Cable angst and Vandersteen 2 ce signature

I have heard 2ces and 3as, both of which sounded great with Alpha core MI 2s. IMO they sounded better than Audioquest Mont Blancs with Vandersteens. These cables should be well within your budget as new they are around $11 a foot plus terminations.

Without having heard your particular Yamamaha amp and without knowing your priorities I would think to change it first. Not only is it both preamp and power amp, but is doubtless encumbering the sound with video,tuner,etc circuitry. On top of all of that you have a preponderance of warmth (Yamamha, Cardas, Vandys) that almost has to yeild some sluggishness, slowness and/or veiling. The first place to begin with this to my mind would be the amp and a couple of different high end cables as loaners as is mentioned above after that.

best out of your speakers/system....

Have you considered acoustic treatments - you can do quite a lot for $800 bucks?

How about a power conditioner - if you have dirty power or weak power supplies or noisy PC's connected to the same electric circuits or your devices have less than highly robust power supplies then you might get an audible improvement for as little as $100 (Monster entry level) or as much as $500 for an active conditioner from APC or more from other high-end reputable companies - you usually get some surge protection too.

Just a thought...

I can't go for larger speakers in the room I have. I'm only concerned with getting the best out of them that I can.

I suppose that your 9 year old 2CE's are worth about the same as you propose to spend on speaker cables.

Time for a "sense check" => a cable is just some wire - should never cost as much as your speakers! Would you put high end Pirellis on a 9 year old Saturn (tires worth more than the car)?

Harmonic Technology Fantasy cable works well for my 2Ces and didn't cost an arm and a leg. Single crystal construction sounds great. Also I used Audioquest spades at the speaker end as they are a perfect fit to the Vandy strip.

You should try the Synergistic Research Tesla Accelerator. There is a used bi-wire version on Audiogon for $800 or best offer right now. That is a great deal...

I think you might prefer just plain old copper wire to what you've got now, no shot at anything just seems like you might be a bit down on detail with the combination you described. It is a cheap test and you can see if the magnitude of difference interests you in further pursuits or vica versa.

Try Synergistic Research Active X4 speaker cables- a friend of mine seems to think they are amazing on Vanderstiens. The X4's have SR's Active Shielding, IFT bi wire, and they are in your budget. You should contact The Cable Company and arrange to audition a pair along with a pair of Audioquest and Cardas. Then when you hear the Synergistic Research cables in YOUR system you'll have a point of reference as to how good your system, and these cables can sound.

Bottom line- always compare a few cables in your budget from different manufacturers BEFORE you buy. This is the path to getting the most out of your system and The Cable Co is a great way to “Try Before U Buy”

I have very nice results with Nordost Blue Heaven.