For Vandersteen owners & lovers: Which other brands do you like?


If you didn’t own Vandersteens, what would you own instead and why? Or, if you switched to another brand what did you choose?

First, let me say that I am a Vandersteen owner for 20+ years, now on my 2nd pair of the 2CE, the Signature III. I have owned other brands, and heard many others and even liked some. 😀 I don’t change gear frequently once I settle on something. Lazy & frugal = me.

I am on the verge of being on the verge of getting the Vandy Treo CT. I have auditioned them at length. I have also heard the Quatro CT and if budget allowed (including upgrading my front end) I would get them for sure. I’m not a fanboy—there is a reason why Vandersteen has sold something like 100K pairs of the 2CE. They sound very good and all of their models are a real bargain/value in their category, imo.

I have heard and liked, for different reasons, Maggies, Magicos, Harbeths, Focals, Linkwitz-Riley, and other brands. Others that I have not heard intrigue me too. I keep circling back to Vandys—maybe it’s what I have known the longest. I have flirted with the Larsen 8 or 9, which is a totally different design (AbSound has reviewed them well), and also the MBL 120 and 126 (omnidirectionals).

I know I could be happy for life with Vandersteens (Treo, Quatro, or dreaming—the Kento or 7). I am interested in detailed opinions of alternatives in the $10K range though. Thanks!

128x128patrickdowns

@tomic601 I too called them mKento-hp filters but Vandersteen’s website currently calls them M5-HP TEF filters. I went with the website nomenclature in case someone was motivated to look into them further. My ***-HP TEF XLR filters have the Audioquest Fire pigtail on them which is great since I have 27’ Fire XLR interconnects between my pre amp and the filters.

I keeping getting a “verify you a human” when trying to send a message, and in a never ending cycle…
(We might need to try a forum that specific to the brand.)

Was not a fan of the fabric vandersteens and in that era used the audio physic Virgo and an upgrade to the avanti 2 demo became available.  Might still be using that combo for a move that had my listening room on carpet covered slab.  Spectral electronics did not have subwoofer out and using mit spectral wire twice was not feasible.   At the time to replace the avanti s, only the model 7 had the goods in their box designs, and went with Martin logan Montis.  After another move. The montis became part of a home theater, and were half of themselves driven by a Yamaha receiver even in the pure mode. As the model 7 tech has come to the 5 and Quattro models heard briefly while in Atlanta considered them for a new audio system.   Well no where in Florida to listen.  Love at first song with Fyne 702.   recently went to sun coast  about vinyl degritter, and the 702 was in the reference room.  That room has had MAGICO, Karma, Goya, b and w 800 series reference and never heard better music than they Fynes.  The Vandy 7 are my lotto or unknown relative inheritance soeaker, otherwise check out the Fynes 

Vandy high pass filters implement DBS and a few other tricks w caps and components in an adjustable filter as your system changes. They are available SE or XLR. The 5 and 7 amps with built in HP filters are XLR only. Yes Ayre, Aesthetix and others can implement a High Pass in the input stage or typically require more surgery to an integrated… however don’t count on the advantages of DBS….

@raindog911  ;-) Fire is mighty fine wire. ;-) sounds like we have a LOT in common

Best to you

Jim