[mgsboedmisodpc2]

"YOU WILL NOT ATTAIN QUATRO PERFORMANCE BY ADDING A PAIR OF 2WQ SUBS TO THE MODEL THREES"
Above is a quote from the man himself Richard.

Has anyone compared the Quatro to the Model 3 with 2WQ subs.

This is currently where I am at where I recently added the Sound Anchor stand further improving the sound presentation greatly. 

It is like I have to re listen to all favoriate again.

love making incremental improvements to my model 3as

Can't wait to upgrade to 3A sigs

One day

[ctsooner]

I listened to the Quatro's vs 3sigs with subs.  All CJ amplification and CJ DAC.  AQ cables (two pair or cable runs).  Both were wonderful, but different.  I think the Quatro was much much better overall.  Coherency was there that the 3's didn't have.  I think that was a huge diffence.  Also the Quatros had a more realistic sound stage and timber was better.  They just did everything a bit better and overall sounded THAT much better.  If you didn't hear the Quatro's, the 3 set up would have been great and not making you want more.  The bass was just so much better integrated with the Quatro I felt.

[tonyjack]

I would have to say that it depends a lot on set-up, room, tuning, etc. Ultimately it makes sense that the Quatro is the better speaker overall. I don't think RV would have come out with it if he didn't think so. The 3A Sig is a very fine sounding speaker but I think that the Quatro and especially the new CT version trumps the Model 3A Sig in resolution especially. The 3A Sig with a pair of Vandy subs was once thought to give you 85% of the performance of the Model Fives. I think the option of being able to place the subs in the perfect spot in your room is one of the nice things about the 3/sub combo but don't think it will resolve with the transparency of the Quatro CT's. I heard the CT version of the Quatro's at Audio Connection in N.J. and they were incredible. I have the 3A Sigs and I've been constantly squeezing more performance out of them over the years. Everything makes a difference with these speakers and you can get a lot of mileage out of them. Set up is crucial with all of the Vandersteens IME and that's what some users fail to realize. When John Rutan of Audio Connection came over and did the laser alignment and tilt adjustment, things snapped into place and the sound improved 30% at least. In all areas!!In addition to John helping I experimented with different gear to to custom tailor the sound to my liking and I'm very satisfied with the results.I don't have the subs with them due to space limitations in the room they're in but I do have one 2W sub with a pair of Maggie 1.6's in another system that's quite magical as well. Whatever model you choose spend time  experimenting with set up, associated gear, etc to get the most out the speakers. You won't be sorry.I think an interesting comparison would be the latest 3A Sig against the Treo. Maybe someday at Audio Connection John?  Wonderful hobby indeed.

[ctsooner]

I would have to say that it depends a lot on set-up, room, tuning, etc. Ultimately it makes sense that the Quatro is the better speaker overall. I don't think RV would have come out with it if he didn't think so. The 3A Sig is a very fine sounding speaker but I think that the Quatro and especially the new CT version trumps the Model 3A Sig in resolution especially. The 3A Sig with a pair of Vandy subs was once thought to give you 85% of the performance of the Model Fives. I think the option of being able to place the subs in the perfect spot in your room is one of the nice things about the 3/sub combo but don't think it will resolve with the transparency of the Quatro CT's. I heard the CT version of the Quatro's at Audio Connection in N.J. and they were incredible. I have the 3A Sigs and I've been constantly squeezing more performance out of them over the years. Everything makes a difference with these speakers and you can get a lot of mileage out of them. Set up is crucial with all of the Vandersteens IME and that's what some users fail to realize. When John Rutan of Audio Connection came over and did the laser alignment and tilt adjustment, things snapped into place and the sound improved 30% at least. In all areas!!In addition to John helping I experimented with different gear to to custom tailor the sound to my liking and I'm very satisfied with the results.I don't have the subs with them due to space limitations in the room they're in but I do have one 2W sub with a pair of Maggie 1.6's in another system that's quite magical as well. Whatever model you choose spend time  experimenting with set up, associated gear, etc to get the most out the speakers. You won't be sorry.I think an interesting comparison would be the latest 3A Sig against the Treo. Maybe someday at Audio Connection John?  Wonderful hobby indeed.

Tony, I've done the Treo vs the Quatro.  For the money, the Treo is by far the better value.  It doesn't have as deep bass, but it has everything else in spades.  Remember that they all use the same midrange and tweeter so the resolution is there.  I've heard them all in different places with different equipment and so far I'd say the Treo's sound better for me. The Quatro can be room adjusted, but if your room is in good shape the Treo would be a good choice.  As for the Treo vs the 3aSig, it's not in the same league.  Treo is much more refined and better, tighter bass I believe. Richard said the same thing if I recall two weeks ago.  It would be an interesting comparison.  I never thought I'd be a Vandy guy again, but I am. 

[tonyjack]

Thanks for the response. I forgot to ask RV if there are any upgrades to my particular 3A Sigs. What I'm looking for is more transparency. I'm guessing the carbon/fiber may have more resolution than the metal tweeter that's in my speakers. I do think that the bass in the 3A Sigs may be a little fuller with more weight than the Treo but not as tight I guess. The Treo's certainly have more WAF! My hearing is not what it used to be so I'm always looking for more airy highs but not tizzy highs like some speakers. Warmth with natural detail about sums it up. My Maggie/Vandy sub gets pretty close although they still don't have the weight of the Vandys in a certain kind of way. Different way of moving air. I must say though that changes in associated gear has helped me get closer and closer to my goals. Tube changes in my preamp, speaker cables, power cords, positioning of the speakers, etc all have helped me get to a very nice presentation of the music. I've done that kind of synergy search with all of my systems and the rewards have been quite good. Enjoy your Vandersteens!

[ctsooner]

tony, not sure how much you are able to spend on upgrades or a new set of Vandy's if you sell of your 3's, but either way it's well worth it if you can.  I heard the 3A sigs with top electronics recently.  That same day I heard the Vandy, 7's, 5's, Quattro's and Treo's.  I know that John at Audio Connection still has one pair of beautiful wood Quatro's that were his demos.  Beautiful finish too, but I forget which veneer it is.  If you can afford that pair, it would give you everything you want and MORE.  For me I love the Treo's.  it wont' go as deep at the Quatro and you can't tune the bass to your room like the Quatro, but it's perfect for me.  I know John would like to move the Quatro's so it's probably well worth a call to him.

The Treo on up are totally different speakers in every way than the 1,2 or 3's.  They are refined, musical, tight and so easy to listen to.  I know everyone who has heard the Treo on up will tell you the same thing.  I'm sure very few if any will disagree with my assessment and this is the perfect thread for it ....I'll ask John if he will respond here with his thoughts as he knows as much about Vandy's as anyone I know other than Richard himself, lol.

[tonyjack]

Thanks for the reply. I'm super familiar with the goings on at John's. I live less than 10 minutes away and I'm there almost every week. Great place and John is fantastic. If I had the coin, I'd be all over a pair of Quatro CT's but it's not happening right now! The 3A Sigs will have to do and I really like them. Whatever one does to upgrade, it doesn't come cheap. Yes the newer models have a refinement that the older 1's,2's,3's can't touch so I'm trying to squeeze as much performance and refinement as possible from my 3A Sigs. John's been here and has said that they are really sounding incredible, even if I am using Class D (Red Dragon M-500) amplification! I'd still like to hear the Treo's and the 3A Sigs back to back just out of curiosity's sake. Maybe I'll take my amps over and see what the Treo's would sound like with them. For the money those amps do a great job and especially with Lessloss Power Cords. Thanks again for your comments.

[ctsooner]

I just ordered the music Hall 25.3 DAC and AQ Niagara from him.  Well worth the price for each as they just sounded right when I heard them. I know it sounds nuts, but I have always found that cable are just as important as anything else in the system.  Sometimes it's worth getting the less expensive component with mroe expensive cable than visa versa.

I need to get down there within the next week to bring in a bunch of equipment I'm hoping he can sell of mine so that I can afford the Treo's.  I LOVE the Ayre amps with the Vandy's or even Quicksilvers.  I'm actually selling my Quickie Silver Mono's and full function pre amp if you have interest, lol.  They really make Vandy's sing.  They've always had synergy.  Did John sell those amps?  I've never heard of them.  YOu say they are class D?  I'd love to hear them when you go there.  Let me know.

[tonyjack]

Sounds like you're in it for real!! Funny you mentioned the Quickies. I have the V4's and I originally bought them (due to John's advice) for my Vandersteens. They sounded very nice but I ended up wanting some more sparkle up top and tighter, punchier bass from that combo. Tried different wire and switched to a ARC SP 16 preamp, etc but still not enough of what I wanted. They were very lush, seductive, with a deep, deep sound stage but................!
I ended up trying them with my Snell E III's and it was a much better match IMHO. The Quickies to my ears in combo with the 3A Sigs, seem to me to be too much of the same thing and I wanted more snap and sparkle up top. Just personal taste I guess and my hearing loss doesn't help matters much. The Snells are not nearly the speaker that the Vandy's are but they are not bad and very easy to drive and respond well to the V4's sonic character. The preamp in that combo is an old Counterpoint SA-1000 which is a Hybrid. Again not a great preamp but very good for what it is and I've had it since 97 or so. It's been a few years since I've had the Vandy/Quickie combo up and running and maybe I might try it again. I have switched speaker wire during that time as well to Bi-wired Kimber 12TC which I like a lot.
The Red Dragon Audio M-500 Class D Amps were purchased elsewhere and their power, sonic character and speed seem to me to be a great match with the Vandy/ARC SP-16 combo although I use a SCE-HRS(Harmonic Recovery System) interface between amp and preamp to help with a very low input impedance on the amps (10K). It doesn't seem to impart any sonic character in any way although some have said otherwise in reviews, etc. The Red Dragons have been upgraded recently with a more tube preamp friendly impedance. I'd like to upgrade perhaps or even go to the Ayre stuff but there are financial issues to consider.I really am in a holding pattern with gear at the present and I certainly have enough of it right now anyway, with multiple systems, all hodge-podged from leftover this and that Let myself or John know when you're coming and I'll stop by if I'm free. He knows how to get in touch with me. Great communicating with you and the rest of the Vandersteen folks here.

[ctsooner]

Sorry just saw your reply.  Quickies are a great amp for the money, but most tube amps will lack some high end definition.  Even the AR stuff of the same generation.  My Quick pre amp was rewired with MIT wire inside by MIT and it sound much more open, with great definition both high and low.  Not the same category that the other Quick full preamps are.  Hate to sell it, but I don't need it anymore.  It's in great shape.