Note that this is a discontinued product. You may want to visit the brand's page here to browse their newer products.
What reviewers think
Bloggers and YouTubers have tried this product—so we've summarized their strongest opinions below. Links to full reviews follow.
Product Strengths
- Upgradable from older Model 7 versions, representing long-term value for owners
- Features a 'CounterForce Bass' system with opposing woofers to minimize cabinet movement and improve clarity
- Offers extensive bass adjustments for room integration, including 11 trim pots for precise frequency adjustments
- Time-and-phase coherent design ensures that all drivers move in unison
- Provides a relaxed ease and warmth that fosters musical engagement
Product Considerations
- Sensitivity is relatively low at 85dB, requiring a powerful amplifier to achieve its full potential
- Requires careful rake angle adjustment for optimal performance
- Bi-wire capable, the mandatory HP-7 filter costs extra
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs KEF KC-62 subwoofer: Both use counter-opposing force woofers to stop cabinet movement
Takeaway: The Model Seven XTRM is a technologically innovative speaker designed for music lovers. It offers powerful bass, harmonic beauty, and exceptional tonal realism, making it a worthwhile investment for those seeking a high-fidelity audio experience.
All
Model Seven XTRM
reviews
Manufacturer details
- Tweeter: 1" Patented Perfect Piston ™ Tweeter with 3-Layer Carbon Fiber/Balsa/Carbon Fiber Dome, Aerodynamic Neo-Magnet Assembly
- Midrange: 4.5" Patented Perfect Piston ™ Midrange with 3-Layer Carbon Fiber/Balsa/Carbon Fiber Cone
- Mid-woofer: 7" Patented Perfect Piston ™ Mid-Woofer with 3-Layer Carbon Fiber/Balsa/Carbon Fiber Cone
- Subwoofer: Dual 11" Trussed-Aluminum Cones, Counterforce Bass TM
- Rear-firing Tweeter: .75" Ceramic-Coated Alloy Dome
- Subwoofer Amplifier: Linear 400-watt amplifier
- Recommended Amplification: 40-300 Watts Into 8 Ohms
- Frequency Response: 22Hz-50kHz +/- 2dB
- Sensitivity: 85 dB, 1 meter/2.83 volt input
- Impedance: 4 Ohms
- Crossovers: 100Hz, 600Hz, 5000Hz, 6dB/Octave
- Dimensions (WHD): 14" x 42.5" x 20" (Bedrock TM Base adds 3", Spikes add approximately 1.5")
- Weight: 185 lbs. Net. - 285 lbs. Net with Bedrock TM Base attached
Brand highlights
Taking a step back to look at reviewers' thoughts of the brand's entire lineup—not just this product—what stands out most is the following:
- Vandersteen designs emphasize time and phase coherence through the use of first-order crossovers, which require drivers with exceptional linearity and bandwidth.
- They are known for their "form-follows-function" aesthetic, prioritizing sound quality over visual flash, often resulting in understated designs.
- Vandersteen loudspeakers often include user-adjustable controls, such as midrange and tweeter level adjustments or multi-band bass equalization, to optimize performance in different listening environments.
- They prioritize seamless driver integration, aiming to present a cohesive sonic presentation, rather than drawing attention to individual drivers.
Select products
Model 1Ci+
- Positioning: The entry-level speaker in the Vandersteen lineup, offering a taste of the brand's sonic excellence at an affordable price.
- Description: Praised for its incredible value, providing a sample of the Model 2's sonic excellence in a smaller, easy-to-drive package. Unlike the more advanced models like the Treo CT, it lacks the powered-bass system but still delivers excellent sound quality with its dual-chamber alloy dome tweeter and mineral-filled polycone woofer, making it ideal for budget-conscious buyers or those with smaller rooms.
Model 3A Signature
- Positioning: Serves as a bridge between the entry-level and high-end models, offering high performance with advanced components.
- Description: Known for its big sound and detailed musicality, features a dual-chamber metal-alloy dome tweeter and a unique midrange driver that reduces internal diffraction. While it doesn't have the powered subwoofer of the Quatro Wood CT, it provides a cohesive and smooth sound.
Treo CT
- Positioning: A mid-range model that offers high-end features in a more compact and affordable package.
- Description: Features the patented Perfect-Piston Carbon Tweeter, providing exceptional air and space in sound reproduction. It shares the same driver complement as the Quatro Wood CT but lacks the powered-bass system.
Quatro Wood CT
- Positioning: A high-performance model that incorporates advanced technologies from Vandersteen's flagship speakers.
- Description: Features the Carbon Tweeter from the Model 5A Carbon, offering exceptional resolution and imaging. It includes a powered subwoofer section with dual 8" subwoofers, unlike the Treo CT, providing powerful bass performance.
KēNTO Carbon
- Positioning: A premium model, offering advanced features at a historic price point.
- Description: Combines elements from the Model Seven MK II and Quatro CT, including side-firing Counterforce pistonic bass drivers. It offers a level of adjustment and integration not found in the Quatro Wood CT.
Model Seven XTRM
- Positioning: The flagship model, representing the pinnacle of Vandersteen's speaker technology.
- Description: Features Perfect-Piston drivers and a recalibrated internal amplifier. Unlike the KēNTO Carbon, it offers the ultimate in time-and-phase correct audio reproduction.
Our take on the brand
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Our interview with the brand
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What are your favorite tracks for showcasing the strength of your products?
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Used
Vandersteen
What if you spend more?
Sumptuous form conscientiously follows function in a visibly remarkable aesthetic that breaks ground beyond traditional cabinet design. The shapely and extremely robust cabinet is built up from scrupulously formed 3D laminates – pushing and exceeding the limitations of ply engineering to construct a fluid front baffle which reaches right around either side of the speaker.
Machined into the 360 Array trim piece are a series of concentric arcs – themselves redolent of the grooves of a vinyl record in a conscientious nod to our origins and the Sondek LP12 turntable upon which Linn was founded. These grooves are set adjacent to a tweeter protector, which draws the eye in with its chrome-plated Linn icon feature. The engineered trim is machined in-house from 5754-grade aluminium, and incorporates ingenious waveguides to help facilitate optimum performance from the drive units which they surround.
Designed expressly for 360, The Glasgow Collection is a range of curated cabinet finishes, that demonstrate pride in our origins and celebrate our Scottish home. These three special finishes are dynamic and complex; colour and texture play off the curves of the 360 cabinet under different lighting conditions and when viewed from different angles.
The Classic Collection offers a more subtle, monochrome palette: the timeless elegance of Piano Black, and the minimalist chic of Alpine White.
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Product Strengths
- Excellent imaging, providing a strong stereo image for multiple listeners due to wide dispersion and Space Optimisation+
- Flexible and capable of playing all kinds of music, getting out of the music's way, and suitable for both large and smaller rooms
- Dynamic, detailed, and can play at a wide range of volume levels, from quiet listening to near PA levels
- Features a new driver array, including a Beryllium dome tweeter, thin-ply woven carbon fiber midrange (used on NASA's Mars Rover), and aluminum-magnesium alloy bass units
- Incorporates new amplifier technologies—'Power DAC' for the lower bass and 'Adaptive Bias Control' for the mid and treble—reducing distortion
Product Considerations
- The midrange dome is exposed, which might be a concern with children
- Owners of previous Linn systems may find the price difficult to accept
- Some audiophiles may prefer Linn to trawl its past rather than building its future, and they will want an Isobarik
- Some audiophiles may not be able to see past the LP12
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- The 360 offers significantly improved imaging and soundstaging compared to the Klimax 350
Takeaway: The Linn 360 is a high-end loudspeaker that provides excellent sound quality and flexibility, making it a great choice for enjoying music with friends or for personal listening sessions. Its innovative design and technology deliver a detailed and immersive audio experience.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Starting as a personal side project, the design and breakthroughs we achieved merged into what is now our frontrunner in our speaker portfolio. The initial idea of the project was to design the best possible bass loading module (basshorn aside), to be used with a new horn design we had in the works. The hybrid open baffle / aperiodic bass loading outperformed my expectations, and lead us to push the company design and manufacturing resources to this project, to be our new main speaker offering. This effort resulted to a new diffraction-less midrange horn, as well as our new horn/dipole ribbon tweeter design. Add some crossover technology borrowed from our top speaker the Contendo, and we present to you the Aurora!
Our summary
Product Strengths
- Surprisingly free of horn colorations
- Very rich, present, and neutrally balanced
Product Considerations
- The reviewer was sitting too close to hear them at their best in the small room
- Looking a bit like something the Borg might have invented
Takeaway: The Aries Cerat Aurora Reference is a unique, horn-loaded speaker that sounds surprisingly good. They were considered the most interesting and novel new speaker at the show.
Video review
Our take on the brand
The Model C speakers is for those who seek the live dipole sound and demand enhanced bass for music and movies. The formula is simple: take the legendary Model D, then scale down the footprint and add powerful boundary woofers. The result is an attention-grabbing statement system that sets a new standard for full-bodied bass reproduction. Dipole speaker The Model C’s compact, floor-standing dipole design emits equal, natural sound from both sides of the cabinet – forward and backward. Thus it produces sound that interacts with the room much like a live musical instrument, creating audio that can’t be compared and a statement that can’t be ignored.
Product Strengths
- Replicates the resonance of live instruments due to open speaker design
- Digital from source to driver, minimizing sound distortion
- Provides audio output so precise you can pinpoint each instrument's location
Product Considerations
- The only weak link might be musical taste
Takeaway: The Model C delivers incredibly precise audio, replicating live instrument resonance with minimal distortion. If pure sound is desired, and taste in music aligns, it is a great pick.
Video review
Our take on the brand
What competes at this price?
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Impressive midbass solidity
- Remarkable fidelity at lower volumes due to the alacrity of its drivers
- Comprehensive and dynamic sound signature with plenty of detail and clarity
- The newly developed tweeter allows for faster response and a frequency range that easily extends to 28,000Hz
- Features a modular design, offering flexibility with passive, iTron active, and all-in-one wireless streaming versions
Product Considerations
- Integrating the Spacehorn subwoofers requires careful alignment
- High-quality source components are needed to match its performance level
- Some reviewers found that the iTron amplification did not produce the requisite bloom and musicality for classical and jazz music
Takeaway: The Avantgarde Trio G3 speaker is a top-tier audio system known for its exceptional sound reproduction and flexibility with different configurations. If you appreciate high-quality audio performance and aesthetics and want a sound system that sounds exciting and sophisticated, it is an excellent option.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Superb resolution, incredible mid/low synchronicity, and uncanny bass extension
- Phenomenal, tight, and fast bass, playing below 15Hz
- Great balance, detail, and articulation at every volume level
- Amazing imaging and natural space in the soundstage
- DSP9 is easy to install and place in a room, due to the DSP controls available
Product Considerations
- At £60,000 per pair, the DSP9 is still expensive
- Fairly generous footprint
- Finishes other than piano gloss black are available at a premium depending on cost and complexity
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs Meridian DSP8000 XE: DSP9 is smaller, lighter and more svelte, but aims to offer equally top-line performance
Takeaway: The Meridian Audio DSP9 is a sensational loudspeaker with amazing imaging, natural space, and incredibly tight bass, suitable for various music genres and volume levels. The active configuration, design, and range of finishes make it a strong proposition for premium installations.
Video review
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