A bona-fide high-end speaker for under $1,000

The 1C, not just another box speaker.

(Credit: Vandersteen)

Last year's HDTVs are yesterday's news, but great audio designs, like Vandersteen's Model 1C floor-standing speaker ($995/pair) stick around for decades.

Richard Vandersteen designs speakers for buyers who care more about sound than fashion. His stuck-in-the-1980s styling isn't a calculated stab at retro. The handsome 1C tower speaker was originally introduced in 1981 as the Model 1, and the "C" iteration debuted in 1996. No matter, it still sounds better than any speaker I've heard near the 1C's price. It's as good as it gets for under a grand.

Change for the sake of change isn't an option at Vandersteen, and that extends to bucking the industry stampede to move production offshore. Vandersteen still builds all of his speakers in Hanford, California, and every speaker is tested and measured in the factory's anechoic chamber. That's commitment.

It's a two-way design featuring a 1-inch alloy dome tweeter mounted just above an 8-inch woofer. The speaker is 36 inches high and weighs 44 pounds. Build quality is absolutely superb.

As you can see from the picture, the 1C isn't a conventional "box" speaker; the baffles supporting the drivers were designed to be as small as possible to reduce the reflections that are (unfortunately) part of the sound of conventional speakers.

The audible differences between box speakers and the 1C aren't subtle, so the very first thing you'll notice about the Vandersteen sound is that it's remarkably "open" and dare I say it, it approaches the purity of some high-end panel speakers. It's simply more natural sounding than any box speaker near the 1C's price.

The Vandersteens' soundstage depth is positively addicting; the spacious image isn't just wide and deep, it's also taller than average, which adds to the believability of the sound.

The 8-inch woofer pumps out a whole lot more bass than you'll ever hear from a typical pipsqueak satellite speaker. The 1C plays rock, jazz, and classical music equally well.

Vandersteen also offers center and surround speakers, and some subwoofers, so home theater fans can also get a taste of true high-end sound for a fair price.

Chances are Vandersteen owners will be listening to their speakers long after the latest and greatest TV takes its place in landfill.

[technologyRules]

I have fond memories of Vandersteen. Glad to hear they're still around and haven't been compromised by corporate buyouts or overseas takeovers. :)

[syn959]

I still listen to my 1Cs that I purchased back in '96. I thought I would have upgraded to something else by now, but I have little excuse to since they still sound just as good as the day I got them. Mr. Guttenberg is correct, these are one of the best sub $1,000 pair of speakers out there.

[tomsoundman]

That picture looks just like the old Stereophile ads from the late 80's, early 90's when I fell in love with audio... Good memories and sounds.

[scine]

Oh man I LOVED you in Police Academy!

:)

[soundman45]

The 1C's are a solid example of a classic transmission line loudspeaker done right. I listened to the Model 1's back in the eighties and was immediately struck by their openness and smooth bass extension. I eventually settled on a pair of Definitive Technology speakers that were a little cheaper. I've upgraded a couple of times since, but I still think the Vandersteen's are a great speaker for the price.

[cjguest]

Vandersteen makes great speakers. I'm not surprised that this sub-$1k pair did so well. Big value here!

[xilebat]

Can't agree with you more, Steve.

I bought a pair of Vandy's in '99 and they're still my primary speakers today. In the interim, I upgraded every other component in my system on a piecemeal basis and the Vandy's kept pace just fine. You'd have to spend stupid money to find equipment that's too good for them.

Oh, and the Police Academy joke is officially TIRED, Scine. :)

[Vesicant]

Good job of recycling your 2005 Home Theater Magazine review, Steve. Oh, and a metal tweeter? Why would I want to strip the paint from my walls? Nope, save $400 and get MMGs.

[buzzvader]

I'd buy these without previously listening to them. Vandersteens for under a grand? They've got to be good and American made, too. I'm a Maggie's fan and have Monsoon's for my computer but I think I'd like these.
It's interesting he uses 8" woofers just like Henry Kloss used in his Advents.I'd bet these would sound great with an Ampzilla or Audio Research tube amplifier.

[jazzbase]

Yes Vandersteen speaker sound great, but will never pass the wife test.
These speaker are ugly. They were ugly then and ugly now.
Does anyone sit in place and listen to music anymore?

[HayesMyers]

I like them. Form always follow function to get it right. If form is more important audiophile you will never be.

[Johnny Mac 7]

I remember when I got to hear a comparison of a well reviewed pair of JBL speakers along side a pair of Vandersteen 2Cs. I have owned JBLs for many years and was considering buying the pair sitting next to the Vandersteens. I was taken by surprise at how good the 2Cs sounded. I had heard the JBLs several times before and liked them but never in comparison to the Vandersteens. It was no contest. After that experience I went up the stairs of the A/V store to hear the Wilson Audio Grand Slams which, at the time, many considered to be the world's finest loudspeakers. I wish I could have compared the Vandersteens to the Grand Slams. That was quite an afternoon. I went home a richer man without depleting anything from my wallet.

[coprock]

"Yes Vandersteen speaker sound great, but will never pass the wife test.
These speaker are ugly. They were ugly then and ugly now.
Does anyone sit in place and listen to music anymore?"

These speakers are hardly ugly. Not sure what your standard for aesthetics are, but these look like tastefully wood accented cubes. And, yes I listen to music every night sitting in the sweet spot between my NHT towers.

[TXinD76121]

Bah. One of the most overrated speakers of all time. I worked for a shop where we sold these, and I always felt guilty foisting them on ususpecting impecunious audiophile wannabees. These are so bland I would personally rather listen to a tabletop radio. Their virtues are subtractive...massively subtractive (bah dum). They subtract most of the vitality of most kinds of music. All they are is an "affordable" product alternative for high-end shops that don't want to carry any mass-market labels.

I usually agree with your taste, Steve, but if you think these are so good, go ahead--live with them for a year. Bet you won't--because no real audio enthusiast who could afford something better ever has.

Blue Mikey

[projacq]

TX,
Your comments are so extreme and unbalanced that I have to assume you have: (A) a hearing problem (B) unresolved issues with the shop you worked at or (C) you're confusing the Vandersteens with some other speakers with a similar name. I happen to own Vandersteen 3A Signatures but I've heard the 1Cs and agree with Steve's review completely.
I was so blown away by the 3As (in 2000) for music that I later got into debt to add the Signatures for music and as front speakers in a surround system, relegating the 3As to the rear. Yesterday, after 9 years, I finally bit the bullet and bought a VCC-5 center speaker to complete the system.

[TXinD76121]

Oh, and don't forget that one of their problems is that audio reviewers and stores always sample / demo the 1C's with many thousands of dollars' worth of high-quality electronics and source components. Then the poor buyer gets the little pigs home and hooks them up to his tin-box-of-cheap-parts integrated and oh, ouch, not so pretty-sounding any more.

(I really had to snort the other day when I read [elsewhere] a review of the un-isolated Rega P3-24 turntable that the writer situated on a ***$7,000*** equipment rack. That's an extreme case, and just plain irresponsible.)

Blue Mikey