I am sorry for the lack of response. I don't check this very often. To clarify I have the 655 capacitors in the 600 SE so it is not a full 655 SE. I live close to BAT and they made the change for me while I waited at the factory. The midrange and high are both more open and extended than the 600. I have Vandersteen Seven speakers so the bass of the amp is not directly impacting the sound so I didn't really notice a change to the bass. I suspect other speakers you would notice a difference. For sure the upgrade was worth the investment it lets me see further into the music presentation and sounds more lifelike and real than before.
If you want to converse more you can email me at :
[email protected]

richfield_hunter November 26, 2014 17:27

I have a vk-600se and I'm thinking of upgrading to the vk-655se. Can you share your thoughts on the differences between the two? Thanks.

taxmandme October 26, 2014 20:45

System edited: Made Major system changes over the last two years. Biggest change Vandersteen Sevens. Best speaker in the world.

richfield_hunter May 14, 2014 23:47

System edited: Just changed amp preamp and cd player. Big improvement.

richfield_hunter May 27, 2011 16:59

Hello: Does your dealer have the 5s in stock? thinking of upgrading my 3Asig. Thanx Ron

ronno November 16, 2003 17:59

Jeff,

well, after dealer setup and calibration, the 5's sound even better... deeper bass extension, better bass integration, and a more coherent soundstage. I am really enjoying them!

stretiak August 14, 2003 00:58

jeff,

thanks for your input.

i definitely feel that proper room set up first will result in better sound in the end, if for no other reason than that vandersteen recommends correcting only 75% of the variation from flat with the equalizer, so i expect to get closer to flat by optimizing position first.

i have finished moving them around, and have put them up on spikes. I'll let you know how things change (hopefully improve) with further adjustments.

sean.

stretiak July 20, 2003 22:00

Stretiak,
Glad to hear you are enjoying the 5's and are getting the position right before the calibration. You made a wise choice buying these speakers. Only a few speakers can truely compete with these for musicality, detail, bass, and soundstage. We are among a elite group which have listened and purchased the best. Congratuloations. Keep in touch

Jeff

richfield_hunter July 16, 2003 00:12

jeff,
thanks for the input. dealer set-up and calibration is included, but i am doing experimentation with room positioning myself first (a combo of predicted good positions with testing with listening).

i picked up some used audioquest clear, 7 foot discrete biwire. they were recommended by both my dealer and by richard vandersteen as a reasonably priced cable. (i kinda blew my bankroll on the speakers and the audio research front end). i didnt compare them to everything, but they sure are better than the mit t2's that they replace.

stretiak July 13, 2003 06:24

Stretiak,
Glad to hear you made the plunge to Model 5's. The 2's are nice but the 5's are awesome. They will truly hang with any speaker in the world at almost any cost. Did you have them set up by a dealer? If not you need to have that done so they can adjust the 11 adustments properly with a spectrum anaylzer. It makes them sound even better. What speaker cable are you using. I sugget the Alpha Core Goertz I have the hybrid ag2 silve and mi2 copper. The stuff is awesome with these speakers.

Jeff

richfield_hunter June 30, 2003 20:39

richfield,
as you suspected, i have been really impressed with the improvements in jumping from the 2ce's to the 5's. Transparency and detail are both much improved; i am still fiddling with the bass, but it already crushes the 2's. i have always liked the 2's, but the 5's are much, much better.

stretiak June 30, 2003 17:15

Stretiak,
I have consiedered the VCC 5 upgrade. I have heard it and it is one on the best center speakers going. I listen to music 85% of the time so have not made the plunge yet. You will be amazed with the model5's over the 2CE. I had model 3's before and there is just no comparison.

richfield_hunter June 07, 2003 13:13

i would strongly consider upgrading the center to a vcc5, unless you never watch with anyone else, in which case the phantom center will sound best anyways. i actually upgraded the center for my 2ce's from the vcc1 to the vcc5 and found the performance to be much better, with noticeably less compression. Now i am finally bringing home model 5's, and am anticipating the improvement.

stretiak June 07, 2003 09:44

I send them to the mains as my V2W's are boosted for extra boom in action movies. Also, I believe the powered subs in the 5 are of higher quality than the Earthquake. Finally, I believe that two sources for bass are better than one. Only one way to find out, is to try both modes yourself. You may also want to have two modes, one for pro-logic movies that sends bass from the center to the earthquake and one for music that sends the bass to the 5's.

Let me know about the phantoming thing too as i am really curious -- I hear that people have different results with different systems, and I don't personally know of any other 5 owners. I find phantom mode to sound much better.

[email protected] May 31, 2003 14:38

tpigeon,
I am running my VSM'S at full range. I also send the bass from the center to the earthquake not the 5's. Is this what you do or would you recommend something different?

richfield_hunter May 31, 2003 01:58

I have 2 v2w's for my lfe. I think you would be surprised at the low bass info that comes from the rears that is not lfe...Try to demo the 2wq for the rears in your home if you can...Are you running your VSM's at full range or are you sending the low pass to the earthquake?

That is exactly what I mean about phantoming the center, make sure you are level matched. There are two ways to phantom the center, but only going to setup/input/config/cen, setting the xover setting to phantom and adjusting the phlvl allows you to level match your center if you increased or decreased your "regular" center volume rating. This way, you can make a new setting, and do direct a/b comparisons. The phantom center sounds much better to me. But, you can only use this mode when listening alone, or with one other person who you are REALLY close to :).

Are you sending the bass to your 5's or your earthquake from your center?

[email protected] May 30, 2003 12:46

Tpigeon,
I have thought about the 2wq's but have a Earthquake sub for movies and in mulichannel music it doesn't sound to bad. Not as tight a bass as the 5's or 2wq's though. I also use the 5's crowwovers not the theta's. I have not heard the 5A but have talked to a couple guys who have. The general thought is they are a little better in every way but is a small amount. I spoke to Richard Vandersteen about it and he also said you need good system and ears to hear the difference. By Phantoming the center speaker do you mean turning it off and allowing center channel info to go to the front left and right?

richfield_hunter May 30, 2003 01:09

I have a similar system, I found that putting 2wq's on the VSM-1's make your surrounds that much better. I have also found that the model 5 xover sounds better than the theta's. Have you heard the 5A? I am curious how that sounds. Do you phantom your center when watching movies alone? I do, it makes a big difference to me. Try it and let me know what you think.

[email protected] May 29, 2003 18:09