CES 2012 – Vandersteen Audio
This system was a more downscale, affordable version of the system last year; the AMG turntable instead of a big Clearaudio, the Vandersteen Treo speaker instead of their ‘7’, the HRS RXR rack instead of their ‘SXR’ – although the Aesthetix components seem to still be on the relatively expensive side.
The sound was pleasant and, the way Vandersteen-fronted systems often do, scratches the surface of several different types of sound (Enjoyable, Impressive, Sophisticated, Sweet, Real, Emotional) without actually really being any one of them.
The Vandersteen ‘Treo’ speaker
The AMG (formerly Benz AMG) turntable (see more photos of this table previously in this report in the Musical Surroundings rooms)
The AMG (formerly Benz AMG) turntable
The AMG (formerly Benz AMG) turntable
The dark version of the AMG turntable, Aesthetix gear all on the prototype HRS ‘RXR’ equipment rack
Stopping the LP on the top of the Harmonic Resolution System’s RXR equipment rack
Another look at the stack of equipment on the HRS RXR rack.
The Aesthetix ‘Janus’ tube preamp and phono stage [i.e. it is a preamp not a linestage]
The Aesthetix ‘Romulus’ CD player and USB DAC
The Aesthetix ‘Atlas’ power amp
Hi Mike – the Vandersteen speakers in this room are actually the Vandersteen Treo speakers – I think they are priced around $6,000 per pair and are below the Quattro in both price and performance.
Hi Arnie,
Yeah, I looked at both the Treo and Quatro to see which these were – couldn’t come to any firm conclusion except that the Treo were kind of inexpensive in comparison with the rest of the system here, so I chose Quatro.
How sure are you that these are the Treo speakers?
Thanks,
-Mike
Hi Mike,
This is definitely the Treo which has a much taller grille and whose cabinet is much shallower than the Quatro. Unlike the larger Steens, the Treo does not have a powered woofer, it is entirely passive.
Dave
Mike, would be interested to hear your comments on the Vandersteen Sevens.
Don’t seem to remember reading any comments from you about them…….
Thanks, Dave.
Certainly ups my opinion of the Treo. And the Vandersteens are certainly showing a good deal of confidence in these speakers by showing them in their system like that.
Take care,
-Mike
Hi Mark,
Yes, the Vandersteen room had for several years featured the Vandy 7 speakers and we talked about them then. At RMAF the setups I’ve heard typically do not show the speakers in their best light.
I have never heard them ‘pushed’ to their limits with the best gear [although they were once featured with the excellent Clearaudio Statement turntable and they always use HRS equipment racks in this room] so their ultimate quality is still uncertain. However, they get the bass integration thing right – which the Fives never did, and they appear to be a perfectly balanced, albeit an apparently somewhat forgiving, somewhat laid back speaker.
So what I said about the Treo speakers in this room above applies also to the ‘Sevens’ – they ‘approach’ having one of the several different kinds of sound, but ultimately do not have a strong character themselves.
You all can decide for yourselves if this is therefore the ‘perfect’ speaker – and there can be good arguments for this – or whether you want your speakers to have more ‘personality’.
In many ways they are like the Marten speakers, which I think of as a Tabla Rasa – and which can take on many kinds of personalities – except that they are somewhat less revealing and less transparent to upstream components [which may be just two ways to say the same thing… ‘forgiving’ being a third :-)].
Anyway, I like them, and they are usually worth listening to.
Take care,
-Mike
Lets just say that the new Treo speakers are not on my short list even at a somewhat affordable $6000. Aesthetix I like, nice warm sound every time I have heard it.