I have 1C's, and a friend a few blocks away has 2Ce's. They sound quite similar, with that special Vandersteen coherence, open-ness, and dispersion. The 2Ce's have a fuller lower bass and sound larger and a couple of shades darker, all things being equal.
Short answer: A NAD C340 would be adequate for a pair of Vandersteen 1C's at moderate volumes in a room of moderate size. I think that it would not be up to the task of driving adequately a pair of Vandersteen 2Ce's. Also I think that a 1C-subwoofer combination can be better overall than a 2Ce.
Longer answer: When I first got the 1C's, I ran them with an old NAD 60W/channel 3300 PE. I missed fullness in the lowest octave and general "slam" with about half the music I listen to; I enjoy mostly jazz, Afro-Caribbean, and some rock and "classical" (Eastern and Western). So I bought an ACI Titan II LE subwoofer and that did a superb job, better than a Vandersteen 2WQ in my room.
A few months later, I bought a 120W/channel NAD C370 (mostly for the remote), and I was surprised how much fuller, deeper, and more natural the music became. The subwoofer comes into play significantly less; my 1C's would now be more than adequate on their own most of the time.
My friend runs his Vandersteen 2Ce's rather well with 50W/channel Audio Research tube amplification in his moderately-sized room. I rarely miss a subwoofer with his eclectic mix of rock, jazz, and classical music. I suspect that an increase in power would improve the bass and ease of the overall presentation.
Short answer: A NAD C340 would be adequate for a pair of Vandersteen 1C's at moderate volumes in a room of moderate size. I think that it would not be up to the task of driving adequately a pair of Vandersteen 2Ce's. Also I think that a 1C-subwoofer combination can be better overall than a 2Ce.
Longer answer: When I first got the 1C's, I ran them with an old NAD 60W/channel 3300 PE. I missed fullness in the lowest octave and general "slam" with about half the music I listen to; I enjoy mostly jazz, Afro-Caribbean, and some rock and "classical" (Eastern and Western). So I bought an ACI Titan II LE subwoofer and that did a superb job, better than a Vandersteen 2WQ in my room.
A few months later, I bought a 120W/channel NAD C370 (mostly for the remote), and I was surprised how much fuller, deeper, and more natural the music became. The subwoofer comes into play significantly less; my 1C's would now be more than adequate on their own most of the time.
My friend runs his Vandersteen 2Ce's rather well with 50W/channel Audio Research tube amplification in his moderately-sized room. I rarely miss a subwoofer with his eclectic mix of rock, jazz, and classical music. I suspect that an increase in power would improve the bass and ease of the overall presentation.