|   Question for Vandersteen Owners... | PhilS
Nov 30, 2001 8:53 AM | | I have owned a pair of 1Cs and a VCC for 18 months now. I am very pleased with the overall sound (I have a subwoofer). I still feel they are the best value in their price range.
Lately, though, I have heard some systems elsewhere that offer MUCH better dynamic punch, and when I listened to the same recordings at home at moderately high volume (~90 dB), I got the impression that the dynamics are very compressed. In other respects, these similarly priced or even cheaper systems were not very good, so I wouldn't want them instead of my Vandys, but there was no denying the difference in dynamic ability.
Because I am so happy with these speakers, I would not want to go to a speaker that was not both time and phase coherent, but I do want to get more dynamic impact out of my system.
Currently, I have them fed with a Pioneer VSX-24TX receiver. While I like the smooth, clean and quiet sound of this receiver, I know it's not a powerhouse. My listening area is basement alcove that opens up to the rest of the basement, which is about 20' x 26' total, with a 6' ceiling (that's not a misprint).
I am thinking seriously about adding a two or three channel amp for the Vandys. Based on your collective experiences, will this pay off in increased dynamics of my Vandy's, or am I wasting money? I know there may be other advantages to upgrading amplifiers, but I would be very dissappointed if I don't get improved dynamics with this upgrade.
The alternative is a speaker upgrade. The only brand besides Vandersteen I could afford that is both time and phase coherent would be Thiel Audio. Have any of you A/B'd Vandy's and Thiels? Do the Thiels offer a big improvement in dynamics?
Looking forward to your replies. Thanks. |
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