Vandersteen 3A Signature Floorstanding Speakers
Vandersteen 3A Signature Floorstanding Speakers
USER REVIEWS
[Aug 28, 2020]
hamishheney5
Strength:
Galaxy S10e Case Black – [Built-in Screen Protector Not Included] This case front cover is coming with a space for built-in screen protector. Non-slippery design is ready for any situation/ samsung galaxy s10e case Weakness:
none so far Purchased: New
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[Mar 30, 2020]
harmonxjim33
Strength:
This 3a Signatures is a good speaker for its size and price, its so awesome and I've been using this for almost a year now. Subway Surfers download - free running game online Weakness:
no weakness for now Purchased: New
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[Mar 23, 2020]
audiofreak71
Strength:
I’ve recently received my 3a Signatures and am about a month in a half in the break in period with approximately 150 hrs on them. Coming from 2Ce Signatures (which we’re excellent themselves) I am absolutely blown away with how exceptional these speakers are . I am running them with a Musical Fidelity NuVista M3 (305wpc upgraded from the factory) and a Musical Fidelity TriVista 21Dac for the digital side and a custom Marc Morin ARXA Turntable for my analog, Everything I play on the 3a Sigs is like I’m either in the studio or at the live event I’m listening to. Bad recordings sound bad good recordings sound good , exceptional recordings sound well you get the picture , these speakers do it all from top to bottom . I recently had someone I know who owns the Model 7MKii’s , he used to own the 3a Signatures as well as the 5a Carbons and said that the 3a Signatures sounded much better than the 5a Carbons in his opinion and that they are not embarrassed at all against the Model 7MKii’s. To me that’s a pretty impressive statement in favor of the 3a Signatures coming from someone who owns a $64k set of speakers . I had initially set my end game speakers at the 5a’s and now I may be having second thoughts based off what I am hearing from the 3a Sigs , they are that good. Weakness:
They need real power to make them shine , a weakness? Probably not as people buying speakers at this level should probably have some good amplification anyway . Purchased: Used
Model Year: 2012
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[Apr 28, 2018]
Francisco
Strength:
Lots of natural and clear sound , very truthful tones, great sound stage, immersive speakers. Weakness:
None. Not very exciting for hard rock lovers. Price Paid: 7000
Purchased: New
Model Year: 2002
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[Jul 23, 2007]
namotuman
AudioPhile
Strength:
it's cliche, but clean, crisp highs. you can hear the STRIKE of a triangle or cymbal. not a hint of brightness. you can listen to rock tracks at very high volumes w/out experiencing any ear fatigue...a midrange that really lends itself to almost all voices (sting is a bit of an exception). the blatant sound of brass, the smooth sounds of strings, it is all there right in front of you. bass is very tight and accurate. i listen to everything flat and the music sounds so natural.
Weakness:
super, super low cycles get a bit muddled. these speakers make poor quality recordings painfully obvious and then buying new or finding better recordings becomes a necessity. i've had these speakers up and running for a tad over a year now and am still amazed every time i sit down to listen. the framed art on the wall in front of my listening couch seem to eminate music. the imaging and sound stage on these speakers is nothing short of spectacular. i've had friends that are just casual music listeners say that "i've ruined them". music of all genres come thru so pure with the time and phase correct aspects of these speakers that my vinyl collection is seemingly growing exponentially, much to my wife's chagrin. only lately have i come across a few tracks where the bottom end of bass, i mean really, really low cycles, was a bit muddled. i will soon remedy this with the addition of a pair of 2wq subwoofers from vandersteen. the soundstage is almost as deep as it is wide. depth layers from well mastered recordings (like "aja" from steely dan) are there in front of you...watch out for the floating saxophones!! i simply don't listen to my music in the same manner, i keep finding nuances that just were not apparent before played thru other speakers.... Similar Products Used: infinity reference, klipsch, b&W, bose, vandersteen 1c |
[Apr 14, 2003]
barvindh
AudioPhile
Strength:
clarity, neutrality, precision across spectrum, soundstage is impeccable
Weakness:
Weight, .. looks (I like the looks but some people think these are unconventional) Well, Well, There is not much that needs to be added to the already glowing reviews. I listen mostly to classical music and I have never heard such clarity, neutrality, soundstage (both wide and deep) and control. There are notes where other speakers including the aerial 5Ts produce smudges. I found two things helped a lot. (a) positioning .. these were VERY positin sensitive. if you like to experiment and play with the speakers you will be surprised with how great they can sound, and how they can be hollow 12 inches away. (b) they need time to break in - at least 120 hours. Finally. One last thing. Dont even try bad recordings with these speakers. |
[Sep 07, 2002]
IN2MUSIK
AudioPhile
Strength:
build quality,sound
Weakness:
none The most natural and seamless speaker Ive ever listened to. I paired these up with a pair of 2wq's and it sounds dramatically better than my B&W setup. Better sound stage deeper bass and the detail is out of this world. The sounstage is both deep and wide. Similar Products Used: wilson ,B&W, revel, dynaudio, sonus faber |
[Aug 27, 2002]
forddonald
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
A startling 'upright' sound, with everything in it's place. The midrange is to die for. A great speaker for those who aren't afraid of bass. A great value given the components quality and construction.
Weakness:
Low-tech look on such a high quality, scientificly advanced design. I wish the 3A Sig looked as good as the 5. Customer support after the sale is coin-operated and disapointing from such a small, neich player. I've owned my 3A Signatures for about 3 months now, and everything I heard them do right at the dealer is starting to emerge. I finally own a REAL pair of floor-standing, full range, no BS, reference grade speakers, and I can't be happier. The sound is as big as I want it to be, with everything in it's place in the soundstage (a credit to being phase and time correct). The speakers are flexible with placement (just follow the included directions), easy to amplify and easy to live with. The included 'third leg' Sound Anchor stands are super-easy to adjust. I think they sound much more 'right' in the middle & upper frequencies that the Paradigm Ref Studios I used to have (and liked very much). That shouldn't be hard to do at this price point, but they also get it right where the Martin Logans sounded smeared and indistinct. The B&W line nearly drove me from the room with their ultra-forward, in-your-lap sound. These speakers are not bass shy. In fact, they include two big woofers to fill in the lower range with good, tight sound. Finally, a speaker the gets down without being ashamed. Note that you must bi-wire these to get correct results. Go ahead and build that cable cost into your budget now. Also note that the terminal strips used require a specific spade width; not bananas or pins or anything else. Overall, I think I've finally found the stereo and front channel speakers I can keep for a while. I'm off the audiophile merry-go-round. I knew they were keepers as soon as I heard them. Associated Equipment: Krell 300r as an amp (rep. by Bryston soon) Yamaha RXV2095 doing Pre/Pro/DAC work Pioneer DVD and CD transports A mix of Kimber (where it counts) and Liberty wires Monster Power 5k for pwer mgmnt A side note: A recent call to my dealer to resolve a problem with requesting one finish (on a different speaker) and receiving another was really disappointing. Several weeks of delayed response lead me to work with the Vandersteen factory directly, and even then Mr. Vandersteen himself offered only a pay-to-resolve option or using a can of spray paint on it! Similar Products Used: Paradigm Reference & auditioned Martin Logan, Monitor Audio, B&W, Vienna Acoustics & more |
[Feb 22, 2000]
Loren Oswald
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Deep bass. Good value.
Weakness:
Loose bass. Difficult set up. After reading the review in TAS my interest was sparked and I went to audition a pair of 3a sigs. The TAS review was, at the end of the article, positive. When I went to listen to them I found that the bass was loose, warm, and deep. The mids seemed a bit colored. Knowing that they are very Similar Products Used: Thiel 2.3 and 3.6, B&W 804 and 803's, Dynaudio 3.0's. |
[Mar 05, 2000]
Will
Audiophile
Strength:
Deep, Rich Midrange, tight bass, good soundstaging
Weakness:
Too for my room. I recently auditioned this speaker and after living with the 2C for many years now realize again why I like Vandersteen products so well. They just reproduce music faithfully without any embellishments. I got rid of the 2C's because I could never get them to sound the way they did before I moved, that is to say wonderful. I tried everything and eventually gave up. I was casually listening in an audio store and came across the NHT's which is in my estimation a fine speaker system but only when mated with excellent electronics and cables. These speakers can be ruthless with lesser components as I well know. Similar Products Used: Vandersteen 2C; NHT 2.5i |