them.....call and talk to Richard. I'm pretty sure it can be fixed.

10 year old speakers are bound to have some minor aesthetic flaws. If you can't easily see the cracks from 3 feet away, I don't think it's a big deal. Rate the speakers according to the Audiogon standard and price them accordingly.

As long as you are up front with the condition of the speakers, you should be able to get a fair price for them.