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Review 3 of 3
Price Paid:
$949.00
from Audio Connection Summary:
I use two pairs of these speakers in a 7.1 configuration, one pair as sides, and one pair as rears. They complement the Vandersteen Fives and VCC-5 center used for the front.
Although the Vandersteen VSM-1 are meant to be installed on a wall, they are not small speakers. At about 2 feet high and 1 foot wide, they don''t exactly disappear on most living room walls. However, their size allows them to produce more bass than the typical on/in-wall speaker. As is typical of Vandersteen speakers, they use a grill sock to cover most of the speakers surface, with a wood cap and wood base. The veneer is applied on the top and front of the wood, but not on the bottom. Therefore, you won''t want to mount these too high on the wall where the bottom will be easily seen. Even so, they should be mounted 1 to 2 feet above the seated listening position and preferably behind the listening position. They are also available with metal grills that can be painted.
When used in an all Vandersteen speaker system, as I do, the VSM-1s create a seamless surround experience. They can accurately portray diffused sounds such as rain and wind as well as direct sounds such as a door slams or gun fire. Although, hey make themselves more noticeable then typical dipoles, they do so in an engaging manner. Surround sounds are more focused and better placed in the sound stage. I feel this presentation is truer to the music or movie sound than using dipoles. In fact, the imaging is so good, that when sitting between the surrounds, the rear speakers are superfluous. In many instances, the sound is better without the rears engaged which can confuse the precision of the imaging. However, for listeners who are not seated between the side surrounds, the rears provide a positive contribution to the surround experience.
At $949 dollars, the VSM-1 are pricey for surround speakers. However, when you consider their build quality along with the engineering and sound quality they produce, the price is justified. For those who want more, there is a signature version for $1,795 that uses upgraded crossover components for ultimate transparency. However, unless the rest of your equipment justifies it, the base version is more then good enough. Strengths:
As with all Vandersteen speakers the VSM-1 are time and phase coherent, monopole speaker. Vandersteen floor standing speakers need at least 8 feet before the musical wave of their multiple drivers can converge in time. The VSM-1s, on the other hand, use a coaxial driver with a 6.5" woofer and a 1" tweeter to achieve time alignment at all distances. This is important if the speakers will be close to the listening area as is the case with most surround speakers. Weaknesses:
While the VSM-1 produces decent bass for surround speakers, they should still be considered small speakers when configuring the surround processor so that the bass is rerouted to an appropriate subwoofer. Similar Products Used:
Many experts, most notably THX, feel that the surrounds used for movie playback shouldn’t be noticeable because it detracts the viewer from the action on screen. Therefore, they recommend dipoles spe
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