Calling all Vandersteen Fans


A little over a year ago I owned he 1Cis for a short time. While I enjoyed many aspects of the speaker, I found their top-end was a bit ripe and sibilant, with multiple amps. I ended up having to attenuate the treble by 1.5db in order to enjoy them at all.

Lately I've been thinking about how well those speakers produced a realistic decay of instruments, the likes of which I haven't encountered in any other speakers. I'm wanting to give Vandersteens another chance and am considering the 2CE SigIIs, however, it appears they and the 3As have the same tweeter as the 1Cis. That and the measurements in the Stereophile review give me pause. I suppose it could be that I didn't allow the 1Cis enough break-in, or that I was actually hearing upper midrange distortion from their 8" midbass driver

I'm soliciting input from those very familiar with the brand. Would you say the 2 Sig IIs produce a warmer balance than the 1Cis? Do they in-fact share the same exact tweeter? 

Is a 100 watt/ch amp enough to drive 2CEs to satisfying levels in a 26×15' room?








helomech
To the OP- I think you made a wise decision getting the 2CE Sig II’s. I bought a pair of these some 6 years ago and had listened for about 30-60 days to as many speakers I could find in that price range. I bought Analysis Plus Brown bi-wire cables and paid strict attention to proper setup. Also I had learned that although the speakers are forgiving in whatever quality level of electronics you feed them, they DO reward you with better sound if you step up source, preamp and amp quality. For affordable speakers they can be quite impressive. To add bottom end, one can add a good sub or two, although I have not done that. Enjoy... you really picked a great speaker and Richard is a great designer/engineer. The Quatro would be my next change in speakers but I need to hit the Mega-millions lottery first. Haha
helomech,

Good choice! I've heard the most recent versions of the 2CE Sig II's, and they are definitely the best yet. Adding a Vandy sub (if you're so inclined) makes for a unbeatable combination.
Good choice! I've heard the most recent versions of the 2CE Sig II's, and they are definitely the best yet. Adding a Vandy sub (if you're so inclined) makes for a unbeatable combination.
Thanks. I already have two Golden Ear subs that allow high-pass crossover. I'll try running them full-range first. 
I am running a pair of VLR's with HSU subs at full range.
I have to admit that I have to dial down the crossover point below 80 hz in order to get a good seamless transition.
Though Vandy's may not go to 20 hz, they go pretty far down- and let's face it, there isn't much happening down there anyway (unless you listen to organ music).
Bob
^ I considered the new VLRs with the carbon tweeter, but decided I want to give another shot at living with a 3-way speaker. I typically prefer 2 and 2.5-way speakers, but I suspect the time and phase alignment of the 2CEs will eliminate the lack of coherence I encounter in most 3-ways.