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Vandersteen 5?

Hi All,

A relatively local shop has a used pair of Vandersteen 5s for sale. I was originally in the market for Nautilus 803s but these Vandersteens are just barely in the price range. I am guessing that they are older (I have no idea how old yet). The upgrade to Vandersteen 5a is way out of my price range. Would the original 5s be a nice speaker? Will I need to put much money into mantaining them (e.g., replace the subwoofer powersupply or replace the crossover's batteries)?

I have a Krell 400xi, VPI Scout, ZYX Yatra, Innersound Phono, a 14 x 16 dedicated music room where I usually play classic rock. My favorite stuff was a Class A Krell / Nautilus 802 setup that a friend owned (out of my price range). I am upgrading from Matrix 802s.

Thanks,

Jim
jwit
sidssp
1,077 posts
 
If you did buy them, the first thing you should do is to replace all the batteries.
There are three inside each speaker and one inside the M5-HP, all 9 volts. Don't
just take the seller's words for it unless he has prove that batteries are still fresh.
If they aren't fresh, the 5 sounds like crap. Also, replace them with lithium
batteries. They last a lot longer.
ljs_fin
13 posts
 
I own a pair that I bought used. They are superb sounding with Audio Research electronics and do not require a powerful amp. But the fact that they are upgradeable is irrelevant. I would have to pay several times what I paid for the 5s to have them upgraded. If you want the 5As it's much cheaper just to buy them used. (I haven't heard the most recent 5a Carbons.) In summary, I have no desire to upgrade and I plan to keep these for a long time.
pani
1,049 posts
 
While the Vandersteen 5 are great speakers, the Krell 400xi is no where close to the musicality of the class A Krell amps. In fact 400xi is a wannabe and highly compromised. Krell wanted an entry level player which doesnt sound harsh and thats all the 400xi is. I am saying all this because you are getting into much higher league with your speakers and this amp has every potential to disappoint you.
swampwalker's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
swampwalker
5,132 posts
 
I have never heard the Krell and the only time I heard the 5s was at a show and I was underwhelmed. However, Pani makes a very good point. High resolution transducers tend to be very revealing (by definition) of upstream deficiencies. Can you bring the Krell w you for an audition.
ljs_fin
13 posts
 
Doen't disgard the Krell yet. It has received some excellent reviews and is not suddenly going to sound deficient with the 5s. (I have tried some high-end but not megabucks amps with this speaker. You probably won't have any issues.) In any event, the gentlemen above are correct about trying both the amp and speakers together. But it may be a pain because you need to open up the high pass filters and set them to match the input impedence of the amp. Hopefully your local shop has already set up the subwoofers for the room and is patient.
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