Yes, I have spent a little time with them. Only about 2 hours though. They are wonderful speakers. There is such high demand for them that Vandersteen is way backlogged on orders. You can come very close to the 5's using the 3A Signatures with the Vandy sub, using the crossover for the 5's instead of the stock crossover. But, by the time you have done this (which I have because I didn't want to wait months for the 5's), you will have spent almost as much money. If you want a truely great speaker, get the Vandy 5. Not for small rooms, and certainly not for a room that can't have the speakers away from the wall.
By the way, before switching to Vandersteen speakers I had critically acclaimed speakers that were in the $20,000 plus range for just the front pair. I didn't switch to Vandersteen because of price, but because of great music. I also was considering Revels and Wilson 6's and chose the less expensive but, much less fatiguing Vandersteen speakers.
The problem with speaker recommendations is that everybody has different tastes. My take on speakers is that they are like voices. Some people like the sound of Dianna Krell, others would much rather listen to Janis Joplin. Some people like the voice of a opera tenor, others find it sterile and want to listen to Aaron Neville.
What I like about all Vandersteen speakers is that you can listen to them for hours at any level from soft to very loud and never feel tired from them.
[This message has been edited by rjason (edited 05-17-2001).]
