Vandersteen 2ce vs. Meadowlark Kestrel

Hi there, I've never heard the Meadowlark. But I own the 2ce and I really enjoy them. I too live in a smallish apartment...my listening room/living room is about 20x15 and they work fine. If you read this site, you'll see that I'm not alone in liking the Vandy. The soundstage is very nicely presented very forward sounding. The bass extension is very good and I don't think that you'll really need a sub because the Vandy's are more than enough to get your neighbors' pissed off at you.

For whatever it is worth, my vote is for the Vandersteen. At the price they sell for, they are very difficult to match, much less beat. They are very musical, have excellent tonal balance and great imaging. I should add, that usually you find speakers in this price range "top out" pretty quick as to how far the rest of the equipment can go before you are wasting your money......not so with these. You can spend whatever you can afford, and continue to hear the results on the Vandy's.

Dunlavy and Thiel speakers may fill your requirements.

You might also want to try the Vandersteen 2ce Sigs. Overall a slightly more refined design. Have you ever listened to a pair of Magnapans? I have a pair of 1.6's a just love them. All the best. Gary

Dear Dillion, Both speakers you are interested in are outstanding values, excellent designs, and above all else great speakers. Meadowlark's are great preformers and if you chose them you wouldn't be disappointed. The Vandersteen's are equally great preformers with a neutral character (i.e., they don't lie about the quality of your recording material). So, if you choose these speakers be prepared to hear the truth. Another factor to consider when choosing the Vandersteen's over the Meadolark's is that because the way the Vandy's are built, replacing damaged grill cloths, or changing the color of the wood end caps is easy for Vandersteen to do and it is really inexpensive. Finally, one more piece of, hopefully useful advice, when deciding what company to buy from, take into consideration after everything else (i.e., design, reputation, and sound of product), customer service. Ask yourself, how difficult will it be for me to get my product, or in your case speakers serviced? If it is difficult to call up that manufacture and speak to the owner, technican, or someone who can really help you then that might be a good indication that this may not be the right company to buy from. I hope this helps.

I've heard and have owned both. Remember that the vandersteens are a bit more difficult to drive. That being said there is really no comparison. The vandersteen is far and away the better speaker albeit a little more difficult to set up.

Agree. Vandys are excellent and they get even better with better electronics. They tend to be more on the classical side and excellent on jazz vocals, but not big on "boogie" factor. If you have a problem and you call Vandersteen's operation, it will be Richard, the designer, or his wife who will answer the phone and help you out. They back their goods!

To set forth my biases at the beginning, I think Vandersteen speakers are one of the truly great buys in high-end audio. My first set of Vandies were Vandy 1B's, followed by the 2Ci's, and I now own the 3A Signatures. All of the Vandersteen speakers feature excellent design and build quality, fine internal components, and great musicality. Richard Vandersteen started building his speakers in the mid-1970's while he was still making a living as a truck driver, and he has not lost his focus on providing high quality for reasonable price. His company also provides stellar service. All that said, what should you buy? You did not state if your budget (and choices) were based on buying new or used gear. If you were planning to spend in the $1500 range, but are willing to consider used gear, then you can not only consider the Vandersteen 2Ce's, but also the Vandy 3A's. For example, there is currently a set of Vandy 3A's on sale on Audiogon for $1800. The 3A's are a major improvement over the 2Ce's, although they clearly are from the same "family". You could also consider some of the lower-priced Martin-Logan speakers. If you decided to stretch a bit and buy the Vandy 3A's, you will definitely NOT need a subwoofer in your apartment. The downside to the 3A's is size - they are about 4" taller than the 2Ce's, although the width and depth are identical. The main think the 3A's offer over the 2Ce's is better tonal integration from top to bottom, cleaner bass, and a more transparent mid-range. If you are willing to buy used gear, and can afford to spend $1800-1900, then I strongly urge you to consider the 3A's. If not, then you will still be very pleased with the 2Ce's.

I have a/b compared the two, and much preferred the vandersteen 2ceSignatures. The meadowlarks are smaller and shorter which would give them a higher WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor). The 2's are great because you really can't make them sound bad. They work well with mid grade electronics too. I drove my old 2C's for years with a Denon 125watt receiver and I still think it's a pretty good sounding system. They are great for rock music with excellent power handling capabilility. If you are looking for greater detail and are willing to sacrifice bass, you should consider the magnepan 1.6's. Those are lightweight planar speakers. They are light enough that you could keep them on a wall and move them when you wanted to listen to music. The magnepans are a must listen in the 1500 range.