Manufacturers' Comments
Stereophile|December 2019
Vandersteen Quatro Wood CD and M5-HPA Thank you from all of us here at Vandersteen Audio for the great review by John Atkinson of our Quatro Wood CT speaker and M5-HPA high-pass amps.
Daniela Manger
Manufacturers' Comments

We realize the time and effort to review and to measure a speaker is daunting, and since John reviewed our flagship Model Seven Mk II and M7-HPA powered speaker system, his praise (and measurements that support that praise) is especially gratifying and duly appreciated!

John’s review thoughtfully touched on many of Vandersteen Audio’s technologies, and indeed the Quatro Wood CT offers many of our most crucial technologies for the least amount of money: our cabinet-within-a-cabinet enclosure construction, which delivers those beautiful waterfall plots, our renowned carbon driver technology, and of course our high-passed powered-bass system with room EQ for perfect bass in virtually any room.

Speaking of the latter, I do want to comment on one of John’s observations regarding the “bass-rich balance” of the Quatro Wood CT. Our dealers are expected to set these speakers up in a customer’s home, and the bass section offers the adjustability needed to season to virtually anyone’s tastes. We at Vandersteen love our bass on the big and fun side, but if the experience is too much of a good thing, all anyone has to do is adjust the Level and/or Contour to get the desired in-room balance. Since adjusting the Level and Contour don’t affect or require adjustment of the 11-band room EQ, which is focused on taming room nodes, adjusting to your sonic taste is quick and easy.

That our new M5-HPA amplifier stood so tall against JA’s reference amplifiers at more than twice the cost was a thrill for us too. With the adjustable high-pass settings, we can’t wait for JA to get more experience with our M5 amps and a broader variety of speakers.

This story is from the December 2019 edition of Stereophile.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December 2019 edition of Stereophile.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM STEREOPHILEView All
German kitchens, Japanese amps, and Afropop gems
Stereophile

German kitchens, Japanese amps, and Afropop gems

BRILLIANT CORNERS - I have a day job at a museum. One of my favorite things about working there is taking the elevator from my office down to one of the floors open to the public; I walk into the galleries through a discreet panel in the wall. This makes me feel like I'm in one of those horror-movie manors with a tunnel concealed behind a bookshelf. Sometimes I startle people, which I kind of enjoy.

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2024
EDITOR'S PICK - RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Stereophile

EDITOR'S PICK - RECORDING OF THE MONTH

The record business was awash in money and power. Vinyl LPs were still five bucks, and while the pressings could be suspect, the music-buying public still snapped them up en masse.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024
The Butthole Surfers wipe out
Stereophile

The Butthole Surfers wipe out

REVINYLIZATION - Music's lunatic fringe drifts further out every hour. As it should. In this century, with computers playing an ever-larger role, music continues to fragment and become infinitely more varied. This splintering is either the essence of what keeps it relevant as an art form or something profoundly disturbing, to be hated and feared.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024
You're only lonely
Stereophile

You're only lonely

AURAL ROBERT - The least surprising story in music today is the inevitable passing of irreplaceable talent. Tenor saxophonist Benny Golson died at age 95 the day I finished this salute to another fallen star, Southern California singer/songwriter John David \"JD\" Souther.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024
PS Audio Aspen FR5 - LOUDSPEAKER
Stereophile

PS Audio Aspen FR5 - LOUDSPEAKER

I remember the first PS Audio product: a simple phono stage. It was so simple - a passive RIAA eq filter flanked by a pair of primitive op-amps - that when the schematic was made public, I built one myself; I was in the midst of my DIY years. I thought it was, to use a word from that time, nifty.

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2024
TEAC UD-701N - STREAMING PREAMP, D/A CONVERTER
Stereophile

TEAC UD-701N - STREAMING PREAMP, D/A CONVERTER

In Gramophone Dreams #88, I described the sound of TEAC's VRDS-701T CD transport as \"dense and precise in a way I had never previously heard from digital.\" I went on to explain, \"by dense, I mean there was a tangible corporeality effected by seemingly infinite quantities of small, tightly packed molecules of musical information.\"

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2024
Sonus faber Sonetto V G2 - LOUDSPEAKER
Stereophile

Sonus faber Sonetto V G2 - LOUDSPEAKER

Here's a hard truth: A written review of a full-sized speaker any speaker, really-is, at best, semi-useful. We all listen differently, we have different musical tastes, our system electronics are different, and our listening rooms vary a lot. You will gain a general picture of a speaker's capabilities and foibles from John Atkinson's measurements, and I can tell you how the speakers sound to me, in my room. But that's it. You need to hear them for yourself before making a buying decision. The best I can do is tell you how my music brain felt when the speakers were in my house and making music.

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2024
STEREOPHILE'S 33RD ANNUAL - PRODUCT OF THE YEAR AWARD 2024
Stereophile

STEREOPHILE'S 33RD ANNUAL - PRODUCT OF THE YEAR AWARD 2024

When Stereophile's Product of the Year Awards were first published, in 1992, we decided that unlike some other publications and their awards schemes, we would keep the number of categories to a minimum. That way, we would avoid what the late Art Dudley once described as the \"every child in the class gets a prize\" syndrome.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2024
Moon 861 - POWER AMPLIFIER
Stereophile

Moon 861 - POWER AMPLIFIER

It is unusual to begin a review with a detailed discussion of setup. But setup protocol for the Moon 861 power amplifier ($22,000 each), the top-level amplifier in the North Collection from Moon, which I reviewed bridged in mono, proved crucial to its sound.

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2024
Mobile Fidelity, PrimaLuna, and First Watt redux
Stereophile

Mobile Fidelity, PrimaLuna, and First Watt redux

GRAMOPHONE DREAMS - It's important for readers to remember that I've spent my adult life as an artist and mechanic. Making things. Working as a tradesperson during the day then at an easel or workbench at night.

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2024