Initial impressions of my new Vandersteen Quatro's in Audi Havana Black


I will post pics when I get more time on them.  I had them delivered and set up by Johnny Rutan of Audio Connections.  He moved them out to the corners of the room and close up against the back wall. I love the look as does my wife.  I also LOVE the HUGE soundstage these things can now throw.  NO SUCK OUT either.  I was shocked at that aspect. I was scared to death when he started them in the corner of the room. I have a very difficult room for bass as it's an open floor plan. I lose a lot of bass on the right channel as it's by a stair case.  I'm putting up a temp wall by the railing.  I am using a screen right now, but I need treatment of some sort still. 

That said, it only has about 30 hours or so and it's already starting to sweeten up.  I'm hearing so many things that I haven't heard in the room before.  I'm hearing bass passages that hasn't been there before.  On one passage of a  Bela Fleck song, the room just moved.  The thing is that I've heard so many of these songs on Wilson's and Magico's and B&W"s and Focals, Paradigms, Legacy's and so many other speakers, but the tonality of the Vandersteen bass is just special.  It's so accurate. What so many don't know is that the way he designed the bass amp, you still have the same sound as YOUR main amp.  Not sure how he does it, but he does.  You don't hear the difference. 


I think that the reason some don't get the Vandersteen's at first listen is because it's not like other speakers.  We aren't used to hearing a speaker that isn't 'hifi' sounding.  Its very organic. To me, it's like analog vs digital.  Both can sound GREAT, but digital is still digital and that's why vinyl and reel to reel are still going strong after all of these years.  Kind of reminds me of a plasma TV vs the LCD TV's when I went to purchase mine.  I was originally taken by the brightest TV's in the showroom, but I keep going back and watching all the Plasma's in the darker room that Magnolia was showing them in.  I wanted the Pioneer, but could only afford the Panasonic's. I have two of them and love them.  People actually ask me why their TV doesn't look as good.  I first ask if they had it calibrated professionally.  The answer is always no and then tell them it's a plasma.  

Set up isn't fun for me, so Johnny does it for me.  I'm digging my new set up and will write more later, but i am Jonesing to go up to the loft to listen some more.  I'm really loving the organic sounds of my system right now.  All genres too which is just awesome.  Not taking any digs at others systems, just loving mine.  We all hear differently and I get that.
ctsooner
Glad to hear things are progressing so well. I believe your Quatros have the CT (carbon tweeter). My Treo CT’s carbon tweeters continued to open up to the 400 hour mark or so! Good news actually as I really enjoyed hearing that process occur.

For me at least, listening to a well recorded drum kit and hearing the brassiness of the cymbals just as they sound played live is a kicker! The "hifi" sounding speakers often yield cymbals that sound "plasticy". Ugh.

Can’t agree with the video comments however. Plasma TVs always looked like the real thing with a sunscreen placed ever so carefully over them. Side by side with a good LCD or OLED? Try watching a really well filmed nature scene from the "Planet Earth" series on your plasma and then look at your backyard. There will be your realization!

PS  John Rutan really does know how to get great sound from Vandersteen's.  Good call for having him do your set-up!  Can't wait to hear what you have to say about the sound a couple of weeks from now.
The OLED's are another story, lol.  That's what I would purchase if I was looking today.  No questions about it and that's another reason the plasma's are gone.

I have a hard time not gawking at the speakers as they are so beautiful.  I LOVED the wood Treo's.  They do such a great job on the cabinets, but paying the extra for this upgraded finish is WELL worth it.  For those who feel the Vandersteen's don't look as pretty as some other metal cabinets or polymer ones, you need to see a pair of painted Vandersteen's.  As pretty as any cabinet I've seen.  The cut and buffing looks even better than what Audi delivers, lol.  The cool thing is that you can have any color you want.

The carbon fiber tweeter is the sweetest and most accurate sounding tweeter I've ever heard.  The BE or the Diamond sprayed tweeters, to me, just are not as musical.  The all have extension, but the extension on these Quatro's is really starting to show what it's going to sound like.  There are always milestones in break in for any product.  I think that overall, 30 hours and then 100 hours are key times.  Then 250 and 500 are the others.  I am not timing my break in and I"m doing this on purpose.  I have an idea I guess, but I want to hear the differences daily.  What I'm finding is that I will start listening early in the day and then by night, I have a totally new system in the room. I don't notice that until I get away for an hour or so and then go back up to hear before I have to turn it off for the night.