I sold my Van5A in favour of Montana Kas.
How did they sound in same room with same equipment and with even break in period: The Montanas blew the Van away..keywords: Seamless, amazing botton end, extremely detailed, with realistic height and width regarding the artists. You can easily trace the contours of instruments and singers. I have even owned Magico Q5..did not reach the Montana to their knees even..Van5A was amazing, Montana another league, with depths to die for |
You asked...
I have 5A Carbons in an 11 x 22 foot room with an 8 foot ceiling. The woofer technology is identical to the 5A non-Carbon. I was limited where I could place the speakers because the room is shared. The back of the speakers are 18" from the short wall.
I couldn't be happier with the sound overall. The dealer configured the 11 band EQ to mitigate a room node at around 60Hz and the resulting bass response is fantastic. I no longer feel deprived that I lack a dedicated listening room. Also, the WAF of this solution is high. She didn't like tube traps.
You didn't ask....
Rpeluso has it right. But here, have another random opinion :-)
Increase your speaker budget and get the 5A carbons. Or get the Quattro carbon and trade up later. The 5A carbon is 25% more expensive than the 5a but it sounds more like the Model 7 than the 5a. To me, a very open and natural sound with amazing detail but no 'hi-fi' artifacts. I listened to a lot of speakers before I made this choice, the very nice sounding AZ included. YMMV of course. |
I had a pair in my house for a month belonging to a friend who went to France for a month and wanted them guarded while he was away.
I ran them with a Response Audio Bella Extreme (50 watts a side with Siemens El 34) and a Bryston BP-6 pre.
Totally natural sound ,not projected, but flowing in a stream as clear and liquid as a mountain spring.Every line and instrument clear and rock solid in a space reminding me of my favorite hall, the Gewandhouse in Leipzig.
Only reason I haven't bought any is I pay cash and am about 10K short-LOL . |
Schubert, I've heard all of those as well and I'd still prefer the Crescendo if matched with the right tube amplifier.
Charles, |
Thanks Chucky dad. and that includes my uber-rich surgeon college-room mates Magico 5 which is a great speaker and the YGA he had before that which was magnificent.
And my son's Maggie 20's and my nephews Wilson Pups. |
Schubert,
You have good taste. |
I've been listening to speakers for 50 years and would rather have a pair of AZ Crescendo than any other . |
Thanks for all the responses...much appreciated.
Rpeluso, I only wanted some input from any members that might have had some positive experiences with either or both speakers in a similar environment. As I can setup and treat the room any way I see fit, I have confidence that I can make virtually any speaker "work".
Just yesterday I listened at length to a friends Revel Studio 2's. After many years in this hobby, it was actually the very first time I had heard Revel's. I was very impressed. A slight different presentation than either of the two speakers on my current list, but excellent nonetheless. Makes me wonder how good the Salon's are. |
Yes 5as will work great in that room
Just last week we did a pair of 5 A Carbons in a 19 x 11 8ft ceiling
Their bass adjustments allow you to tune out the problems.
We nailed 24 hz flat and trimmed down any bloat at the room resonance
with ease . Their High Pass allows the amp that you love to work at its best & to be super 3D just playing the speakers in the top end.
Cheers JohnnyR Vandersteen dealer over 20 years |
Rpeluso,
You should read the original post again, he's heard and likes both speakers but is concerned with his room's dimensions and compatibility. The opinions from us responders regarding speaker preference are unsolicited.
Charles, |
The question isn't which speaker should he choose, but whether the room will present any problems to either speaker. I don't have an answer for that question. |
Do you really want some random opinions here to make this choice for you? Seriously, do you? |
I'm familiar with both of these speakers and believe each would work in
your room and requires some placement experimentation. The Vandersteen
is a good speaker and a solid choice. I'd go with the Crescendo as I find it a
very exception sounding speaker. It's very open, transparent and most of
all, natural. With a good tube amplifier the music just flows and conveys
emotion and realism. It's on a higher plane than the respectable
Vandersteen in my humble opinion.
Good Luck,
Charles, |
I would go with the Crescendo for an extra reason. Both speakers are great in every way except for one: in my experience Vandersteen 5 and 5A speakers don't reproduce soundstage height, while this is one of the Crescendo's high points among many. |
I've heard both. Vandys definitely have better bass but even though I like them, I would give the nod to the AZs. Music flows from the Crescendos. They are also more efficient so they can be used with more lower powered tubes. |
Soundqcar, I have Crescendo's in my room which is 22x15 with a sloped 9' to 17' ceiling. I think it sounds fantastic. I have never heard the Vandersteen's. The Crescendo's put out excellent bass, I even got rid of my 2 JL F113's and am just using the Crescendo's. |
The Vandy is a great, well-rounded speaker. Should work nicely in your room. |
Vandersteen is my favourite speaker so I recommend them, of course. The size of your room, however, does concern me. My best guess is that you will be OK. Vandersteen does allow for extensive placement options. If you are buying new, you shouldn't have any problems. Unless they changed policy, the dealer is required to deliver and setup the speakers. If the room may be an issue, I can't imagine that your dealer not wanting to come out to your house and assess the situation. Also, tubes shouldn't be a problem. While you probably wouldn't want to go with a low powered SET, you can do very well with less than 100w. Especially in a smaller room like you have. |
