Vandersteen question.

Marakenetz,
I believe I said, "in my opinion". Our difference of opinion serves Elmuncy well ... there is much to listen to in the Vandersteen line.

I suppose it's kind of ironic. I began in the digital section asking about what digital device to buy. I was told to get rid of my speakers. In this forum I'm told to get a DAC. I have a Creek OB-14 and an Adcom GDA 600. If anything both of these make the sound more shrill and sharp than without them. I was trying to do an upgrade on the cheap. Would the MSB Link with oversampling be better? I know that this is the wrong forum for this question, but others have mentioned it.

OK. I've driven the distance and finally heard the Vandys. I don't know enough about them to know if they were set up right or not. I heard the 1's, the 2CE signature, and the 5's. They all sounded fantastic. I think I'd like to have the signatures. Thank you all for your help.

How would you compare the way that the 1C's and the 2CE's sound? Would 40 to 50 watt/channel amplification (NAD C340, Creek 4330, etc.) be adequate to drive the 1C's, which are Vandersteen's least expensive speakers, or do they require more power to sound good, like the 2CE's? Do the 1C's have sufficient lower bass to be used as full-range speakers in a system, without a subwoofer? Thanks to all who have posted -- this is an interesting thread.

I have 1C's, and a friend a few blocks away has 2Ce's. They sound quite similar, with that special Vandersteen coherence, open-ness, and dispersion. The 2Ce's have a fuller lower bass and sound larger and a couple of shades darker, all things being equal.

Short answer: A NAD C340 would be adequate for a pair of Vandersteen 1C's at moderate volumes in a room of moderate size. I think that it would not be up to the task of driving adequately a pair of Vandersteen 2Ce's. Also I think that a 1C-subwoofer combination can be better overall than a 2Ce.

Longer answer: When I first got the 1C's, I ran them with an old NAD 60W/channel 3300 PE. I missed fullness in the lowest octave and general "slam" with about half the music I listen to; I enjoy mostly jazz, Afro-Caribbean, and some rock and "classical" (Eastern and Western). So I bought an ACI Titan II LE subwoofer and that did a superb job, better than a Vandersteen 2WQ in my room.

A few months later, I bought a 120W/channel NAD C370 (mostly for the remote), and I was surprised how much fuller, deeper, and more natural the music became. The subwoofer comes into play significantly less; my 1C's would now be more than adequate on their own most of the time.

My friend runs his Vandersteen 2Ce's rather well with 50W/channel Audio Research tube amplification in his moderately-sized room. I rarely miss a subwoofer with his eclectic mix of rock, jazz, and classical music. I suspect that an increase in power would improve the bass and ease of the overall presentation.