Speaker recs. Please read all and reply. b&W, Vand

It's OK to solicit advise but like you've already discovered there is a difference & let your ears decide. (or at least be in the majority)

As for music damaging speakers, only if you clip. The speakers were made to reproduce a signal & don't know what the signal is. I'm not trying to be flippant but simply buy the speakers you like.

You've made a good start by going out & listening to different types & I suggest you keep doing this until you find something you're happy with!

Keep in mind that with the Maggies you will need the room to keep them away from the back wall. With the Vandys placement is not as critical and you can get away with less power. Good listening!

It sounds like you are well on your way to making a quality speaker choice. The Vandersteen 2CE Signature is an excellent speaker as are the B&W's that you have mentioned. The Magnepans are wonderful, but may require more power to work well. As others have already mentioned the Magnepans need to be critically placed to get the most out of them.

The Vandersteen 2CE Signature speakers are a very safe choice to make. They sound great, they will work well with your amplification setup, and they are not fussy in terms of placement. They are full range so you can enjoy R&B and Rap without the use of a subwoofer. Richard Vandersteen has produced this speaker in different upgraded forms for over 20 years. Tens of thousands of pairs are out there being listened to as you read this. I have owned them. I would assume that many of those who participate on this site have owned a pair of Vandersteens at one time or another. They are one of the great bargains in High End Audio. They would be my suggestion. I have suggested them to numerous people, even my ex-girlfriend from years ago still has a pair, and they all seem satisfied with the choice.

Good luck in your purchase and welcome to this disease of a hobby. May you be totally satisfied with your purchase and never look at another component again.

You were comparing a pair of entry level B&W’s with Vandersteens upper level model. Although the B&W Nautilus are a more expensive speaker they are a big improvement over the lower (CDM, 600 etc) models. This manifests itself through an noticeable smoothness and refinement with none of the grain of the lesser priced models (when used with better quality components, obviously).

I had a pair of Vandersteen 1B's for 8 years and loved them. Last summer I finally upgraded to the 2CE signatures and enjoyed finally having a pair of full range speakers. Until: I heard my brother's new pair of B&W 602 bookshelf speakers ($600 a pair). He was driving his speakers with my older electronics; Melos SHA-1 preamp and a B&K ST-202 Amp, Kimber PBJ etc) Granted, his sound had a bit more grain (much of this probably from his Pioneer CD/DVD player) but the midrange was just so much more involving. These little B&W's' just ROCKED compared to my $2K Vandersteens! Two weeks later I had sold my Vandersteens and purchased a one-year old pair of B&W Nautilus 803's. The 803’s are about twice the price of a new pair of Vandy 2CE Sigs so Vandys are an excellent audio value. My final synopsis is this: My Vandersteens sounded beautiful with Classical, Chamber music & Jazz combos. But with anything heavier, like Hip Hop, rock etc they were just too damn POLITE. They just seemed unhappy being cranked on the few occasions I pushed them. I even experienced Vandy's protective circuit kicking in during an extended Rocking session at my New Years Eve party. B&W’s just seem like a much more fun speaker, happy with ANY kind of music I pump through them.

Another quick story: I have a friend who works at a sound studio here in Chicago. He’s recorded many different kinds of music including lots of Hip Hop lately. The studio uses B&W’s, Manley speakers and a pair of Vandersteens. He’s told me that bands continue to choose the Manleys & B&W’s when mixing. As accurate as the Vandys are, the same music just doesn’t sound as engaging as on the others. Good luck with your decision but make sure you spend a lot of time playing your kind of music on the Vandersteens before you buy!