Having never heard the Vandersteen, I cannot and will not comment on it. BUT it is clear that "dave@ultrahifi.com" knows nothing about the RELs either. One of the best features of the RELs is the flexibility of its hook-up and adjustments. As "tlhubbel" has stated, RELs can be connected to the speaker outputs of the power amp leaving the speaker to run full range - nothing in the signal path between preamp and amp. The first demo of a REL that I heard was by Allan Haggar of Sumiko (the REL importer) at Overture Audio in Ann Arbor with a pair of $3,500 Sonus Faber Grand Pianos. The sub was a Stentor III which was crossed over at only 23hz. It was absolutely seamless and even noticeably improved the ambience and soundstage of a piece of solo piano with no information under 60-70 hz. The sound was deep, taut and never overbloated - but, most importantly, always musical. Build quality is stunning and customer service is superb. But, as always, YMMV.
