The components used in the Model 3A Signature combine
classic durability and strength with innovative design and construction.
The metal-alloy dome tweeter is a dual-chamber design to improve range
and linearity. It is critically damped to extend the high frequencies
past audibility without the excessive ringing associated with open or
underdamped metal dome tweeters. The specific alloy used for the dome
was chosen for its superior strength and resistance to break-up.
With
our experience in FFT computer analysis and extensive research into the
negative effects of diffraction, we developed a unique midrange driver
that held a patent (US Patent # 5073948) for over 20 years before
expiring recently. This woven-fiber, aerodynamic midrange is the same
driver employed in the Treo, Treo CT and Quatro Wood CT. This midrange
outperforms other designs in several significant parameters. In
conventional cone midranges, the acoustic energy from the back of the
cone immediately strikes the front of the driver's magnet assembly and
is reflected back through the cone and into the listening room. This
distorted secondary signal created by the internal diffraction smears
the sound of the driver and inhibits true transparency. The frontal area
of the magnet assembly on the Vandersteen midrange is minimized through
the use of advanced materials and construction techniques to reduce
internal diffraction and the resultant distortion to inaudible levels.
With the elimination of this distortion, the sound of the Model 3A
Signature is cohesive and smooth with extraordinary inner detail and
resolution.
The active acoustic coupler and woofer use costly cast-metal baskets
rather than the more common stamped baskets. The cast-metal baskets'
inherent rigidity and superior vibration control increase cone movement
accuracy and resist sympathetic resonances for cleaner and more natural
sound. Mineral-filled polycone is used on the woofer to insure high
stiffness, superior internal dampening and greater neutrality than metal
alloy, woven plastic or treated paper cones. Stiff, low-weight
polycones resist flexing under all drive conditions for lower distortion
and increased detail.
The dual-spider active acoustic coupler accurately complements the
woofer to reduce box loss, thermodynamic loss and active/passive
transfer nonlinearities. This novel Electro- Mechanically Optimized
Woofer System provides powerful, detailed and extended bass response as
the Model 3A Signature operates much more closely to the ideal than
conventional ported or passive designs.
The crossover in the Model 3A Signature is comprised of
transient-perfect, first-order networks designed to preserve the phase
integrity of the music. It is compensated to allow the drivers to
operate in absolute phase with each other for more precise and stable
imaging than in conventional multi-way speakers using out-of-phase
drivers. The crossover's computer-grade components, including low
impedance air-core inductors and high-quality film capacitors in the
signal path, are hand soldered on a double-sided, plated-through PC
board tested to insure less than 0.1dB deviation from a reference
circuit. Like all Vandersteen Signature Products the crossover is hand
tweaked with the speaker in an anacoic chamber into matched pairs.
Custom 6N wire with polypropylene dielectric is used for internal wiring
to maximize signal transfer.
The crossover is engineered for bi-wiring with a stereo amplifier or
passive vertical bi-amplification with two identical stereo amplifiers.
Inputs are heavy-duty screw terminals.
The baffles holding the drivers on the Model 3A Signature are as
small as possible to eliminate virtually all of the early reflections
that affect dynamic speakers with conventional flat or low diffraction
baffles. Reducing both early reflections and edge diffraction improves
the imaging and enhances the openness and transparency of the speaker.
The Model 3A Signature's enclosure is constructed of 1 to 1 1/2 inch
thick MDF, an advanced material that resists vibration and reduces
cabinet resonances. Broad-spectrum, low-Q resonances are controlled so
as to cancel rather than become additive.
The Model 3A Signature uses the proven Vandersteen Aligned Dynamic
Design to optimize the dispersion and transient accuracy of the drivers
while maintaining the input signal's time and phase integrity. The
drivers, their positioning and their associated minimum baffles were
developed with the aid of FFT computer analysis to minimize diffraction,
cone break-up, multi-driver interference and out-of-band phase
irregularities. The construction, alignment and positioning of the
drivers allow a point-source wave front and maximize the phase coherence
of the loudspeaker at the listening position.
The Aligned Dynamic Design is used due to its many potential advantages:
- Precise, three-dimensional imaging and a wider listening area.
- A greater flexibility of placement options within the listening room and better transient response.
- A high level of genuine transparency and detail typical of planar
speakers without the distortions and response variations of
multi-directional dynamic loudspeakers.
- Increased efficiency and improved dynamic range.
Each Vandersteen Audio Model 3A Signature undergoes rigorous testing
and retesting during each phase of construction. Each driver and
crossover is tested for proper operation and computer matched to within
0.1dB. After final assembly, each pair is high-power sweep tested for
structural integrity and FFT computer analyzed for correct response and
performance compared to a model reference. This intense commitment to
product quality and reliability is unsurpassed in the audio industry.
Music is pure in its dimensions. Vandersteen loudspeakers are true to
the original dimensions of the music. They preserve its carefully
crafted proportions and weight. They accurately convey the composition,
shading and timing that build an involving experience. They reveal the
power, the authority, the subtlety and the intimacy of the music.
This dimensional purity is the essence of the Model 3A Signature. It
allows them to recreate the music's original scope and passion. You hear
deeper into the music and better understand the feelings forming its
foundation. You become more involved in the music as its complex inner
structure is revealed with increased clarity and realism.
At Vandersteen Audio, we believe that these qualities are fundamental
to your enjoyment of your music. We are pleased to have embodied these
qualities in a speaker whose simple, but elegant, physical presence
complements the decor of your listening room. We are devoted to continue
building distinguished loudspeakers that make a statement about the
importance of music in your life.