Vandersteen 2ce upgrade?

As a former owner of the 2Ce, I moved up to the Vandy 3A, and then had them upgraded to the 3A Signature. The 3A is a major improvement over the 2Ce, and the eventual upgrade to the 3A Signature is worth every cent. (Richard Vandersteen says the 3A Sig is closer in performance to the Model 5 than to the 3A, and based on my experience, I agree with him. If your future budget allows, you should then consider adding a pair of Vandy 2Wq's -- they transform the 3A Signatures into something truly glorious.) I have seen several sets of 3A's for sale lately on A-gon, in the $1500 range. Unless you have some reason to move away from Vandy speakers (room size, etc.), you won't be sorry by getting the 3A.

Sdcampbell,
I find the 2ce's a little too heavy in bass and lower midrange. I have tried biwiring and different placements, perhaps it's the amp. Anyway, does the 3A hint of that issue?
John

I'm a 3A owner. Provided you still prefer Vandy sound, I agree that a pair of used 3A's should be available in your budget (maybe tough to find 3A sigs at that price) and they would greatly enhance your sound over 2ce's. The low end response is phenominal for orchestral listening. I don't find mine to be heavy or boomy at all. They respond well to placement, and the rear firing coupler seems to like to be close to the wall...a definite plus for practicality as they are huge and heavy. However, they do like power; I drive mine with 200wpc and wouldn't recommend any less than 125wpc capability.

I have owned both 2c and 2ce and liked both. They can sound a little "heavy" depending on amp, cables and placement. If you're using tubes, you need a very revealing, somewhat forward sounding speaker cable to work synergistically.
Finding anything new for $1500 to beat them may be difficult, especially if you're driving them with tubes.
Used: I would suggest auditioning Spendor SP-1, Proac Response 1.5 or possibly Vienna Acoustic Mozart. A planar speaker like Magnapan, Quad or Eminent Tech will give you a different sound, if they work in your room and budget.

My nirvana was found at Magnepan. Moved up from vandersteen 1Bs to 2CEs then discovered the magic of planar speakers. Admittedly not for everyone but you should at least try them, they really are amazing,