Anybody Heard the Vandersteen 5A'S

That's a big change going from quad's to vandersteen's- I think both are great speaker's though they are very different from one another. The quad's will give you speed(unlike ANY dynamic driver can) and a natural midrange that is to die for- not to mention being one of the most coherent speaker available today. The vandersteen's will be slightly easier to drive(due to the powered bass cabinet), have more dynamics, and more bass while being a little warmer then the quad's. The vandersteen's will seem slow compared to the quad's, I find its hard to listen to any dynamic speaker when you've gotten used to electrostat's/planer magnetic's- but that's me and not you! If you are looking for more bass and the ability to play louder with greater dynamics then the vandersteen's will be the speaker for you. If your not willing to give up speed and coherency then stick with the quads. If you favor large orchestral music(with lots of dynamic peaks), or heavy rock(or any form of music that sounds better with a little more reinforcement in the lower octaves) then my nod would go for the vandersteen's. If you favor chamber music, sonata's, piano music and acoustic/folk music, I would lean towards the quad's. As much as you may like the bass with a powered sub, I don't think that's a good idea- I have never(and I seldom use that word in this hobby) heard seamless integration between any speaker and subs- in particular a speaker that has the articulation and speed of quad's. To me it sounds that you may be willing to make the change to get the 5a's.

I have recently auditioned the 5A's at my local dealer, and they are fabulous! Although Shane Buettner (reviewer who wrote the 5A review for TAS) is a big Vandersteen fan, I have to agree with almost all of his comments. The 5A is fast (only a hair slower than planars/electrostatics), VERY dynamic, superbly cohesive from top to bottom, and possessed of prodigious bass response.

Like Buettner, I own a pair of 3A Sig's with a pair of 2Wq subs, and thought I had it pretty good -- until I heard the 5A's. I don't know when or how I am going to find $15K for a pair of 5A's, but I am going to do it somehow. The best suggestion I can offer is get thee hence to thy local Vandersteen dealer and listen to the 5A's for thyself!.

I do not think you will give up any coherency moving to the Vandersteen's. They are unbelievably coherent.

I have to agree with the above posters. The Vandy's are very coherent. I too own the 3A Signature's with a pair of 2wq's. I didn't think it got much better until I heard the 5A's. A wonderful speaker system that gives up nothing to no other speaker available in my opinion(including electrostatics.)Of course, I have never been an electrostatic fan.
As in Sdcampbell's case, I've got to find a way to come up with $15K!! Maybe the lottery-got to get lucky sometime!

I have owned the 5As for 8 months and can not wait to listen to my system every night. These speakers have incredible bass that is so well integrated with the woofer you can not hear the crossover or transition between the drivers. The base is very natural even at low volumes and you never are aware that you are listening to a sub. The tweeters extend cleanly with no noticable distortion. The mids are warm and extremely well defined and focussed. I simply can not hear either speaker directly on well recorded music. These speakers can create a very wide, high and deep sound stage and sometimes I would swear I am listening to surround. This speaker continues the Vandy natural sound and was designed as the flag ship of the line. It is a must to consider - go do an audition.