ursus13 Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 Hello all, I just took delivery on a new (used) pair of Quatro Wood CTs. My previous speakers were VLR CTs, which I bought in April 2019. My system is: Lumin U1 Mini (Tidal) Yggdrasil DAC Ayre AX-5 Twenty (with internal crossovers) My Quatros are finished in Oak with black grilles, and they are about 2 1/2 years young, having one previous owner who took great care of them. I'm still dialing in the placement. Dealer did the initial set up for me. I have a SPL meter and a laser level on the way this week. Speakers are about 9' apart, and 9' from listening position. Room is about 26’ wide, and 24’ deep. The space is half living room and half dining area on the 2nd floor. The listening area is 13’ wide and 10’ deep from front wall to listening position (another 14’ behind the listening position to the rear wall.) I've been quietly haunting these forums for a while. Gleaned lots of great information and more than a little system envy. I recently posted on the Audiogon forum about my experience with the VLR CTs and my recent upgrade to the Quatros, I think it might have been TomicTime who commented "see you around the Vandersteen forum!" So I signed up last night. Happy to formally join the club and continue to learn from you all. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkeske Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 Beautiful! Simple! Congrats, and welcome to the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomicTime Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 (edited) Lovely system and room 😉 Setting them up is not difficult, follow the instructions and get the right tools ( which you have on order ) I would encourage some experimentation w Q also…. Welcome and thanks for trying to help on the audiogon thread. Good intentions were evident Jim Edited March 2, 2022 by TomicTime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsooner Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 Welcome. Nice system for sure and no need for system envy lol. Enjoy and have fun on the forums. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ursus13 Posted March 2, 2022 Author Share Posted March 2, 2022 Thanks for the warm welcome. Between the manual, RV's video on setting the EQ, and a few detailed and informative threads here, I feel pretty confident about tackling setup and then further experimentation. I'm also excited about getting into vinyl for the first time, probably later this year, and I know there is a lot of experience and great advice around here regarding vinyl. Adding a photo of the streamer and DAC. Definitely a minimalist approach, which is part of what attracted me to Vandersteen. I love the detailed sound and musicality, but the clean lines and the aesthetics also really appeals to me. For my taste, Richard's designs are as much Mid Century Modern style furnishings as they are speakers. Anything I should consider doing with the base/spikes, being that they are on the 2nd floor of a carpeted wood frame floor? Or am I okay with the spikes directly on the carpet/wood? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmz Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 1 hour ago, ursus13 said: … Anything I should consider doing with the base/spikes, being that they are on the 2nd floor of a carpeted wood frame floor? Or am I okay with the spikes directly on the carpet/wood? Spikes direct always seemed fine to me. How does it sound? Moving them around and changing the toe in sometimes takes a while to find a sweet-spot. A small sticky dot on the floor can be useful as a reference point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BKDad Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsooner Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 BK, I assume you still have them under yours? I installed them and it made a very positive difference. The Vandershoes are a must if you do the granite slab set up too IMHO. 3 minutes ago, BKDad said: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmz Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 5 hours ago, BKDad said: I can endorse that it looks pretty damn cool. But for the cost I would probably get an album, a bottle of red, and a gift for a niece or nephew and call it day… and still have $ left over. But, then again, it looks great. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ursus13 Posted March 9, 2022 Author Share Posted March 9, 2022 I may need some guidance with my speaker setup. I'm fairly new to the world of hifi and a novice with speaker setup (but I'm enjoying the learning process!) I'm following JonM's wonderfully detailed thread on speaker set up, as well as a few posts by RV on the 8" above ear height method. I'm using a Bosch GLM 20 laser measure. Listening position ear height is 34" - 39" depending on either reclined or upright sitting position. Distance to speaker only changes a couple of inches in either position, is about 9'3" (shooting laser from ear to the top front of speaker.) I've been shooting for 39" ear height. Is that right or should I be splitting the difference? Using a laser and shooting for 8" above ear level, the left speaker is 1" below target. The right speaker is 1.5" above target. I don't have any washers on the rear spike of either speaker yet. The chart in the manual says I should be using 4 or 5 washers. I'm guessing my floors are uneven. I have carpets, but I can tell that the rear spike is penetrating the carpet and pad and sitting in the wood (rather than the rear of the speaker suspended on the carpet and pad.) A few questions: Am I doing the 8" above ear height method correctly? Any suggestions for the left speaker being 1" below target without any washers? Should I look to move my listening position further away from the speakers? Is an equilateral distance between speakers and listening position optimal? Thanks in advance for any helpful advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Vandersteen Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 ursus13, use the listening height you us most 39" because most of us are dozing off when reclined anyway, LOL. If the laser is below just put an appropriate number of washers between the front cones and the bottom of the speaker. DO NOT SUPORT THE WEIGHT OF THE SPEAKER ON THE THREADS OF ANY SPIKE OR CONE! As far as room placement you will be rewarded by trying all domestically accepted options and leave them where they sound best. Don't let anybody BS you with dimensions because every room is different (for that matter so is taste). Equilateral distance may or may not be optimal, again this is room/taste dependent. Take your time, "Rome was not built in a day". When we do the fine adjustments some of what goes on is the listener is "getting broke-in" to a new reference (personal taste). Enjoy the music. RV 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ursus13 Posted March 9, 2022 Author Share Posted March 9, 2022 Richard, thank you so much. This is very encouraging. Do you recommend making fine adjustments and listening to them in quick succession, making comparisons one after another? Or better to make a fine adjustment and then live with it for a bit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Vandersteen Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 34 minutes ago, ursus13 said: Richard, thank you so much. This is very encouraging. Do you recommend making fine adjustments and listening to them in quick succession, making comparisons one after another? Or better to make a fine adjustment and then live with it for a bit? Relax and take your time. Lowering the intensity will help get a result based on the ability to connect emotionally. Remember these adjustments are made with known great recordings that are part of your 5 references. You don't want to chase recording quality issues, they will be what they will be, once you have confidence in your system. RV 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ursus13 Posted March 9, 2022 Author Share Posted March 9, 2022 Wonderful advice. Thank you again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmz Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 4 hours ago, ursus13 said: … I don't have any washers on the rear spike of either speaker yet. The chart in the manual says I should be using 4 or 5 washers. I'm guessing my floors are uneven. I have carpets, but I can tell that the rear spike is penetrating the carpet and pad and sitting in the wood (rather than the rear of the speaker suspended on the carpet and pad.) … Thanks in advance for any helpful advice. For speakers and IKEA cabinets (etc.) I find a pack of playing cards to be helpful. Like the Terrance Hill character in the Trinity movies, just deal out however many cards it takes to build a shim. For the IKEA I sent out the Haus-Boss to get gasket material from the auto parts place in 1/2-mm and the cut out what was needed to put between the assembly and the foot. In the speaker case, once you know it is X number of cards, then measure what it is to get the right thickness and number of washers. Card would not really work on carpeting though. On 3/3/2022 at 2:43 AM, ursus13 said: … (I am looking for ideas for a cabinet) So that lattice door folds down and forwards? Does it work OK? Or is it hard to get to the equipment? I see a bracket on the right, does that limit the fold down aspect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ursus13 Posted March 10, 2022 Author Share Posted March 10, 2022 @Holmz Thanks for the shim idea. Yes, the cabinet doors fold down to the floor. It works well for me, it's a beautiful and unique design. The louvered doors allow remote controls to work with components inside the cabinet, and good ventilation even when the doors are closed. The brackets you see are the hinge components and they don't get in the way. They do reduce the usable width of the interior by about 1 1/2 inches on each side, but has never been an issue for me. The only issues I've had with that console is that the depth is about an inch too shallow for deeper stereo components, and the open louvered design does not prevent dust from entering the console. I have plans to get a separate piece of furniture for my stereo components at some point. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmz Posted March 10, 2022 Share Posted March 10, 2022 33 minutes ago, ursus13 said: @Holmz Thanks for the shim idea. Yes, the cabinet doors fold down to the floor. It works well for me, it's a beautiful and unique design. The louvered doors allow remote controls to work with components inside the cabinet, and good ventilation even when the doors are closed. The brackets you see are the hinge components and they don't get in the way. They do reduce the usable width of the interior by about 1 1/2 inches on each side, but has never been an issue for me. The only issues I've had with that console is that the depth is about an inch too shallow for deeper stereo components, and the open louvered design does not prevent dust from entering the console. I have plans to get a separate piece of furniture for my stereo components at some point. DId you have it custom made(?) or did you just buy it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsooner Posted March 10, 2022 Share Posted March 10, 2022 HRS stands??? Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ursus13 Posted March 10, 2022 Author Share Posted March 10, 2022 16 hours ago, Holmz said: DId you have it custom made(?) or did you just buy it? It’s a media console design by Nathan Yong called the Line Collection. Available at DWR, and probably other furniture stores. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Edwards Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 On 3/9/2022 at 11:28 AM, Richard Vandersteen said: DO NOT SUPORT THE WEIGHT OF THE SPEAKER ON THE THREADS OF ANY SPIKE OR CONE! Richard, I knew the spikes in the rear of my Quatros need washers for tilt adjustments AND support, but I assumed the flat surface of the front cones negated the need for washers there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Vandersteen Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 You don't use washers on the front cones unless the laser target is below ear height with the rear spike installed with no washers. In order to get the laser target up to ear height washers will be required on the front cones. RV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Edwards Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 Thank you for the clarification. Play on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsooner Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 Or spend $200 and buy granite slabs for them. That would do the trick would t it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ursus13 Posted November 12, 2023 Author Share Posted November 12, 2023 A few system updates: - Rega P10 - Ayre QX-5 Twenty 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomicTime Posted November 12, 2023 Share Posted November 12, 2023 sweet ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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