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John Atkinson's thoughts on the New Vandersteen System Nine from LA Show

I have read JA's outstanding reviews of Vandersteen speakers for years, but this is the first time he's heard their new System Nine.  Please read all the way down as Fremer mentions the late AJ Conte's outstanding TT:  Enjoy

From JA:
The first room I went to at the 2017 LAAS was that hosted by LA dealer Optimal Enchantment featuring a system based on Vandersteen's Model Seven Mk.II speakers ($62,000/pair) and M7-HPA amplifiers ($52,000/pair), which I reviewed in May 2016, this time reinforced by a pair of Vandersteen's SUB NINEs operating below 100Hz. It may have been the first room I visited but as good as many other systems sounded, they didn't match what Vandersteen refers as System NINE for its effortless sweep of sound, precise, palpable imaging, and smooth yet detailed high frequencies. On the title cut from a test pressing of Dave Brubeck's Take Five, the reverb surrounding Joe Morello's drums in his solo was more audible than I hear from my own system and the textures of his cymbals were superbly well differentiated.

The rest of the system comprised Audio Research Corporation's REF-10 phono preamplifier and line stage, with isolation stands and bases from Harmonic Resolution Systems (HRS) and cabling and power-line conditioning by AudioQuest—a Niagara 7000 for the amplifiers and Niagara 5000 for the front-end components. But it is the LP player in this room that drew visitors' attention.

image: https://www.stereophile.com/images/060217-Basis-600.jpg

Michael Fremer shared my enthusiasm for the sound in this room, which had LPs played on the late AJ Conti's Transcendence turntable with the Super Arm fitted with a Lyra Atlas cartridge. In Mikey's words: "This turntable is the acrylic-free, minimal-plinth design I always hoped AJ would design and build."


Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/jas-final-report-2017-laas#mX8Fja9AgBY4SDyp.99
ctsooner
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
2,164 posts
 
yes CF especially the aerspace grade stuff Richard uses is brutally expensive.
i was blessed to do some composite work on simple products like the space shuttle, F-22, 787 and more...
getting a bond to balsa core is proprietary and deservedly so.
to my knowlege Vandersteen are the only ones to do it with end grain....
so yes the cabinet is SOTA
ctsooner OP
2,104 posts
 
Thanks for sharing that Tomic.  We need to talk CF, lol.  BTW, a big box came in the mail for a Basis TT yesterday! Ha...:)  Waiting on a clam shell for a Benz cart....
dcbingaman
90 posts
 
I am currently using a 5.1 system with a front pair of Quatro Woods in conjunction with a 5-subwoofer Audiokinesis SWARM AND a Meridian G68XXD with Meridian Room Correction (MRC).  I have compared this system to a number of stereo systems including a pair of Vandersteen Sevens, AND the live experience of hearing the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in Powell Hall.  For the bottom two octaves, there is simply no comparison between ANY stereo system and the accurate bass that the Audiokinesis SWARM in combination with modest room correction provides.

The SWARM overcomes the room modes in a way that provides bass fully comparable to what one hears in a good hall.  The MRC cleans up any bass overhang, while leaving everything above 250 Hz untouched.  

The Vandersteen Nine is a separate subwoofer that allows a four subwoofer "SWARM" when you consider the bass response of the Sevens that are used in the same system, and so Richard Vandersteen and John Atkinson are hearing and / or measuring the same benefits that Duke Le Juene has been talking about for YEARS.  The SWARM neatly solves the hardest problem in audio - taming the room.  

The good news is that one can get very close to the same sound quality with the combination of a pair of Quatro Wood CT's and an Audiokinesis SWARM (4-subwoofer array) for a LOT less money.....like over $60K less money.  BTW, Robert E. Green (REG) wrote a great review of the Audiokinesis SWARM which explains all this better than I, for TAS last year.  I suggest those who are curious about this should Google Robert's review.
exron
108 posts
 
I personally do not care for Vandersteen speakers. I just don't like the way they sound. I don't like passive woofers either, nor do  I like
4 1/2" mid-range drivers. There's way better out there for less money. It's just my opinion. Please, I don't want to argue with anybody.
richfield_hunter
68 posts
 
I was at the LA show and JA couldn't be more correct. The musicality and tonal correctness of the Vandersteen setup was second to none. There were wuite a few rooms that sounded awesome but none has the relaxed sit down and listen for hours sound like this room. Randy always does a great job at shows. Before the show opened on Saturday I went to his room early and found him carefully listening to every piece of music he was thinking about playing that day to make sure the system was at uts best and to prepare a plan for the day. I've never seen anyone do that before. The new Basis TT was for sure the source that took this system to the next level. The passion AJ Conte had for his craft was refreshing and it showed in his final reference piece he produced. 

At at the show most of the rooms that sounded the best were playing reel yo reel tapes as the source. The price of entry for tapes and the UHA decks is very high but the SQ that comes out of them is second to none. I wish I cound have heard the Vandy room with that set up as well. 

CT no shame in promoting the love you have for the Vandersteen products. IMHO no other speaker at any price pushes all the right buttons in SQ, timbre quality, etc like the Sevens do. With the Sub Nine it takes it to another level. 
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