If There Was a Hall Of Fame for Loudspeakers …
there would certainly be an area devoted to the speaker from each manufacturer that put that manufacturer ‘on the map’. For the Vandersteen speaker company it would certainly be the Model 2, which has had a few improvements through the years, all the while staying basically the same.
the IIce is a very unassuming speaker when clothed (left), but hides a lot of thoughtful design below the grill cloth
Mr. Vandersteen builds a quality speaker, and has refined the basic design over the years, but has stayed with the same cabinet dimensions, the same type of grill cloth and has not changed the multiple small baffle look first made popular in the designs of earlier speaker magicians, like the Dalquist DQ 10. Although the materials of the cabinet have changed the inner design is also basically the same, consisting of high quality,speakers, although not made of exotic materials, first order crossovers, like those used in the VMPS line of loudspeakers, and attention to the very smallest details.
In the world of high end speakers, this unit, in all its incarnations, is a rock star. I don’t refer to the music with which it is comfortable, but instead the numbers it has sold, almost 200,000 units. That is amazing in anyone’s estimation.
The individual drivers are tweaked, not left in a standard form as many other speakers might be. The midrange has the magnet structure specially shaped so that the back wave does not color the sound. Speaking of back waves, the materials used to help attenuate the back wave from the speaker cones has been chosen to be the perfect complement to each driver. Glass wool was not simply stuffed in the back of each enclosure.
While many manufacturers are content to build enclosures made in a cabinet factory, the Vandersteen models are custom cut from high quality MDF using the CNC method for extreme precision. The best parts are used for the crossovers, and ultra high quality binding posts are used to get the signal from your amp to the speakers.
Like many other quality speakers where the ultimate price is not high, but the quality of workmanship is, these will reveal flaws in sub-par electronics and material easily. These are not speakers to be driven with typical Japanese electronics. On the other hand, they are speakers that will make for a stereo experience that will make you want to listen more, rather than less as years go by. Also, since they are relatively easy to live with aesthetically, there should not be much fuss from the significant others in the audience. If any problem arises, take them to the Vandersteen website, and show them the high quality finishes available for the cabinets - happiness will ensue. While there, you can pick out which speakers you will use to compliment the stereo pair, whether it be 3, 5, or 6 more speakers. (yes, Vandersteen makes a subwoofer!)
The baffle, and in places, the lack of the baffle, is the major part of what gives these speakers their remarkable sound, and allows listening for years without fatigue. The staggered baffle is used for time-alignment of the drivers. What this means is that the sound wave from each speaker is going to reach your ears at the very same time, because the voice coils, the driving part of the speaker, are perfectly in line from top to bottom. The sound is not something that when you hear it you will jump up from the audition seat and say , “By George, those speakers have time-aligned drivers!” - but you might just jump up and say, “These are the best sounding speakers I have ever heard in this price range!”
Oh, and the price range - about $2000 for the pair, depending on finish. Not cheap, but your ears will thank you, over and over through the years.
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Technorati Tags: Vandersteen - II ce - time alignment - first order crossovers - VMPS - Dalquist DQ 10 - CNC milling - MDF
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