I think the 2CE's will still sound better than the 1C's given your room. I also think that if you have problems with Vandersteens, you will have the same problems with other speaker brands. Test the 2CE's vs the 1B's in your room and see which ones you like better. The purpose of you buying your system is maximum enjoyment. Don't worry about holding a speaker back (speakers don't have feelings last I checked :)), worry about what sound you enjoy the most. Once you audition both speakers and you make your decision to buy the 2CE you can thank Sdcampbell for his advice :).
If you couldn't get Vandersteen speaker's
After many months of searching, I finally decided on Vandersteen 2ce signatures as my entry into the hi end. These speaker where to last me over the next several years while the rest of my system caught up to the speakers. Now after reading several post here on A-gon, I find that I won't have enough space for the left speaker. The left speaker would be in a space that was only 28" wide from side window to side of the entertainment center, and about 3' from the back wall which would put them about 1' in front of the entertainment center. Since I can't get these, what are some other speaker recommendations in the $1500 or less, new or used price range that would equel the Vandersteens? The speakers would be running through a dbx BX-3 power amp and a CX-3 pre-amp, so powers not a problem. I'm using the pre outs on a yamaha receiver to the pre-amp, so the speakers would be doing double duty for HT and 2CH music.