Vandersteen 3a vs Boston A400

[baco99]

I agree with 62caddy, there's nothing harsh about Bostons, ever.

But in terms of overall listening experience, the Vandys are cut from a very different cloth.

 

[Mystery]

Frankly I'm astounded.
Owned BA speakers once..Very Briefly.
Rubbish is the honest descriptor.
Harsh and unpleasant is another.
Vandy's ,Like 'em Or not are in an entire different sound quality League.
Their complex driver array/crossover network Does demand a decent quality Amp with Backbone though.

You guys need to get out of the house and hear a few more equipment examples... now and then

I'm astounded as well.
I've never heard anyone saying Rubbish to BA speakers.
You may have bad ears when you had them once probably driven by BPC???.
May be too much wax in them that time??? :headscrat

 

[hjames]

For what its worth, the User manual for the Vandersteen 3A is available here

http://www.vandersteen.com/3asigmanual.pdf

It does say 3A sig - in a few places, but seems like the basic 3A in most places - and - placement rules should be the same!

I have not fiddled with placement of mine yet - I dropped them where the 2CEs used to site - 15" from the cabinet back to the wall behind them.
Seem to play very fine there. That's not to say they won't be better with some adjustment when I get time, but they don't seem horribly critical.

In our never-ending quest for better playback, budget-minded in my case, I'm considering replacing my A400s with a pair of 3As, not the Sig, just the 3A.

My concerns are:
a) Will it have a much more narrow sweet spot, horizontally and vertically?
b) Will its bass be that much lower and fuller?
c) Will the mids and treble be too laid back for my Mc MX110Z/MC2120?
d) Must its placement requirements be very intrusive in the room?

Greatly appreciate any advice!

 

[Putterman]

Frankly I'm astounded.
Owned BA speakers once..Very Briefly.
Rubbish is the honest descriptor.
Harsh and unpleasant is another.
Vandy's ,Like 'em Or not are in an entire different sound quality League.
Their complex driver array/crossover network Does demand a decent quality Amp with Backbone though.

You guys need to get out of the house and hear a few more equipment examples... now and then

As a Boston fanboy (God, I hate that term! Aficionado is more like it.) I'd also point out that even though they have a reputation for consistent quality, like any maker they've likely put out a few clinkers in their day and you don't specify which speaker(s) you heard.

Of course the comment has a trollish feel to it, especially the final part.

 

[cratz2]

I have both of these. I hadn't heard of Boston A400 when I got them, and the crossover work needed to be done (a separate thread here). At the time I only had Vandersteen model 1C, but by the time I finished with the recap, I had purchased some used Vandersteen 2Ci speakers. When I hooked up the BA speakers, I was surprised by how good they sounded, but after a short time I went back to the Vandersteen speakers in my listening room and the Bostons went to the living room home theater area, where they still reside.

Not that long ago I bought the Vandersteen 3A speakers and really like those over the 2Ci -- while I haven't had compared the two in the same room.

I'm hard pressed to make a description of what I hear in my head.... the Vandersteens just make the music sound more defined with greater clarity. The Bostons sound a little tubbier, but by no means in a way I'd like to leave them behind. At this point, they're also definitely keepers.

It took a year of watching and searching to find the 3As and even then it was an 8 hour drive one way. I'd always pick them first over the Bostons but the Boston A400 is still a great speaker and better than many many others.

You don't say where you're located and probably 99% of members are no where near hear, but you'd be welcome to a listen.

I think that's a good summation of the difference in their sounds.

I might say that the Bostons are like looking at a sample with a good microscope and the Vandersteens (with proper electronics) are like looking at the same sample through a Nikon or Zeiss in perfect focus. Not to imply that the Vandersteens are hyper revealing as they are not, but basically every aspect of the Vandersteens is a step or two above the A series Bostons. Bostons aren't bad, but the Vandersteens are better if you want detail and to be able to hear into the recording.

On the other hand, as many have mentioned, with the Bostons, you can probably put them on a 100+ watt amp or receiver, put them fairly close to the front wall, angle them in slightly, put on almost any decent recording and you are likely 90% as good as they will sound under any setting whereas with the Vandersteens, better electronics will make them sound better, slight setup tweaks will make them sound better. Sitting in the right spot will make them sound better. Better recordings will make them sound better...

 

[OctalSocket]

Sitting in the right spot will make them sound better.

There's that BIG concern of mine again. Will they not sound so good once you stand up and move about?

 

[tomlinmgt]

If my 2ci's were 100% in the sweet spot, they were easily 85-90% when out of it. As a matter of fact, all too often I'd be doing something about the room and the sounds coming from the Vandees were sufficiently good enough I was compelled to drop what I was doing and take a seat to appreciate the greatness.

I'll add that my experience with Vandees is they are not "stop and drop, plug and play and expect greatness" type of speakers. They need the right room, right positioning, and right upstream electronics to hear them shine....one of those designs you'll likely have to work with a bit but when you get it right you'll be richly rewarded.

 

[trhee]

Vandersteen speakers, especially the 2 and 3 series, are never impressive upon a quick demo or first listen. In fact, they almost sound bland in comparison to many other higher end speakers. What I like about Vandersteen speakers in general is that everything about their presentation of music is very natural.

Having said that, I've never been a fan of their 1 series, dating back to the 80's and even in their current iteration.

I've only heard 2ce Sigs, and that was a few years back in a dealer's listening room, crowded with many pairs of speakers. Not ideal by any means. With that in mind, I wasn't overly impressed with any particular part of the frequency range. I'm sure it's because those 2ce Sigs were forced to sit too far out into the room and too far apart to create a proper soundstage.

My biggest concern is from the experience I had with some Vandy 1b's I owned a while back. In that particular nearfield setup (about 7 feet back), if I stood up from the listening position, the "you are thereness" just collapsed. Probably way too close, looking back on it.

 

[OctalSocket]

Well, I pulled the trigger on the 3As three weeks ago. Drove 5 hours to Chicago to get them, but got to see family while there, so it was a very worthwhile weekend. Have been awaiting the return of my MC2120 from servicing, and finally got it all going yesterday.

Initial impressions are very favorable. Was a wee bit worried about too soft a presentation with the MX110 tubes and 2120 autoformers. I have intentionally gone in the sweeter/warmer/darker direction with this setup, but luckily for me, it's not too much of a good thing. It sounds like a great match to me, and I feel like I could listen all day long without any fatigue setting in.

Comparing the 3As with the A400s, the Bostons have a bit more midbass bloom but are shy in the lowest region, also the mids and treble are a bit more forward/brighter, but never irritating. The Vandies are an improvement, sure, and I need to invest in some hours of critical listening; however, the Bostons are still very impressive speakers.

I was also concerned if the MC2120's 120 watts would be enough. I did a quick check of the Power Guard lights, and the volume was quite uncomfortably loud, yet clear, by the time they started flashing. Worries alleviated, plenty of wattage for me in this large, open, living room.

 

[kermit z]

Well, I pulled the trigger on the 3As three weeks ago. Drove 5 hours to Chicago to get them, but got to see family while there, so it was a very worthwhile weekend. Have been awaiting the return of my MC2120 from servicing, and finally got it all going yesterday.

Initial impressions are very favorable. Was a wee bit worried about too soft a presentation with the MX110 tubes and 2120 autoformers. I have intentionally gone in the sweeter/warmer/darker direction with this setup, but luckily for me, it's not too much of a good thing. It sounds like a great match to me, and I feel like I could listen all day long without any fatigue setting in.

Comparing the 3As with the A400s, the Bostons have a bit more midbass bloom but are shy in the lowest region, also the mids and treble are a bit more forward/brighter, but never irritating. The Vandies are an improvement, sure, and I need to invest in some hours of critical listening; however, the Bostons are still very impressive speakers.

I was also concerned if the MC2120's 120 watts would be enough. I did a quick check of the Power Guard lights, and the volume was quite uncomfortably loud, yet clear, by the time they started flashing. Worries alleviated, plenty of wattage for me in this large, open, living room.

Thanks for the update And to add to that, I am a Kawasaki fan too!

 

[superdog]

Vandersteen speakers, especially the 2 and 3 series, are never impressive upon a quick demo or first listen. In fact, they almost sound bland in comparison to many other higher end speakers. What I like about Vandersteen speakers in general is that everything about their presentation of music is very natural.

Having said that, I've never been a fan of their 1 series, dating back to the 80's and even in their current iteration.

There are a few speakers that fall into that category.To me it takes some time to determine what sounds right for you.Generally speaking of coarse.

 

[OctalSocket]

You are correct, there. I've found living with components "long-term" is the only way to really develop a personalized opinion. Day by day, my opinion towards the Vandersteens, in this system, has been improving.

 

[backinthelou]

Boston Acoustics rubbish? Whew, I just about fainted.....

 

[Mystery]

A400's are very good speakers.
I had Vandersteen 1's and A400's beat them easily.

3A's are higher up in line so could be better than A400's.
A400's have come ahead of few pairs of Polk SDA's, Klipsch Forte's, Genesis 3+ and quite a few vintage JBL's so far.
If you do get them, let us know as I can also look out for next upgrade.

How things work... it's amazing.
I was just wondering this and now it's in my hands to do the comparison as I have both pairs now.
But I got the 3A Signature version.
Need to wait to setup for the comparison though.

 

[GregDA]

Vandersteen speakers, especially the 2 and 3 series, are never impressive upon a quick demo or first listen. In fact, they almost sound bland in comparison to many other higher end speakers. What I like about Vandersteen speakers in general is that everything about their presentation of music is very natural.

Having said that, I've never been a fan of their 1 series, dating back to the 80's and even in their current iteration.

I just read this whole thread and this last sentence in this older post caught my eye. As a former owner of a set of Vandy 1Bs, I will completely concur.

Vandy 1s are just ok. It is their lack of bass that make them lackluster compared to most speakers in that price range. Once you step up to 2 or 3 series Vandy's are on a whole new level. I had a set of Boston T830s and even those had better bass then my old set of Vandy 1Bs.

I will agree with other comments in that the Bostons are a smoother presentation as compared to the Vandersteens. As an owner of T1000s and 2CEs, the Vandys are deeper in presentation, depth of soundstage and less compressed in the upper registers. Overall, the Vandys have much more detail throughout.

That said, when just wanting to crank up the volume and listen to some some hard rock the T1000s are hard to beat.