Vandersteen 1c and bass

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Seancito, Jul 24, 2017.

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  1. Seancito

    Seancito Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Richmond, Virginia
    Thanks for the advice everyone. I should be picking these up either today or tomorrow. So my current speaker cables I purchased a few years back from Luminous Technology in Virginia when I purchased my VPI Scout. They are excellent cables, however they have spades and it looks like the 1c's use banana plugs only. Should I attempt to strip off one end of the spades and lock on new banana plugs? Also, I believe the cable is 20 gauge wire, but it looks like most local places have banana plugs for 12-16 gauge wire. Are those not going to work with my cables?
     
  2. jupiterboy

    jupiterboy Forum Residue

    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    You can get an adapter for your wires, but re-termination will certainly get you less connector in the path. Some of these dual-banana plugs have a screw clamp for raw wires.
     
  3. Seancito

    Seancito Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Richmond, Virginia
    Thanks, Jupiterboy. Do you know if it matters that my speaker cable is 20 gauge but the banana connectors are for 12-16 gauge?
     
  4. jupiterboy

    jupiterboy Forum Residue

    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    Hard to say as there are so many different banana connectors. 20 gauge is pretty thin for speaker cable, so IDK. 12-16 is for a thicker wire, so it may work.

    Something like this will work for you.

    AudioQuest 1002 Gold Banana Adapter Each-Audio Advisor
     
  5. Seancito

    Seancito Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Richmond, Virginia
    My bad - I misread the website. The cables I use have eight 20 gauge individually insulated wire, according to the description. They are Luminous Technology Prestige II cables. I am assuming I can strip off one end with the spades and twist the wire into a banana plug?
     
  6. jupiterboy

    jupiterboy Forum Residue

    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    That's more like it. 20 AWG is more like an interconnect.

    You can, but you might look into sending them back to the maker for re-termination if you like the speakers. They may have a better method. But yes, in theory you can strip them, tin them if you like and re-solder or whatever.

    My speakers wires are like this, but in a ribbon. If I tried to strip them, I'd probably botch one. You want to be sure all the individual wires have a good connection to the connector.
     
  7. jupiterboy

    jupiterboy Forum Residue

    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    Your AWG is actually close to 11, so you can use that in looking at connectors.
     
  8. Seancito

    Seancito Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Richmond, Virginia
    I'm tempted to just purchase banana plugs at radio shack, but I'm worried I might screw something up since they were custom made a few years back. I might be better purchasing a new set of affordable cables.
     
  9. jupiterboy

    jupiterboy Forum Residue

    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    Get something cheap for the moment and send them back. They will change the termination for you and finish them nicely so you can keep the value.

    Or try those adapters I linked.
     
  10. sfrost

    sfrost Forum Resident

    Location:
    NJ
  11. psulioninks

    psulioninks Forum Resident

    Location:
    KC Chiefs Kingdom
    I already have a Quicksilver Line Preamp...so I just need an amplifier. :)
     
    russk likes this.
  12. dolsey01

    dolsey01 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA
    There's one for sale on AudioCircle
     
  13. psulioninks

    psulioninks Forum Resident

    Location:
    KC Chiefs Kingdom
    I've seen a few pair of Vandersteen speakers with a gray colored cloth rather than the black. Is this an ordering option or are people just replacing the stock fabric with something else?
     
  14. jupiterboy

    jupiterboy Forum Residue

    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    There's also tan. They have different wood finishes as well.
     
  15. psulioninks

    psulioninks Forum Resident

    Location:
    KC Chiefs Kingdom
    I see the trim finish options on their site, but nothing about the fabric. Am I missing something?
     
  16. jupiterboy

    jupiterboy Forum Residue

    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    Maybe they don’t do it anymore? I'd call and ask. I don't think those options were popular, but I thought they were kinda nice.
     
  17. Combination

    Combination Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Orleans
    That's the same thing - it's beige or grey, depending on the photo (or what your eyes see).

    But if anything, I would think that non-black would hurt as far as trying to get the speakers to disappear in a domestic sense. You really do get used to them, it's no biggie.
     
  18. RiCat

    RiCat Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Have a pair or two of the combo banana plugs from the old original Monster brand. They work just fine. I do not recommend cutting up those existing terminations. Very handy if you add a sub using high level input as the plugs I have also let you add another banana piggybacked. Great find sounds like a win win even if you decide to sell them you are in for so little there is small risk and perhaps great reward.
     
  19. jupiterboy

    jupiterboy Forum Residue

    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    But they used to have three options. It was in the lit that came with the speakers.
     
  20. Combination

    Combination Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Orleans
    And now I remember seeing photos of some way older ones that were like a hideous brown of some kind!
     
  21. Seancito

    Seancito Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Richmond, Virginia
    About to make a purchase tonight! The seller is now asking for $350, but I am ok with that. I'm hoping that I am not disappointed. I was looking to make a bigger upgrade from my Wharfedale Diamond 10.7's, and I have been looking at Tekton Lore's, but the Vandersteens are obviously saving me quite a bit of money! The Tekton Lores go down to 30hz, which is lower than the Vandersteens, so I just hope I am pleased with the bass extension. We shall see!
     
  22. timind

    timind phorum rezident

    I owned a pair of the 1Cs with the mahogany walnut finish and the beige cloth. I bought them for $269 years ago. Probably cheap because of the beige cloth. It was very attractive in person.
     
    russk and Eigenvector like this.
  23. Manimal

    Manimal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern US
    I would jump on those for 350 for sure.
     
  24. sfrost

    sfrost Forum Resident

    Location:
    NJ
    You can usually snag a pair of 2ci or 2ce spkers for $400-$600 if you what a little more Vandersteen goodness:righton:
     
    Cyclone Ranger and qwerty like this.
  25. Seancito

    Seancito Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Richmond, Virginia
    Just an update:
    I picked up my Vandersteen 1c's last night. The craigslist seller said she was the original owner and was using them for her tv surround sound for a while. She said she purchased them about 12-15 years ago. I was really surprised with the condition of them. They were perfect! She took really good care of them. I wiped them down a bit and they looked practically brand new. There was maybe one snag of the sock on the back of one of the speakers, but hardly noticeable.

    I must admit, I wasn't completely blown away after listening to my first record, and it took a little while for my ears to get used to the different sound. I messed around with speaker placement, and I will still have to experiment. I don't have the freedom to put them wherever, since my listening room is mixed in with my tv room/den, but I have them a good foot and a half from the back wall. At first I thought they were a little weak in the bass, after comparing them to the Wharfedale 10.7's I was using. The Wharfedales go down to 30 Hz, but I don't know if that's completely true or not. However, after playing a variety of records, I was beginning to appreciate the bass depth and quality on the Vandersteens. Also, I could definitely notice more separation of instruments and better detail that I never noticed with the Wharfedales. I also don't know if it's psychological or not, but the fact that the Vandersteens are American made and not mass produced like the Wharfedales in China makes me feel at ease.

    A few questions:

    1) What does the tweeter level adjustment knob do? Explain in basic terms please!
    2) I don't have speaker stands/anchors yet, but will plan on purchasing them. My floor is laminate wood floors. Should I place the speakers on pieces of carpet in the mean time?
    3) What are some other tips with speaker placement? I know there is a manual, but I am looking for advice with people who have experience.
    4) I started thinking about speaker phasing. I've never purchased used speakers and I was wondering if my speakers are out of phase?? I have them connected black to black and red to red terminals.
    5) The seller stated that she hadn't used the speakers in 3 years. Last night, it seemed like they had to warm up a bit after playing a few records. After I was a few albums deep, they started to open up a bit. Is that true?

    Thanks for the advice everyone! I'm really happy about my purchase! I saved money too!
     
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