Difficult to say. Mr. Vandersteen himself recommends tube amps and I think he uses Audio Research for home use. However the Model 2 is not the best in sensitivity and it will need a powerful tube amp to drive the woofers properly. Unfortunately these come at a price. I remember a Model 3 driven by 24W Unison Research SE triodes; excellent on soft music, but they run out of steam when things got rough. Overall the best Model 2 I heard was driven by two modified B&K EX-442 amps in vertical bi-wiring (one stereo amp pre speaker). The B&K is 200W pre channel, but offers a darker and mellower sound than your Adcom. Try to find a local dealer that offers a home loan to make up your mind; I like my orchestral tuttis very loud, but you may find that it is too loud for you.
Tube Amps with Vandersteen 2Ci's ???
Anyone have any experience powering 2Ci's with a tube amp? I'd like to move up from my Adcom 555 to something in the tube department, perhaps monoblocks. Already have tube preamp (Audible Illusions Mod 1), and have been eyeballing a few class A tubers. 2Ci's not your typical rock and roll speaker, will I lose all the low end punch and crispiness? Any recommendations?
8 responses Add your response
