Vandersteen 1c and bass

I see a really good deal to buy a pair of Vandersteen 1c speakers for $300. My listening room is a medium size den. Is the bass response nice on these or do people add a subwoofer? I was going to save up for a pair of Tekton Lore's, but I can't beat this price. Any quick advice would be helpful!

 

Should me solid down to 40 hz. Vandersteen rates them to 38 hz -3 db. That is a pretty good speaker for 300 bucks. I heard the current version last month, and I think they are a bargain at 1350.

 

Does anyone know if these have foam or rubber surrounds?

 

I don't think you will need a subwoofer. They are easy down to 30 or so, maybe more in a small room. There is a transmission line at the base rear. The surrounds are rubber, not foam.

Give them some space, like feet behind and to side wall and they will work very well. They are semi omnidirectional, and make good speakers for groups/off axis listening.

 

If you don't buy them let me know, I've been looking for a pair for a second system for a while now. I'm in Tidewater area.

 

$300?! No brainer. Practically free, for a great speaker. And yes, plenty of bass.

 

Yes sir.

As for a comparison to the Tektons? The Vandies are the better speaker by a lot, IMO, and I've owned both. The 1C is a speaker I could live with forever while I wouldn't consider Tekton again.

 

What didn't you like about Tekton?

 

I'm going to quote a post I made in another thread started by Seancito.

"I hate to do this but you asked. I had the Mlores about a year ago and they only lasted a couple weeks before I sold them. My view was they had a nice tone but I couldn't get any decent image depth or soundstage, and believe me I tried. Went on another forum with lots of Tekton users looking for advice but nothing worked for me. My experience."

Tekton speakers have a lot of advocates so I really don't like dissing the brand, but it's from my personal experience. I couldn't imagine them standing up to the Vandersteens when you consider the engineering that goes into each brand. I've come to see Tektons as a box (not all that well finished) with some big ass drivers. They make a lot of sound, and maybe not unpleasant, but not in the same league as Vandersteen. Time for this guy:

 

Had a pair of those for a few years. Great speakers. $300? Buy them now.

 

The surrounds on Vandersteen woofers rarely fail. It's likely you can repair them yourself if they do. Make sure you can check out the pair you are buying. A dynamic recording of solo piano will tell you if something is wrong with the woofers. Bass on the 1c is very good for a speaker of its size. It is a lot of speaker for $300.

 

I lived with a pair for a few years and even had a pair of 1Bs. Nice speakers. A little on the polite side but do the mids and imaging thing very well. They really need to be at least 18 inches from the wall and they won't give you any real bass below 40hz. I have a pair of Cornwalls now, they put out a bit more bass and they run out of steam around 38hz.

For 300 dollars I'd buy them right away. The problem with Vandersteen is the sock tends to get chewed up and that's about it. Find a pair of Sound Anchor stands for them and you've got a great pair of speakers.

 

I can't audition them unfortunately. The seller says they are in excellent condition. I still think $300 is a steal so I'm going to purchase.

 

Stumbled into this thread and then got curious about this speaker. The current model on Vandersteen's site has a sensitivity of 90 dB. Just curious if any owners are running these with a tube amp. If so, what do you think about them with lower powered tube amps - say 25-40 watts per channel?

 

I run the 2c's with a 50 watt tube amp so the 1c should be fine with 25 to 40 per channel, depends how load and room size.

I think you would like to have a sub with the 1c spkers, if you like a reasonable amount of bass, they are a little light on the bottom.

 

I'm coming from a pair of Wharfedale diamond 10.7s which say they go down to 30 but I don't know if that's realistic or not.

Also, how close to the rear wall can I place the Vandersteen 1cs?

 

I ran 1Bs with a 30 watt hybrid with EL34s and SS bass for 20 years. I little more power is not a problem, and more desirable in a bit larger room. They were better with 45 watts. I think this comes down to room size and placement options. It is often said that they are more like 87 db—real world.

 

I think the 18" mentioned above is a good minimum. I've had them three feet from the back and sides and they were their best with that much room.

 

I've heard them a lot with Quicksilver mini monos which are 25 watts and they sounded great together.

 

Having had the 1C's a long time ago, I really don't think they go down to a true 30hz. Very few speakers actually do. 2Ce Signatures will, though.

At the end day, the OP is crazy if he don't jump on these!

 

I always did fine having them a foot from the rear wall ( more room on sides).

 

I have the 2ci's (and love them), which have a similar appearance. The manual can be downloaded from the Vandersteen website Vandersteen Model 1Ci | Vandersteen Audio has detailed info on how to position the speakers, including tilt-back.

The height and tilt of the speakers is important, also make sure they are sitting on something solid (spikes, bricks, sand-filled steel stand on spikes, etc).

Hope you enjoy them. A great speaker for $300.

 

I loved the 1Bs driven with an old AMC cv3030. An EL34 based 30 wpc amp. In fact it was the best I'd heard the 1 series Vandersteens ever sound.

 

I was thinking about an Ultravalve from Van Alstine...looks like it might be a good marriage with them.

 

It does look like a nice match. I really want to spend some time with an Ultravalve it looks really interesting. I'd bet the new Quicksilver integrated would work as well as long as your room isn't huge.