Vanatoo Transparent One Encore Speaker Review

[@uribar-ner5055]

Love your reviews. Always wait for new ones to come. Thanks!!!

[@mysock351C]

I like the fact that the bass gracefully rolls off instead of just being brick-walled by the DSP. Even though it wont technically be "flat" in-room, it still means you will have good bass extension, which is much appreciated.

[@mysock351C]

@(tom smith) Thats what I like about these is they don't seem to be using the DSP to aggressively push the design. Some of the cheap monitors are neutral, but they have virtually no SPL capabilities due to the DSP being used to flatten the response. Works ok at low volumes, but then you see in the posted data the thing will go into aggressive limiting and start sliding the cutoff up in frequency to avoid overly upsetting the woofer. That's one reason I differ from others and don't like active DSP in speakers. Not because it doesn't work, but because it opens the door to turd polishing. Good sounding, but suspiciously inexpensive speakers. There does seem to be limiting in these, but it doesn't make the speaker do weird things. Worst one I had was a set of Bose Companion 20's I got with a laptop to have something to use during a transfer at my last job. $300 speakers with $20 worth of Shenzhen specials and hot snot inside. Not only did they not even bother to fix anything, but turn it up andeverythingissuddenlyatthesamelevel. Very annoying, and the curve for the needed PEQ corrections to take out the myriad of resonances looked like it was drawn by a retard with a crayon.

[@raykazlauskas2149]

Retard. Really?

[@Sonofholhorse]

I used to use these in our lab at work on nights; they're fantastic little powered speakers! The guys at Vanatoo are great, too!

[@guillaumeleclerc3346]

Very interesting how beaming can impact overall frequency response because of reflections! It makes a lot of sense but it never crossed my mind before

[@mysock351C]

Bit different in this case since they are nearfield speakers. When using them in the nearfield, quite often the reflections will be quite a bit lower in level than the direct sound due to them going past you, and being absorbed by the room. My experience is then that what you hear tends to be tilted quite a bit more towards the speakers on or off-axis response instead of the overall room response. I have a nearfield system with speakers that I also made semi-anechoic measurements on, and the measured response at the listening position tends to correlate with one of the directivity contours in both the horizontal and vertical dispersion, i.e. if the listening position is tweeter level, but 30 degrees off-axis then the measurement will look similar to the 30 degree contour on the horizontal directivity plot. Makes them a bit trickier to EQ since you cant just go off of the steady state room response.

[@thewirah1]

You did a fantastic job explaining the measurements and potential workarounds in layman's terms.

[@Digeeedad]

Very much enjoyed your review! I have these speakers on pedestal stands 18” from the rear wall, primarily using them with my turntable. I also use them for streaming music. My listening room is my home office. As you have concluded, they are definitely worthy of recommendatiion! For a smallish listening area, definitely the best I have owned! Bass response with the passive radiators is pretty remarkable for their size. I never feel as if I really need a subwoofer. I use them a lot and continue to be very happy and amazed with their sound quality! I have the cherry color and they look terrific as well. I also own the Vanatoo Transparent Zeros for computer desktop listening. Awesome audio quality and unique construction! Vanatoo is a great company and always prompt in answering questions about their speakers and definitely stand behind their offerings!

[@marksimpson4783]

Amir, another informative video. Was hoping you could look at some XLR cables for us. Cheers

[@AudioScienceReview]

My pleasure. I thought I had tested some. if not, I will do one in the future.

[@Psycherz]

Given the date I was expecting a recommendation for a power cable.

[@AudioScienceReview]

Shoot, missed the opportunity. I will put it on my TODO list for next year. :)

[@hugobloemers4425]

Nice review, on this day you always expect something less than serious but in this case we get a normal review.

[@baodu7768]

I wonder if you can take a look and preview the Tannoy Gold 8 if that is possible thank you ! Love your work, help out many people get to known and understanding before purchasing.

[@AudioScienceReview]

Would you settle for Gold 7? Amazon doesn't directly carry the Gold 8 and I prefer to buy it from them.

[@baodu7768]

@@AudioScienceReview That was be lovely I can’t even ask for more if you can with the gold 7 thank you so much And i precedes it so much thank you sir

[@sergeysmelnik]

@@baodu7768 I had the gold 8s. I only have a nearfield on axis measurement. I was going through multiple studio monitors at the time to try to find something I liked. I gotta say I absolutely hated it. It had so much treble it was unbearable. On top of that it shot out the horn like a laser beam. I like my speakers toed in especially horns so theyre not directly pointing at my ears. The problem with these is the horn is so directional that you either get too much treble or none at all. What I realized is basically they took the design from the large tannoy golds and slapped it on smaller monitors meaning they really need to be set up far field. Measurement wise they actually showed to be very flat even throughout the treble. There was no actual treble lift. Its just the beaming I couldnt handle. I didnt have room at the time to set them up far field plus the treble was just too much so I got rid of them.

[@baodu7768]

@@sergeysmelnik thank you so much for such a fast return and measurements and your opinion about the Tannoy Gold 8 Thank you 🙏🏼

[@the_wau_]

video on the Klippel NFS?? yes please!

[@AudioScienceReview]

Will do it soon. Need to get the material together first.

[@the_wau_]

@@AudioScienceReview looking forward to it! :)

[@MAELOB]

Thanks for the review, i think this will work perfect for my desktop system. Over the years I have gone overboard with subs, tube amps and huge monitors for my desktop system and now looking to just have a nice clean desk that complement my headphone rig. I was considering the KEF lsx but I think Vanatoo has way better customer service if something goes wrong.

[@calebkeen8967]

I've owned these for a few years and use them on my desk mounted on IsoAcoustic stands. I spend hours listening to them every day for music, video conferencing and gaming. They're not the least bit fatiguing and even a bit 'dark' with a similar tonality to the Senn HD650. The amplifier went out and Vanatoo was very easy to work with to get it fixed.

[@MickeyMishra]

This is why I like Local Companies. You can actually get stuff fixed and get parts.

[@gino3286]

i would think to replace the woofers with something lower in distortion A friend of mine did exactly this with a pair of Behringer He replaced the plastic woofer with two nice Visaton same diameter The sound was better with not much money more

[@calebkeen8967]

@@gino3286 You would void the warranty which isn't a good idea in my experience. The amplifier went out, and being able to have it serviced by Vanatoo was crucial.

[@svalbard01]

My desktop setup is SennHD 650s and the smaller T0s with a Minx 201 sub going through Schiit Vali. Very similar experience--super listenable for long sessions, good and not fatiguing. I remember Amir gave the T0s a "recommend" with just a couple small tweaks to the tone. Also, my remote for the speakers went out and the owner--the OWNER of the company--emailed me and asked for my address, and I had a new remote a couple days later. Super impressive little company.

[@calebkeen8967]

@@svalbard01 The owner of the company managed my service transaction as well. Perfect experience in every respect. I have a lot of good will for this company.

[@Jon4670]

I had the Vanatoo zero and the sound seems to be echoing inside the box. For example after a drum hit, the passive bass radiator will make a sound a few milliseconds after that but not in a linear fashion.

[@jaekjaek7367]

Would you still choose the Vanatoo T1E over the KEF Q150 + amplifier if pure sound quality alone and nearfield listening like on a desktop. Lets say both are on a speaker stand. Also, lets put a subwoofer scenario too.

[@boltingvenom82]

Hi Amir , great work really enjoying Your critical analysis , I was wondering if You can give a scientific review of ATC speakers like scm11 👍

[@AudioScienceReview]

I love to test more of their speakers. For now, I did test the SCM19 but sadly, it didn't do well: www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/atc-scm19-bookshelf-speaker-review.14519/

[@boltingvenom82]

Oh great , I have paired atc scm 11v2 with marantz model 30 , I am not very impressed with this combo , this was my first hifi setup and did not know what to really expect , I thought this is how audiophiles usually enjoy music , after reading Your review of atc scm 19 I have come to the conclusion that my hearing is intact , I think there is something wrong with the matchup or the source , probably will give some more time for breaking in , thanks for all the great work 😀

[@awvz_1194]

Great review, but my subjective experience with these speakers found that they sound MUCH better with compression disabled and the flat DSP setting (these are not the default settings). Would have been interesting to see the measurements with these settings

[@Mal-xz4zu]

How does this compare to KEF LSX, or Wharfedale diamond 9 with Aiyima A07 amp - used as computer speakers at modest volumes, listening to BBC Radio 3 (HD classical music & talk...)?

[@kyron42]

My experience with passive radiator speakers is they have very nice smooth bass but transients are not particularly great. This is because passive radiators only have acoustic and mechanical damping whereas active drivers also have electrical damping.

[@sebastianeriksson8507]

I read your tests on OSD Audio Ap650 and Polka Atrium 4. Im looking for speakers in this range for outdoor use about 200usd for a pair. what do you recommend I was looking at your site but could not figure out how to teach and filter for outdoor speaker reviews. Great work

[@AudioScienceReview]

So far I like the Revel outdoor speakers but not sure you can get them for $200.

[@sebastianeriksson8507]

@@AudioScienceReview i did a search and they are 1000usd. They are great i agree bit i have a budget of 200usd. My question if you have any suggestions or where I can find a good help.

[@kyron42]

I would have tried to EQ some of the 3 to 7 kHz out, added a bit of air/sparkle above 10kHz and maybe given it a bit of a slight boost at 60 to 70 Hz for added punch. If the proximity effect of being close to the wall makes it a bit boomy then I would add a gentle bass roll off.

[@kyron42]

How close can the rear of the speaker be from the wall? The passive radiator is quite large compared to a port so the acoustic impedance imposed by the proximity of the wall is not going change the frequency response that much. The only real concern I see is having the passive radiator excursion so large that it bangs on the wall. Do they specify the passive radiator maximum excursion?

[@AudioScienceReview]

I never have a problem with a speaker being too close to the wall unless you fully block the rear ports/radiators. Yes, bass gets impacted but you better EQ that region regardless of whether you are or are not close to a wall.

[@sergeysmelnik]

All the speakers Ive ever had sound best to me less than 6 inches from the front wall regardless of where the port is. As long as there are no near side walls of course. This is with the speakers toed in a lot and the closest corner near the wall measured. My current klipsch forte are actually designed to be right next to the front wall and they have a passive radiator in the back. The closest corner is 2 3/8" from the front wall the outer corner is 11" and they measure really flat.

[@kyron42]

How do you use the tweeter as 0 axis. If they're using Linkwitz-Riley filters and why wouldn't they be, wouldn't it be best to have on axis between the tweeter and woofer.

[@AudioScienceReview]

It is the default in the standard to use tweeter axis unless specified otherwise. You can see measurements at any angle from the data I post in each review. In almost all cases, the difference between those two acoustic centers is tiny.

[@xprcloud]

Excellent Review thank you

[@Unker_Spunkanathan]

The tweeter resembles that of the very popular celestion 3 from somewhere 1985~90

[@gino3286]

Excellent review as always and thanks for these very interesting results I always had the feeling that the Achilles heel of cheap amplified monitors is the quality of the woofers used And the THD measurements confirm this very clearly Good tweeters at reasonable prices if you can find them especially if you cut them high But i Really good woofers instead cost very expensive Often the cost of a good woofer is equal to the cost of a complete economic amplified speaker

[@BigPoppa-t3z]

They are true active speakers not powered

[@gino3286]

@@BigPoppa-t3z hi i don't get the real difference between active and powered My main issue is about the fact that the two speakers are not identical Imho the two signals left and right must be treated at the same way from the source up to the speakers And actually the professional speakers are just like that Identical

[@BigPoppa-t3z]

Listen this is the best speaker I’ve ever heard. I put all on flat. I have a Osd sub. I never use it. It’s true it can be kind of bright but. This speaker kicks

[@tommyd777]

Excellent review as always! Although in this case the elephant in the room I would argue, is the tweeters response in its upper most octave. It is suboptimal. Other than that a good little speaker

[@BigPoppa-t3z]

They are not powered speakers they are active. This unit has 4 amps. Not one. They are about 240 total watts.

[@pauldavies6037]

Great review and bargain feature speaker amp the 2khz or similar area seems to be a common problem see some of GR research y tubes

[@iimv]

Amir, you are cool dude! But there is no more optimal design 😂. There is better, or optimal 😛 (hopefully you get it as a playful joke, not an attack)

[@NalinKhurb]

Perhaps one can use ‘more favourable’ as an alternative? As optimal is ‘most favourable’

[@AudioScienceReview]

How about "mo better?"

[@peterlarkin762]

Least worstest?

[@machoheadgames8854]

"Better" "favorable" or "desirable" imply subjective opinion. "More optimal" is more appropriate.

[@NalinKhurb]

@@machoheadgames8854 Optimal means ‘best’ or ‘most favourable’. It’s already superlative

[@Lesterandsons]

👍

[@JayJayYUP]

Not a gamer? Time for some game audio reviews.

[@hemantishwaran5741]

Bought them but returned. Too bright and bass wasn’t that impressive

[@wesselingaudiodesign5031]

What was the issue with the bass?

[@hemantishwaran5741]

@@wesselingaudiodesign5031 It really depends on what you are expecting. If your plan is to use these as "desktop speakers" then probably you'll be happy. But if you are expecting an audiophile solution, I think you will be disappointed at the hype behind these speakers (some of which is clearly on display in this video). Bass is really hard. I used to think bass was the easiest part but I don't think so any more.

[@wesselingaudiodesign5031]

@@hemantishwaran5741 I was hoping for a subjective detailed description on the bass characteristics. I design loudspeakers and have very good insight into bass design. I have focused a lot of time and energy into understanding bass quality correlating woofer/box interface with hi performance, accuracy and subjectivity in ported and sealed systems. I enjoy these videos but one of my issues is that people will not have good insight into the bass quality based on acoustic measurements and information presented here and other channels, with or with or without a Klippel near field scanner. The only thing that's obvious in the measurement in this video is overall bass level relative to midrange and high frequency trend. "bass is Hard" Absolutely! To much to get in to technically, but I can say a few things, Low bass from small boxes will not be that great unless one accepts very low sensitivity - Hoffman's Iron Law and other reasons! DSP of woofers in small boxes is a electronics compensation for an acoustic issue which makes DSP a bad solution if you want the ultimate bass response in every aspect.. Hi performance bass is achieved from Quality built woofers , examining the TS parameters and installing them in their appropriate box volume (and not one liter lower) with proper internal damping of resonances, along with other aspects.. Also consider companies marketing and competing to produce the smallest possible speaker with the highest bass output or lowest bass response for bragging rights.. Doesn't work, cant alter the law of physics or push a woofer outside of its natural and proper bass abilities without compromises.. This channel and a few other objectively based channels are wonderful, but with the data presented a purchaser will not have an understanding of bass quality or performance or whatever you want to call it. There needs be an entirely separate and detailed analysis of the implementation of woofers, and quantified subjectively!

[@xophere]

I mean they do have a sub out as do the TO which I own. Near field the sub seems silly as the bass is similar to his disruption of these. In a large room with a sub the speaker detects that it is there and doesn't attempt to push as hard. There is also a bass and treble adjustment on the physical box.

[@davidslaney65]

does it sound good......lets measure it! man use your ears!!!

[@keepingupwiththejones2933]

Classic traits of narcissistic personality disorder Have an exaggerated sense of self-importance Have a sense of entitlement and require constant, excessive admiration Expect to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it Exaggerate achievements and talents Be preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate Believe they are superior and can only associate with equally special people Monopolize conversations and belittle or look down on people they perceive as inferior Expect special favors and unquestioning compliance with their expectations Take advantage of others to get what they want Have an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others Be envious of others and believe others envy them Behave in an arrogant or haughty manner, coming across as conceited, boastful and pretentious Insist on having the best of everything - for instance, the best car or office

[@henriksrensen3220]

Audiosciencereview is like a cult. Amir is the cult leader, and then there are all his followers who follows him blindly.

[@silva_579]

Care for some kool-aid sir?

[@AudioScienceReview]

If they are following me blindly, it means they are only using their ears to assess audio which is a huge improvement over folks like you who have to engage their eyes....

[@henriksrensen3220]

@@AudioScienceReview people following you are not using their ears at all, they believe that meauserments will give them the sound they love, and they buy hifi without listening at all. meauserments is like a religion to you and your followers.