Aerial Acoustics 7T vs Vandersteen Quattro CT

Aerial Acoustics 7T vs Vandersteen Quattro Wood CT
As I'll probably be moving soon I am considering buying new speakers and am very interested in these two. Anyone who has heard both and can give opinions as to the pro's and con's of each and comparisons would be a big help. Thanks.

 

@Khorn : I auditioned the Aerial 7T in my own room and liked them a lot. What I liked: smooth FR, extended in both directions, great soundfield, dynamic, really enjoyable presentation. Why I chose the Janszen Valentinas instead: better fit with my room, maybe slightly cleaner treble (they are electrostatic, after all). That is not to say the 7T are rough in the treble: they are not; they are very smooth themselves.

I have not heard the Quatro CT but have heard other V. speakers. I looked at the Stph. review of the original Quatros. I do not like the overall in-room frequency response. The roll-off at HF I think is probably fine, given the HF peaks of most microphones used in recording. The big problem for me would be the lack of energy in the 100-400 Hz range. This will make the bass "clean" and "tight" but lacking fullness and power, OK for Patricia Barber and Diana Krall but otherwise quite unrealistic. Maybe the CT version is better in this regard -- I don't know. The 7T have excellent bass.

All I can say is, be aware, try to get a home trial, and have fun!

 

Out of curiosity, which Vandys have you heard?
.

 

The Carbon Tweeter (CT) line is a vast improvement. I have not heard the Quatro but spent time with the Treo CT's in fact I have two pairs coming for my surround system and find them a very engaging speaker. IMO they compare very favorably with speakers at double the price. They have wonderful extention without ever becoming edgy, with oodles of air allowing them to really resolve lots of detail. Imaging like most vandersteens is incredible. The bass on the treo CT's is good but still requires a sub however the powered woofer on the quatro is said to bring the bass down to the lower levels

 

None of the current models. A couple of the "2" iterations. The last one I listened to at length was current 30 years ago, when I had it at home for a trial. I tried the then-current 5 model at a dealership about 10 years ago. It was impossible to tell how good it was, as they hadn't set up the bass EQ for the demo, and it was very boomy in the room. My memory was that otherwise, it was great.

 

Thanx for replying. I'll be travelling out of town in the near future to audition the Vandersteen Quattro CT speakers as they seem to fit my requirements. These are sure to be a departure from my current speakers, Klipschorns. I think this is going to be very interesting!

 

If the Janszens fit your tastes, I suggest you audition them too. Wonderful speakers, different from both the ones you are considering.

 

I haven't had a chance to check these out yet as it requires a trip out of town but I intend to go asap. I am a bit surprised that there aren't many opinions on these as they seem to be a popular speaker.

Is there anyone here who would consider buying the Quatro Wood CT if they were speaker shopping?

 

I used to own some Vandies years ago, make sure the dealer can set them up properly. They can be magical, but with the time aligned drivers, setup is vastly more important than it is with most speakers.

 

Yup and also these. I love Vandies and will most likely go with either a Quatro Wood CT or the Vandie 5CT (used) depending up which goes into my 17X15 room.

M~

 

The Quatro's are great speakers and well worth your time giving them a good long audition. Contrary to another post the Vandersteens are not that difficult to set up nor is it critical to get great sound from them but they do create magic when set up by someone who has the experience. I have 5A's and have them sounding really nice without having my dealer do the setup. That will come this fall after I move into my new house and get my new listening space completed. Follow the owners manual regarding tilt back and placement and use your ears.
As will all gear finding synergy is key and Vandersteen matches well with a lot of different gear so that's not a huge problem. The real beauty of the Quatro's are the built in subs and amps which allow your main amp to focus on the sound from 100 hz on up. The bass EQ also allows for more room placement options which is also really nice. If you're buying new and from a dealer setup at your home should be included in the purchase.
Obviously I'm a fan but I really think Vandersteen is one of the best bang for your buck speakers available and will reveal any changes made to your system but remain one of the most listenable, fun, enjoyable pieces you will ever own.

 

In looking back at my original post, I see my concern was poor lower-midrange performance. I realize, that could have been a setup problem by the reviewer. Not every reviewer know how to position speakers in a room, or even has a good room. Stereophile has published some reviews that include a graph of response as AD set up speakers in his room, overlaid with response as JA set them up in his. The difference is remarkable, and leads me to conclude JA knows what he's doing -- he got far better results.

 

Did you end up getting the Quatros? What did you think of your audition?

 

I keep falling for the Klipschorns over & over again. At this point we’re probably staying put for at least the next few years so i’ll concentrate on building a digital front end.

One problem being in Canada is the Quatros would have to be shipped to the USA for service. Not a great idea at this point in time.

 

I'm not sure that you would have to ship the whole speaker. On other models, such as the 2, 3, and 5, you can work with the factory to identify specific parts or subsystems, such as drivers and crossovers, that can be be removed and shipped for service.

 

For what it's worth, I recently found this language in a Home Theater Review review about the Aerial Acoustics 6T: "Two speakers that I have auditioned in the same price bracket [as the Aerial 6T] are the Vandersteen Treo, which retails for $6,590/pair, and the Dali Helicon 400 Mk.II, which retails for $6,995/pair. I would like to note that the Dali Helicon Mk.II lacks both the dynamic range and jump factor of the 6T, nor does it come close in the areas of transparency and micro-details that are easily heard in the 6T. However, the Vandersteen Treo comes closer to the 6T in the areas of transparency and the ability to offer more micro-details, but it does not offer the natural and musical tonality and timbres that the 6T offers."

I haven't personally compared the Aerials to Vandersteen, but this statement holds true with regard to the other speakers I've compared Aerials to.

 

See also: Aerial Acoustics 6Ts = Amazing