Vandersteen Quatro

My father owns the wood Quatro so I feel I can add some real experience to this thread, ANYONE AND EVERYONE who claims the Wood version is simply cosmetic is talking before hearing, yes the major improovement is coemetic and it is a beautiful speaker but it also has some trickle down benefits from the 5A wich are not in the standard version, you get between 5 and 10% improovement in sound over sock version. Is that worth it to you? I cant answer that but it sounds fantastic and is quite beautiful. Furthermore if you want insight on the Wood Quatro shoot Richard V. a call or one of his top-tier dealers, what Richard thought it was going to be to go wood vs what it actually took to achieve is an interesting story.
BTW my father drives them with Audio Research tube pre, and Classe Mono Blocked amps with near top of the line Audioquest cables.

Is 5% worth extra $3000 dollars? We could keep adding 5% here , 10% there until one of us is going to reach 100G in improvements. If your dad could afford wood version tell me why he did not stretch his budget and get 5A. That upgrade would probably given him more then 5% improvement. Isn't it what it is all about , or is it? Making choices & sacrifices isn't easy . What may be a small chunk of money to you or your father ,could be somebody's whole system. Spending money is easy ,making a wise decisions isn't. Anyway I have heard a Wood version & if it is worth a $3000 extra to you , well - good for you. Good luck & happy listening.

Richard Vandersteen's response from last year describes most of the improvements to the Quatro Wood over the standard Quatro. Here are all of the improvments:

- Improved tweeter based on the 5A tweeter/plate (the standard Quatro tweeter is based on the standard Model 5)

- Improved midrange driver based on the 5A (the standard Quatro midrange is based on the standard Model 5)

- Crossover has been redesigned for the above mentioned drivers

- Superior Epoxy composite plinth/base

- Improved cabinet bracing

- Last but not least, the improved aesthetics of the wood cabinet.

I am a Vandersteen dealer.

Davemitchell. Putting a side the fact , that you are a Vandersteen dealer. If you had to choose between wood & standard version and pay for them from your very own packet, witch one would you choose (honestly)? I have heard both versions so did you. How would you describe the sonic differences between the two (in your own words)? P.S Please don't take it as a personal attack I also love Richard Vandersteen's speakers & his philosophies by witch I stand, but I'm only trying to find justification in price vs performance in this particular example.

Jstark, you seem to imply my father has made a mistake in his purchase, or that it was foolish and not worth it, although it really isnt anyones business his choice boiled down to room size and the fact he really liked what he heard, lets not forget that there is a nearly $6000 difference in price...maybe that isnt much to you but it still is a sizeable amount to many.
At the time my father also upgraded everything except his amps so at over $40,000 you draw the mine somewhere, there is a 12 month upgrade credit program wich looks like my father may entertain as he is starting to think about building his retirement home and a larger room can be constructed.
Honestly I think the Quatro images a bit better then the 5A but I cant be certain as deperate rooms and equipment make it impossible to be sure, but the 5A is a vastly better speaker all in all.
In close 5-10% better performance is a pretty big deal, how many upgrades do Audiophiles purchase with very similar results for far more cash?............many IMO.