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

Please refer my "system" to see my current set-up. Everything sounds wonderful together.....extremely musical, great soundstage depth and width, beautiful rendition of timbre and tone, natural presentation of voices and acoustics. BUT....I have the speaker "upgrade itch," wanting fuller, richer, deeper sound, and I need advice from my friends at Audiogon.

I spend around three hours a night of "serious listening," about 2/3 digital and 1/3 vinyl. Roughly 70% of my enjoyment is 1950's - 1960's jazz (Miles, Coltrane, Basie, Rollins, Brubeck, Ella, Mobley, Morgan, etc., etc.), 25% "classic rock" that I grew up with (Allman Brothers, Dead, Dylan, CSNY, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Led Zep, Yes, Hot Tuna, etc.), and the other 5% "newer jazz audiophile stuff" (Patricia Barber, Rebecca Pigeon, etc.)

Keeping the rest of my system the same (except for bi-wire speaker cables if needed), what do you guys recommend for new speakers ? Vandersteen 2CE Sig. II's seem a natural option, but what else should I consider ? I'm open to all kinds of suggestions. Thanks a lot, and Happy Listening !
adam18
unsound
7,329 posts
 
I still think, if your room can accodmodate them, that the Vandy 2's will be a significant upgrade. IMHO, the Vandy 2's are one of the all time greatest values in all of audio. If you do decide to upgrade to the 2's, you might want to consider a more powerfull amp.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
It is very easy to veer off in the wrong direction in this hobby, going from the 1s to the 2s will keep you from doing this. If you like the Vandy sound, I would stick to getting better sound within the product line - Vandy's portray soundstage differently than most speakers with the time coherency, 1st order xover approach and if you like that (many do)go for the 2s, I think the now use the same tweeter as the 3s which should be all the better. There is a reason so many Vandy owners keep their speakers for a long time and if they make a change it's to move up within the line - it's not a coincidence. If you buy the 2s, you will one day own the 3s.
adam18 OP
670 posts
 
I'm really enjoying reading everybody's reasponses, and I am learning quite a lot about the wonderful "uniqueness" of Vandersteen sound. I just came upstairs after spending almost three hours listening to wonderful music (I was in a great mood after watching my Giants beat the Steelers). Tonight was all vinyl.....Hank Mobley, Grant Green, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Dave Brubeck.....The records, the Vandy's, and the system all worked beautifully together to create a stunning musical presentation. I think, as soon as I have the dinero, I'll be moving on up to the Vandy 2Ce Sig. II's. It should be quite a ride.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Impossible to think you would regret it:)
sonofjim
557 posts
 
I would definitely stay with Vandersteen if you're already happy with them. The differences that other speakers present are only due to one form of coloration or another in my opinion. No other speaker line goes to as great a length to minimize coloration and faithfully reproduce the input signal, all for a justifiable price. I'm sure the 2s would be a nice step up but wouldn't rule out a nice used pair of 3As if you can find someone upgrading to the Quatro or 5A. With the 3A you'd get better integration with a pair of Vandersteen subs when budget allows and that combination would get you very close to what the Quatros can deliver.
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