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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
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,368 posts
 
I have Vandersteen 5A's and they are anything but fuzzy, cloudy, etc. I am using all top Ayre components. I tried all kinds of cable. Audioqest silver rediculously expensive, and Anti-Cables rediculously cheap are the best matches. Try using differnt cable - I bet that works. Vandersteens are really very good.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
When I owned the 3A Sigs, I used Audioquest for a while, and the system sounded very good. I then tried Alpha-Core Goertz silver and thought the system sounded better yet. Don't what the pricing is for Goertz anymore, but it was very reasonable at the time. Just another cable to explore, but one I ofund to work very well with Vandersteen.
sean
6,231 posts
 
Pubul57: Thanks for pointing out what i've been trying to tell people for a long time now. I just get tired of repeating the same mantra over and over : )

Due to the geometry that the flat series of Alpha-Core Goertz cabling uses, the impedance that they present should be an ideal match for such an installation. As far as i know, they offer the best power transfer characteristics over the widest frequency range of any cable on the market. As such, high frequency response should be improved and transient energy should be increased. On top of that, they typically bring a certain "natural" or "musical" presentation to a decent system.

Whether or not an end user likes the sound of the system with Goertz boils down to personal preference. If it sounds bad to you, don't blame the Alpha-Core's for what you're hearing. These speaker cables are simply letting you hear what your components really sound like. Sean
>

PS... One could go the other route and purposely introduce cable colourations into the system trying to band-aid the situation. If such is the case, the use of something along the lines of Nordost might give you what you're looking for. Whether or not you can live with that type of sound in the long run is obviously up to personal preference.
jprinz
31 posts
 
This is an old thread but I had to add that Mr. Vandersteen contradicted many here in his own Q&A section.. he mentioned that the 2ce's can be made less dark with cables.. just read his Q&A.

I am wondering what the original poster ended up doing.
davemitchell
253 posts
 
I'm a Vandersteen dealer and used to sell MIT cables and McCormack amplifiers. The Vandersteens can sound very lively and transparent with the right gear, but MIT cables are the wrong choice, especially partnered with the also darker sounding McCormack amplifier.

You have three things all tilted in the same direction. The 2Ce Sigs are ever so slightly leaning toward the warmish side of neutral, the McCormack even more so, and the MIT cables are the most skewed.

Start by changing to a neutral solid-core conductor cable with no networks or filters of any kind. That will bring some life back into your sound. Then you can consider the amplifier next if needed.

Good luck.
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