GIGO factor. Clarity, excellent range. People often comment that it sounds like the band is in the room.

GIGO factor. Can be power hungry to get that bass response. Incredible difference between a Belles 150A Hotrod and a Belles 350A. Vandersteen prides itself on *correct* sound reproduction. If you want head-banging distorted bass like you get at a concert, look elsewhere.

I've had the Vandersteen 3As for about a year now and the one thing I can say about them is that they've forced me to upgrade most of my equipment because they showed up the flaws in what I had. These speakers live by the garbage-in/garbage out mentality. If you feed them great sound, you'll get it. If not, you'll know it. Incredibly clear sound, solid but not the best imaging, can reach incredibly deep and controlled bass IF you have an amp that can drive them. Current system: Vandersteen 3A Belles 350A amplifier OCM-88 preamp TMC interconnects, speaker cable

Similar Products Used:

Vandersteen 2ci

Good imaging with soundstaging ability outside of speakers and above speakers. Image size about right. Ability to play very loud with 100 watts/channel.

Somewhat reduced stage depth compared to spendors.Voices not as real sounding as spendors. midrange could be more natural and accurate sounding. This problem may be corrected with new tweeter that is in signature model. Images tend to lose outlines when volume is high.

This speaker is well worth the money. it behaves well with 100 watts/channnnel and will play very loud. it is better suited to jazz/rock than choral type music. The reason for this is voices are not as natural sounding as what you get in quad or spendor loudspeaker. Bass is very good and can be overpowering if you don't have a fairly large room. My room is about 18 x 25 and just barely large enough for the volume of bass being reproduced. Tube amps work well but bass produced is not as good as with solid state. My dealer tells me that the signature version is a very good speaker and well worth the price of the upgrade but I have not heard it yet. Overall, this speker provides full range sound with only minor weaknesses at a budget price. if you are looking for true majic in a loudspeaker you might want to look elsewhere though as this speaker is somewhat compromised in order to provide full range sound at a modest price. I really like the speaker but it doesn't have the midrange magic of a quad or spendor, however.

Similar Products Used:

Spendor 2/2, quad esl and 63, dcm time windows, accoustat 2+2.

I think they are great on a lot of different kinds of music. Good sound staging,excelent detail and rythem and very smooth. Great balance. I was prepared to spend 2 or 3 times what they cost but liked them best when auditioning a lot of speakers.

I drive them with an Audio Research D240 and am changing to a VT100 soon.
I also use an Audio Research LS2 preamp and a PH1 phono section.

The beauty of the Vandersteen 3's is in their listenability. They are never tiring.

I have owned these speakers for several years. They have preformed perfectly. I still enjoy listening with good friends.Highly recomended !

Few

Great !

Similar Products Used:

none

Musicality, value, sharp look

None musically, but they're vulnerable to the resident problem-child cat

It took me 6 months to find a pair of speakers that I could afford and that met my criteria for a great music speaker. In moving upward from the NHT 2.5, I auditioned all the speakers on the list above. All but the B&Ws did great things with my music. But only the Vandersteen 3A Signature did it in a way that made me completely forget about the speakers. I borrowed a pair and had them at home for 2 weeks.

After the audition, I decided to buy a pair of slightly used 3As, with the goal of getting them upgraded to Signatures. That was 6 months ago, and I haven't upgraded yet. Why? I haven't been compeled to do so. The 3As sound great the way they are. Albeit, the Signatures sound noticeably better, and I will likely pay for the upgrade.....someday.

What makes them so good? The bottom line is that I listen to the music and am moved by IT, not the equipment. But if I have to analyze...they, as the cliche goes, do nothing wrong and, conversely, don't do any one thing vastly better than another. They are solid, consistent performers in all categories.

In contrast, the Shearwaters image like nothing I've EVER heard; they were absolutely uncanny. But the low end was limited, flabby, and lacked continuity down the registers.

Both Maggies were unbelievable in the shear size and fluidity of their soundstage. Detail was impeccable. But they don't have the dynamic punch I liked in my NHTs.

Both Aerials had an open, clean, sweet sound, but they did not play enough low bass for my tastes.

The Vandy 3As don't image as well as the Shearwater, but they image very well and have a clean bass. They don't have as lush, silky, and huge of a stage as the Maggies, but they throw a large, spacious stage and have plenty of snap and punch. Their high end is slightly darker than the Aerials', but it's thoroughly sweet and detailed with all the deep bass I really need.

From rock to jazz to salsa to new age to orchestral(even an occassional visit from Jonny Cash!) they make great music. And they're never fatiguing, like my NHTs were. Tonight I absolutely cranked Pearl Jam, non stop, for 1 hour and 20 min. I relished every second, never feeling the need to turn it down, never wandering mentally from the intensity of the moment. To me, that's the mark of a great speaker! Happy listening - indeed.

Eqpt: Audio Research CDT1 transport, EAD 1000 Series III dac w/HDCD, Classe DR6 pre, Proceed Amp2 power, Audioquest cables throughout.

Similar Products Used:

Maggie 1.6QR and 3.6, Von Scheikert VR4, Meadowlark Shearwater HR, Vandersteen 3A Signature, B&W 804 & 805, Aerial 6 & 7b

Top to bottom balance and uniformity of timbre. Instruments like the piano, which span at least three drivers still sound like one real instrument. It handles realistic volumes well, and does not seem to change characternat lower volumes. Sounds real.

No serious weaknesses.

In my opinion, the Vandersteen 3A is one of the best overall values in speakers. It does more important things right, and virtually nothing wrong.

Similar Products Used:

I auditioned Infinity Preludes, PSB Stratus Golds and Silvers, NHT 3.3s, Aerial 10Ts before choosing the Vandersteens.

The Vandersteen 3As will give you everything your electronics puts intothem. They clean, dynamic, wide soundstage, and have a very nicely con-
trolled bass. If you like Jazz vocalists or Andra Boccelli, they will
make your skin get goosebumps. Classical presentations are well separated
on the soundstage. I use Exposure Electronics/Theta Gen VA/Transport
to give them every opportunity to reproduce a sound that is extremely
pleasing and listenable over long periods of time. Enjoy!

I have owned Vandersteen 3 A's for 1 1/2 years. I much preferredthem to Thiel 3.6's which I also extensively auditioned. The
Vandies are neutral, and non-fatiguing. I think they're a great
value. I pair them with a Conrad-Johnson PF-2 pre-amp, and a
150 wpc Hafler Series 9300 amp.

love at first sound,and or sight strikes again!! i spent months looking,reading, comparing specs,and most important listening!!!! i truly lost track of how many setups,"which were all better than the last place" so i was told.....my ears hurt from listening to sales and speaker garble!! the last stop on my list,by now i was heartbroken,would soon change for the better!! this last stop although scheduled out a "for 1 on 1" audtion, was worth the wait. no pressure here, it took"the look,the feel of,power button on please" oh my...oh my..i'll take two please!!!(sorry the words were a little stronger than that,never the less) SORRY NO BRAGGING OF PERSONNAL EQUIPMENT HERE!! my ears were finally happy!!! no regrets here baby..8 months now...and i still get giddy all over when the system powers on (and dims the neighbors lights)...and heavens whispers rush to my ears,so natural, so open, so damn glad i waited and bought the VANDERSTEEN 3A'S!!! if your looking for speakers,please give them a listen!!!!

Yes, five stars for the money. Having limited space the 3A's are set up inthe den six feet from my ears, about five-and-one-half feet apart and two
feet out from the wall (it's an odd shaped room). They are sweet, detailed
and balanced at any volume. No need to crank the tunes to make these
speakers perform. They throw a good image in a reasonably wide (just beyond
the speaker's edge) and deep soundstage. In loud complex passages congestion
is minimal unless you go for Vandersteen's speaker stands instead of the
optional Sound Anchors as I did ($200 off!). Wish I hadn't gone that way.
Eventually got the Sound Anchors. Unbelievable upgrade that really makes
the speaker sing. Two plus years and still happy. Bye!