$ 2500 ....Stay with Vandersteens ??...what else ?

Once you are connected to the Vandersteen sound you may find it difficult to accept another brands sound characteristics. There is something to be said for the rightness of the 1st order X-overs/time-aligment-baffeless design. I have had many other brands but always go back to Vandersteen

To return to the question...I would recommend a used pair of Vandersteen 3A Signatures. I have not had personal experience with the 2CE Sig MkII's, but I believe that the larger bass enclosure and hence the extended frequency response of the 3's are what places them above the 2's. The only other speaker I might suggest would be a Sonus Faber…the Cremora, but that is outside your price range

I would suggest you have Mark Obrian at Rogue Audio install the special 6DB 80 HZ Vandersteen High pass in your existing Rogue Cronus integrated
Next add the a Vandersteen 2WQ this will lower the systems overall distortion while dramatically improving the clarity and transparency of the whole system also allowing you to control the amount of bass in the room to your preference not to mention since you are unloading the main amp the Tubes will last longer.
Of course you could go to the Vandy 2CE sig II Bi wiring them and then the above but either way you will have an awesome system
We have High passed many of the Rogues/Vandy 2WQ with fine results and customer satisfaction.
Cheers Johnnyr

Going from the Vandersteen 1c to the 2CE is certainly a logical upgrade. At the same price, however, I think it would be worthwhile to audition a pair of Mirage OMD-15s. There are some things that it would share with the Vandy 2CEs, such as smooth response, linear extension in both directions (I think the OMD-15s go a little lower), and sensitivity (the OMD-15s are spec'd at 1dB more efficient--certainly they're in the same neighborhood). Where the two depart is in impedance curve and dispersion. The Mirage has a bit flatter impedance curve; it's nominally 6 dB and dips to 4 ohms; the Vandy dips to around 2 ohms. Between the two the Mirage should present a bit friendlier load to your Rogue integrated amp.

The second difference addresses whether you prefer more specific sweet spot imaging (Vandersteen) or a room friendly soundstage regardless of listening position. The Vandy will present a sonic hologram in the sweet spot; the Mirage will energize the room like live music, meaning you get the same basic response curve wherever you are in the room. Because a significant amount of the treble response is rear-firing, you can easily adjust the HF tonal balance by experimenting with the wall hangings behind the speakers.

You wouldn't lose with either speaker, but the Mirage presents an alternative way to energize the room and listen to the music. These speakers disappear into the music and scale up and down from solo voice to large ensembles very naturally. Definitely worth a listen.

They should match well with your Rogue integrated.

I owned 1c's, went to 2ce Sigs, 3A's & now 3A Sigs. If you like the Vandie sound, it only gets better as you go up the chain. At some point I may add a couple of Vandie Subs, but otherwise, I've bought my last speakers.

Adam18,

I used to have a very old pair of the original Vandersteen 2C's... my first high-end speaker, although they were physically too big (and, in my wife's opinion, too ugly) for the new room I had to move them to, so I was off on a speaker search. Given that I loved the Vandy's and we have similar musical tastes, here's a "left field" suggestion.

I don't know what the output of your amp is (I'm running an 80 watt/channel Unison Unico tube/SS hybrid) but you might want to consider one of the Ohm line of speakers. I have the Micro Walsh Tall's, which are fantastic for a small room and will only set you back $1000 plus shipping. Or, you could well afford the Ohm Walsh 100-S3 (Series 3) which is "only" $1700 to $2000, depending on the finish you choose. They're only sold factory direct these days, but you get a 120-day in-home trial, with a money-back guarantee. The Ohm's are incredible at the price if you like the sound.

My 2 cents. ;-)