[wgscott]

I think I finally found something worthy for this forum!






Vanatoo powered speakers

My Rating: * * * * *


Summary:

• Powered bookshelf speakers that don't suck
• Advertising is actually understated
• 24/96 capable, with analogue, USB, Optical and Coax inputs
• Internal direct digital DAC/amp
• Honest DSP implementation
• Pleasing fit and finish
• Moderately priced at ~$500
• No remote control

My Review:

For the last couple of months I have been playing around with the new Vanatoo powered bookshelf speakers, in my bedroom, and then in my office. I've formed a very favorable impression. (I also have a couple of minor quibbles, but I will leave them for the end.)

Briefly, these are smallish (~10" high) speakers that can sit on a desk flanking your monitor, or sit unobtrusively in the house (eg: my bedroom, where I am intolerant of clutter and electronic junk). I opted for the red cherry finish, which adds a touch of elegance for an extra $50. (An ugly set of speakers in the house would buy me a quick trip to divorce court.) Their sound quality is quite good.  They are a very clear step up from my $600 Bowers and Wilkins Zeppelin, my equally over-priced B&W MM-1 speakers, and even my Audioengine A2's paired with a Dragonfly DAC. (Perhaps A5's with a Dragonfly would be more of a fair fight). If you are a bass-head, supplementing these with a competent subwoofer can certainly help.

Like the B&W products and some others in this class, Vanatoo speakers employ digital signal processing. To the audiophile purist, this might appear to be off-putting, but even a brief listen made me less skeptical. DSP technology can be deployed for good or evil. At the latter extreme, we have Bose. Vanatoo's DSP is used for the greater good, i.e., to flatten the response curve, thus correcting limitations inherent to the speakers (imposed by their small size, crossovers, etc):



The result is a completely neutral speaker down to about 49 Hz. That is quite impressive, if you stop to think about it.

Equally important is what the DSP does not do, which seems to be a manifestation of the overall design ethos: do something well, or don't do it at all.  Whereas the B&W and Bose systems use DSP to augment the bass, artificially compensating for the physical limitations of small speakers, Vanatoo just doesn't go there.  The result is authentic bass reproduction down to 49 Hz. When I first compared the Vanatoo speakers to my Zeppelin, I thought the bass sounded a bit thin, but as I listened more carefully, I realized what we have here is very competent, articulate bass reproduction that doesn't pretend to be deep. The Zeppelin, on the other hand, pretends to be a subwoofer, with the net result that you have something rather more thick, muddy and inarticulate that can, nonetheless, dislodge the fillings from your teeth. In other words, DSP used to fake the lowest frequencies may initially sound better, but after a few minutes of listening and comparing the two, you will realize that you are being had. Vanatoo's approach to DSP and bass reproduction is simply more honest.

If you really need that lower bass, the Vanatoo powered speakers are designed to mesh rather seemlessly with subwoofers.  I tried it with my Velodyne microvee, which I currently use in conjunction with my A2's (which really need it).  Although it is a bit of an improvement to the Vanatoos, I could easily live without it.

One of the truly pleasant surprises for me is that the Vanatoo powered speakers are direct digital technology, meaning that the class-D-like amp is also the DAC. (If you require analogue input, there is a small subsidiary ADC that first digitizes the input.) This guarantees the shortest signal path between digital source and the speakers, and this enables the speakers to live up to the name "Transparent Ones". I've been playing around with the NAD C390DD, which is built on the same idea, and am now convinced that those who truly embrace digital music playback without reservations or romantic notions about tube warmth and vinyl analogue sound will be rewarded richly from a direct digital playback route. You won't find this in their advertising , but they told me about it over the phone.  I asked why they didn't make more of a point about this, and they said they didn't want people to get bogged down in technical details.  That certainly is a judgement call, and although I am no advertising executive, I am a bit of an audio geek, and these are precisely the details that speak to me.  This is one of several examples that lead me to the conclusion that their advertising is a bit under-stated, something that is rather refreshing relief from the sea of bullshyte that the audio world can sometimes seem awash in.

The speakers are rather well-built, with a lot of nice thoughts to detail.  I've already mentioned the red cherry finish on the speakers I have been listening to. A left-right switch allows you to select which side the powered speaker will be on. Three digital input options (USB, coax and optical) means that I can use this with a computer, an airport express, Apple TV, or just about anything else you can think of. Although the ATV was my default input option, it doesn't really do the Vanatoo justice, since it is a 24/96 capable DAC. It also has an "optional" subwoofer out, and connecting such a beast automatically activates this and the circuitry that handles the crossover seamlessly.  The amp is essentially a 60 W Class D, which limits its utility for cooking eggs, but is truly welcome for those of us concerned with energy conservation and not having a spurious room heater. I could not even detect its power consumption when left on and idle, which is good since the direct digital circuitry is dead quiet, and the only indication that you have left the thing turned on is the blue LED at the back that screams out for a little piece of black electrical tape. In fact, the only significant design oversight that I found is the lack of a remote control.  With an ATV input in "zone player" (rather than streaming) mode, there is no way to control the volume, apart from getting up off your fat arse and walking to the speaker and turning it down using the volume knob at the back. I guess most people don't use it in this way, but I found it was a shortcoming, especially while recovering from a broken ankle.

Overall, I give this a five star rating (out of five). Although it is tempting to ding it for a lack of remote control, that seems a bit unfair, given how much you get for your $500. I think this is an absolutely ideal system for a desktop, for a bedroom, or a college dormitory room, especially when paired with an Apple TV or Airport Express, although high-res audiophiles will find direct connection to a computer or other high-res capable playback device even more rewarding. For a mid to large size living room, it probably isn't quite enough, but for any of those other applications, it seems ideal. Supplemented with a reasonable quality sub, it would even make a great main system in a smaller room.

Apparently, I am not alone in arriving at this conclusion. I just looked on Amazon, and of 20 reviews, 19 give it five stars.  (The other apparently dinged it because they don't include an optical "cord").

In summary, this is a nice, conservative, honest, good-looking and exceptionally neutral and highly competent audio system that won't set you back much more than $500.  They will even give you a 30 day audition.

[neekomax]

Really good write up, mate. 

Anyone compare these with the KEF X300A actives? I think they're about $800, so the Vanatoos seemingly have the edge there.

[JLM]

You should copy this over to the Critic's Circle.   


From what I've read of the KEF X300A it uses s similar concentric driver as their $30,000 Blade (award winning floor stander), is a truly active design, and ships with free AirPlay dongle.   

But all inputs (one analog, one USB digital) feeds through the 24/96 DAC, so if you used a sub it would need to run through an additional DAC.  With no other digital input options and having to use their DAC, it becomes a niche product.   

Seems like vendors aren't sure how much to build into this genre of speaker.   

[neekomax]

You should copy this over to the Critic's Circle.   


From what I've read of the KEF X300A it uses s similar concentric driver as their $30,000 Blade (award winning floor stander), is a truly active design, and ships with free AirPlay dongle.   

But all inputs (one analog, one USB digital) feeds through the 24/96 DAC, so if you used a sub it would need to run through an additional DAC.  With no other digital input options and having to use their DAC, it becomes a niche product.   

Seems like vendors aren't sure how much to build into this genre of speaker.   

I'm totally perplexed as to why KEF made adding a sub so difficult. like it's gotta be some puzzle you have to figure out. Wat?

[srb]

I'm totally perplexed as to why KEF made adding a sub so difficult. like it's gotta be some puzzle you have to figure out. Wat?

Many powered speakers that offer subwoofer outputs like Audioengine A5+, Kanto Yumi, Vanatoo Transparent One, etc., have all of the electronics and amplification in one speaker box.  They don't have active crossovers and have one stereo amplifier driving passive crossovers between each woofer and tweeter set.

With speakers like the KEF X300A, there is a 2 channel amplifier with active crossover within each speaker, so they are basically independent.  It is possible to design a circuit that could output a subwoofer channel between two independent speakers whose digital circuitry was connected with a data cable, but that may be outside the scope that these budget restraints would allow.

But unlike standalone active analog monitors like Dynaudio, Emotiva, etc., the X300As are already interconnected with a USB cable, so it would seem that they are already halfway there, but would still require additional circuitry.

Edit:  Thinking about it a bit more, the input to the the X300A is either 3.5mm stereo analog input or USB digital input.  If the analog input is used then there must be an internal ADC as the only connection between the two speakers is USB digital.  The control speaker splits the digital USB input (or the converted analog input) into L and R digital signals; the L channel is converted by the DAC in the control speaker and the R channel is converted by the DAC in the slave speaker.  Because the L and R channel DACs are in separate speakers, the only way to have a combined mono analog subwoofer output on the main speaker would be to have an additional stereo DAC in the main speaker for that purpose.  Again, doable, but they're likely cutting the budget extremely close as is to be able to sell a pair of speakers with a Class A/B 2 channel 50W/20W amp in each along with the KEF coaxial drivers for only $800.

Steve

[wgscott]

I don't have the A5's, but assuming they work the same way at the A2's you can hook up your sub via the RCA aux input, and the internal circuitry senses this and does the right thing, i.e., outputs to the sub via the same RCA jacks.

In the case of the Vanatoos, I think what happens is that the RCA jacks again sense when you have it connected to a sub, and it activates crossover circuitry to integrate it with the mains.

[wgscott]

You should copy this over to the Critic's Circle.   

OK.  Or maybe I should link this page instead of cross-posting.

[JLM]

Most powered desktop speakers are not active (one amplifier channel connected to one driver).  Examples include Audioengine A2 & A5/A5+, NuForce S3-BT, and PSB Alpha PS1 where the stereo amplifier, inputs, and volume controls are all in one speaker with high voltage (speaker wire) connection to the other (passive) speaker.  This is a convenience and less expensive to build, but loses the huge advantages of active design (driver coherence, dynamic, flat frequency response, deep/tight bass, sophisticated crossovers included possible use of DSP).

EmotivePro 4, 5, 6, Stealth 6, & Stealth 8; KEF X300A; Paradigm Shift A2; and Quad 9AS are all active designs that are recommended for home (audiophile) use.  Note that most active monitors are designed for studio use (highly directional/treble dialed back, intended for nearfield use to reveal all the warts) versus home use where enjoyment is the goal.  Analogy: race car versus BMW or Cadillac.

[Letitroll98]

Analogy: race car versus BMW or Cadillac.

Great analogy!  It predispose that those reading the analogy have experienced both a race car and a BMW, but for me it brings into focus something that was always fuzzy.  Their both accurate speaker design types that turn sharp (FR) and accelerate well (dynamics), but the physical experience as a whole is entirely different. 

[JLM]

Letitroll98,

Sorry if I confused, but to clarify the race car versus BMW/Cadillac analogy was for the sake of studio monitors versus home use speakers.

As a proud papa of single driver speakers I'm very supportive of the advantages of active versus passive (after all single driver designs are by default active).  In this case the car analogy might be BMW versus Buick.  Actives are hugely more dynamic and bass endowed (plus other attributes), enough to literally embarass passives.

I've mentioned this before, but 12 years ago auditioned Paradigm Active 20 vs. Studio 20 (same standmount cabinet, 2-way drivers).  It was no contest and the virtues of active became one of only a few epiphanies over my 40 years of listening.

[wgscott]

You are right:  Powered, not active is the correct term.

[rjbond3rd]

Active = an amp built into the cabinet, no?  What's this new distinction between active vs. powered?

[dB Cooper]

I heard the Vanatoo speaks year before last at Cap Audiofest. I was pretty well impressed as well but thought I remembered something else: They were inviting people to play content from their smartphones wirelessly right from the devices they brought. Forget exactly how they were doing it. I believe they had an AirPort Express (older model) plugged into an accessory outlet on the back of the speaker with a stubby cable into the speaker. The form factor of the new Airport Express doesn't lend itself to this as well but a small bluetooth receiver would also work. A 128 GB tablet, some lossless files, and you got yourself a fun little C&C system. Hope they come back this year; I'd like to get more of a listen than I was able to the first time.

[JLM]

Active = an amp built into the cabinet, no?  What's this new distinction between active vs. powered?

Active and powered speakers have been around for decades.  Active is common in professional (studio/concert) settings.  Active prices range from <$200/pair to over $8,000/pair.  Powered prices are lower but are more rare, they have picked up a following in home desktop applications where the entire system can consist of a computer, DAC/preamp, and speakers.


Active schematic:  preamp > interconnects > crossover > amp (one per driver) > driver (repeat for each driver)

In this scenario the amp gets a direct "view" of the simpler single driver load and can stay in lock-step with it.  And it can be selected based on the needs of that exact driver.  The crossover is low-voltage (easier to properly design and can incorporate DSP, etc.) and doesn't waste power (30% or more). 


Powered schematic:  preamp > interconnects > amp > crossover > multiple drivers 

This is similar to a conventional home system, but at the more knowledgable speaker manufacturer picks the amp and you don't have to buy speaker cables.  Note that many powered speakers locate the amp inside just one of a stereo pair of speakers and run speaker cable to the other speaker to somewhat simplify wiring/installation.

[Scottdazzle]

I heard the Vanatoo speaks year before last at Cap Audiofest. I was pretty well impressed as well but thought I remembered something else: They were inviting people to play content from their smartphones wirelessly right from the devices they brought. Forget exactly how they were doing it. I believe they had an AirPort Express (older model) plugged into an accessory outlet on the back of the speaker with a stubby cable into the speaker. The form factor of the new Airport Express doesn't lend itself to this as well but a small bluetooth receiver would also work. A 128 GB tablet, some lossless files, and you got yourself a fun little C&C system. Hope they come back this year; I'd like to get more of a listen than I was able to the first time.

db, you can hear the Vanatoos at my house if you're interested. Send a pm if you'd like to.

[mca]

I bought a pair for desktop use, a nice C&C tweak I found is a pair of these:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VXUE8WW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

They raised the speakers up to ear level and brought a little more clarity to the sound 

[dB Cooper]

db, you can hear the Vanatoos at my house if you're interested. Send a pm if you'd like to.

Thanks Scott. Not really in the market at this time so I don't want to waste your time but I will keep this in mind.

[rollo]

  A KABOOM for the buck product, period. Still cannot get over the bass coming out of that little box.


charles

[alan m. kafton]

I listened (more than once) to these speakers at RMAF this past October....very impressive.  I was especially impressed with the clean bass response, and the musicality, for such a small speaker.  Well worth the price.

[wgscott]

Where these things really shine is near-field.  I am using them as computer speakers on my iMac and it is like having a great pair of headphone on that don't weigh anything.