Напольная акустика — Vandersteen Audio 3A Signature

The Model 3A Signature is a four-driver floorstanding loudspeaker from Vandersteen Audio, produced in America, with a starting price of USD 7,190 per pair with stands, before duty, taxes and freight. Until the Quatro arrived in 2006, the company says, the 3A Signature was the only model bridging its range between the Model 2 and the Model 5. Finishes are black with a charcoal grille, or cherry, dark oak, maple and walnut with black grilles.

Key specs that matter

Four units share the work. A ceramic-coated alloy dome of 1 inch, set in a dual-chamber enclosure with transmission-line loading, handles the top, a 4.5 inch Reflection-Free tri-woven composite cone covers the midrange, and an 8 inch long-throw woofer with a curvilinear polycone, 1.5 inch two-layer voice coil and 40 oz magnet takes the bass. A 10 inch dual-spider aluminium alloy cone acts as an active acoustic coupler. First-order crossovers with 6 dB per octave slopes divide the band at 80 Hz, 600 Hz and 5 kHz. Response is 26 Hz to 30 kHz within plus or minus 3 dB, or 30 Hz to 22 kHz within 1.5 dB. Sensitivity is 87 dB at 1 metre with 2.83 volts, and impedance is 6 ohms nominal with a 4 ohm minimum. The cabinet is 16 inches wide, 48 inches high and 10.25 inches deep, and each speaker weighs 90 lb net.

Engineering and use context

The midrange driver held US Patent 5073948 for over 20 years, and it is shared with the Treo, Treo CT and Quatro Wood CT. Its magnet assembly has a minimised frontal area so rear energy from the cone is not reflected back through it. The coupler works with the woofer to reduce box loss, thermodynamic loss and active to passive transfer nonlinearities. Cast-metal baskets are used instead of stamped ones. Crossover parts, including air-core coils and film capacitors, are hand soldered on a double-sided board, each tested to within 0.1 dB of a reference, and each pair is tuned in an anechoic chamber. Internal wiring is 6N wire with polypropylene insulation. The enclosure is MDF from 1 to 1.5 inches thick, with minimum-size baffles to limit early reflections and edge diffraction. After assembly each pair is sweep tested at high power and FFT analysed against a reference model.

Pairing

Vandersteen recommends 100 to 200 watts per channel into 8 ohms from an amplifier that remains stable into 4 ohms. The crossover is split for bi-wiring driven by one stereo amp, or passive vertical bi-amplification with two identical stereo amplifiers. The VCC-2 centre speaker is designed as a companion for home theatre.

Alternatives

Vandersteen's floorstanding range also includes the Treo CT, which shares the same patented 4.5 inch midrange driver.