Add a Subwoofer to my Vandersteen 1ce s or replace with Revel Concerta2 F36


Hey Audiogon community,
    Perhaps you guy can help here. I have a VPI Scout with Sound Smith Zephyr III Cartridge running into a Musical Fidelity v-LPS that runs into a NAD VISO 5 Receiver and back out to a pair of Vandersteen 1ce's. Since I recently bought the Zephyr III, it revealed some inadequacies, and I am in upgrade mode. My audio advisor from Brooks Berdan suggested I start with the speakers. Mind you, I Love my Vandersteens but wish there was deeper bass realism. I have been listening to the Revel concerta2 F36  recently with a Cronus Magnus powering them via some entry level Oracle turntable. I like the F36 a lot, and feel like they would give me more full range dynamics especially on the low end. I am looking at upgrading to the Rogue Cronus Magnus soon as well. And am hoping that upgrading to the F36 is the smarter choice than adding a sub that would seamlessly integrate. Any thought would be appreciated. Thank you.
voodooman13
Being a Vandy fanboy, I am hardly impartial, but I, too, would opt to keep the 1ce's and get a pair of 2w or 2wq's in a perfect world (though you would need a pair of M5-HP crossovers or a pair of fixed crossovers matched to your amp).
REL is a good alternative, so is HSU, and they are very reasonably priced.-maybe a temporary fix until you can get a pair of Vandy subs.
John Rutan of Audioconnection would be a great guy to get honest information regarding the upgrades you are considering. 
PM him, his Agon ID is Audioconnection.
B
Thank you to everybody who has weighed in. @sfall, didn't mean to start any conflicts lol. It's nice getting the reassurance that the Vandersteen's are a great speaker. I certainly have been thrilled with certain aspects of clarity and presence.  But I have known since I bought them that they lacked lower bass detail with my receiver (which initially was for dual HT, and two channel listening. I mainly listen to records through the system to ratio of about 90% records, 10% movies) And now realize that going exclusively two channel is more appropriate for my enjoyment. I mainly listen to post punk, rock, and blues, but as most Audiophile records are made for 50+ year olds by 50+ year olds( I know mofi has a bit of a wider breath). I now have a nice collection of jazz, and blues vinyl that sounds great! Anyhow, sounds like I need to audition the Rogue with my Vandy's first, and then the Revel Concerta F36's  with my NAD, and lastly a sub with my Vandy's and NAD, I've never auditioned any equipment, so not 100% sure how it works, but have read Robert Harley's guide, and there's an explanation of the process. I will say that I do trust my dealer Rick from Brooks Berdan, and know he'll be great council here, but it's always nice to get consensus outside of the shop. I appreciate you all!
Have no experience with the Revel you speak of so take my comments with a grain of salt
The ones are amazing.....the last pair I heard (I) driven by a Marantz receiver with a Bluesound Vault server/ DAC were glorious...( about an hour south of Monrovia.... hint)
but hey I am biased as a many model Vandersteen owner...
your dealer is solid but is not going to steer you towards Vandersteen- they have not carried them for many years.
Upgrade the amp with an eye to future... as others have said there are a number of excellent tube and SS integrated amps out there and affordable. Richard engineers for an easy load and also answers the phone.
you should be able to get a demo amp from any number of great so cal audio retailers.


Voodooman, if you like your 1ce's, replacing them with the Vandersteen 2 seems like a good idea. They may be better overall than the 1ce with a sub. The Model 2 with subs even better! When Brooks was alive and a Vandersteen dealer he sold a lot of the Model 2, his choice of best speaker in it's price category. If you're not in a real hurry, ask Sheila (Brooks' widow) to let you know when they get a pair traded in.