What do you think of Vandersteen 5a's?

Sherod,
A night with Rick might not be worth the money.
I would recommend going seperate ways after dinner.
But in general it is a very good idea.

Thanks everyone for the great advice, and recent humor. I think that's what I'll do.

Just be up front about your intentions. Treat the guy in the same way you would like to be treated and compensate for his time and knowledge. Who knows, maybe you can build relationship with this dealer that will be fruitful in the future. Sherod -please, no more wine.

Mmike84: what speakers have you owned in the past and what did you not like and what did you like about each... This would help people to understand your tastes...

If you get the 5a's make sure you buy the external crossover tails, otherwise you will be replacing blown bass drivers at $$$$.

If you can hear any version of the Vandy's; you will get an idea about the basic Vandy House sound..... you will either like it or not... hence all the different preferences.

If you can't pull the 5a's out into your room, then I would stay away from Vandersteens, they really need room behind them to breath to sound their best. Just like Magnepan speakers need at least 3 feet off the back wall.

Sorry, but the Vandersteen 5A's and the Quatro's can both be pushed up very close to the front walls and be made to sound great. My dealer set mine up only 7" from the wall and they still sound amazing!