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Trying to extract more from my Vandersteen

I've come to the realization that my ideal system is always 2 steps ahead of whatever my current system is. I am only satisfied with whatever updgrade for a few months, before I convince myself that I need to upgrade again. This is as exciting as it is unsettling.

My current system is as follows:
Vandersteen 2CE sig
McCormack DNA-1 deluxe
TAD-150 sig tube preamp
Eastern Electric Minimax tube CDP
Blue circle Power cords
MIT IC's and speaker cables

I had spent the past two years building this current system, and I had been fairly happy with it. I thank this system for introducing me to the world of jazz. Switching to tubes really helped my Vandersteens "sing". I had entertained the thought of replacing the McCormack with a tube amp, such as TAD-60 or other equivalent, but I never did. I was happy with my system and figured it would remain intact for awhile.

Then something had to rain on my happiness or complaceny. Due to a busy work schedule, I was forced to do most of my music listening either in my office through my old NHT and all rotel setup or at home through my Sennheiser headphones. After a couple months of this, I finally had time to do some listening through my main system. It had never been apparent to me before, but all the music coming out of the Vandersteens sounded "veiled". Before, I purchased my vandies, I read and heard all the criticisms regarding this "veiled" or "shrouded" sound. I never felt this was true about my vandersteen's until now.

So instead of making generalizations, I figure this is a good opportunity to "improve" my system. I am still more than happy with the soundstage, midrange clarity, and bass dynamics. Perhaps what I want to improve is higher frequency extension.

All this being said, I welcome all recommendations and comments that need not be limited to the following topics:

tube-rolling...

Pre-amp...
Any recommendations on pre-amps (tube or SS)?
How about a passive unit (Sonic Euphoria, Placette, Mccormack TLC)?

cables...
anyone recommend Purist?

Amp...
Any good integrated's out there?
What do you think about the Eastern Electric Integrated?
How about Krell KAV 400xi? For that matter, how does Krell match with Vandersteens?

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to reading your comments.

Drew
drewyou
gregcon57
10 posts
 
You could also find a pair of 3A Signatures for ~2k. Improved mid driver and tweeter, bigger bass driver, and upgraded crossover all make a difference. They sound more like series 5 speakers then 2s. Check out a pair if you get the chance, at least.

greg
eagleman6722
217 posts
 
Drewyou,

In response to your question about high- FQ roll off. I am still in the process of tweaking the cable mixture to find the best math. I got a pair of DIY from someone at the Houston Audio Club. I connected it to my TT and from the pre to the amp. More extention at the extremes and nice detail. I have a pair of Aural thrills air silvers coming from a purchase that I made from Ebay. I will also be trying some interconnects and speaker wire...

Right now the sound is very listenable but, can still be improved a bit. I would look at the 3A signatures except the room that I am in is a it too small..
Eagleman
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,577 posts
 
One of my employees has NHTs and I've heard Vandys with our gear many times (showed with them once at CES as well...).

Vandys are not 'veiled' next to NHTs. Something else is going on, and I have to say if I were you I'd loose the MITs- I've not seen them work with the smaller Vandersteens. Audition other cables so you can sort that out.

BUT- have you considered bringing the other system into the same room and comparing apples to apples?? Being in two different rooms its unlikely that either system is being treated fairly with regards to the other. I'd do that first- you might be surprised at the results!

Good Luck!
sean
6,231 posts
 
Ralph aka Atmasphere is right on the money. Loose the MIT's and pick up some cabling of the appropriate impedance.

On top of that, Vandersteen's cause loading problems with most amps as frequency climbs. You need a very stable amp at high frequencies, otherwise treble response will dip by a EXTREMELY MINOR amount above appr 10 KHz or so. Using speaker cables that are less than optimally designed in terms of broadband power transfer will only compound the problem. Sean
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davemitchell
253 posts
 
I also agree that you should consider changing out the MIT cables. I am a Vandersteen dealer and used to sell MIT cables. They are a nice band-aid for bright systems but aren't helping your system. Go with something that is simple, uses good high purity copper or silver and doesn't have network boxes like MIT or Transparent.

I also used to sell McCormack gear and while that is a nice amp, it is somewhat dark sounding- especially when not left on continuously. The McCormack amps of that era seemed to need more warm up to sound good than most other amplifiers, so turn it on and leave it on permanently.

The signature version of the 2Ce is a very neutral and revealing speaker. They are not veiled, but they will reveal things about the rest of your system. Many people who haven't heard Vandersteens lately don't realize just how open and transparent the latest generation has become.

I would also take the time to insure that your 2Ce's are set up properly according to the manual.

Good Luck.
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