Just a note of appreciation for Greg Johnson's review of the Vandersteen 1C's. I auditioned and purchased my pair (looking great with walnut trim and black cloth!) last month, before the review was out, but it would only have confirmed my decision. I fully agree with Greg's impression of a speaker that is laid back, smooth, forgiving, grainless, tonally warm and full, with good soundstaging and credible, believable depth. Living in an apartment, I was looking for something that would provide relaxing, full-bodied sound even at quite low volume levels, and the 1C's deliver, even without tube gear (currently using an OmegaStar PAT-5 with Linn LK2).
While Greg's assessment of their having a small sweet spot for optimum sound is true, I would add that they do a great job of filling my entire, rather strange, living space with pleasant, satisfying sound. Like Greg, my speakers are also 6 feet apart and about 7 1/2 feet from my main listening position(though just 21" from the back wall); however, my room is a long (29') narrow (12') space, the last 8' of which is an open kitchen area. Due to the stereo system sharing space with a large, L-shaped desk, bookcases, record storage racks, file cabinets, couch, and chairs, I find toeing them in at a 45 degree angle minimizes reflections from nearby items and gives me the most stable, focused imaging in my centered seat. This degree of toe-in has the happy side effect of giving me clear, full-range reproduction while lying on a couch located a few feet to the right of the right-channel speaker, when seated at my workdesk some 5 feet left of the left-channel speaker, or even when puttering in the kitchen another 10 feet away.
