$ 2500 ....Stay with Vandersteens ??...what else ?

Going from the Vandersteen 1c to the 2CE is certainly a logical upgrade. At the same price, however, I think it would be worthwhile to audition a pair of Mirage OMD-15s. There are some things that it would share with the Vandy 2CEs, such as smooth response, linear extension in both directions (I think the OMD-15s go a little lower), and sensitivity (the OMD-15s are spec'd at 1dB more efficient--certainly they're in the same neighborhood). Where the two depart is in impedance curve and dispersion. The Mirage has a bit flatter impedance curve; it's nominally 6 dB and dips to 4 ohms; the Vandy dips to around 2 ohms. Between the two the Mirage should present a bit friendlier load to your Rogue integrated amp.

The second difference addresses whether you prefer more specific sweet spot imaging (Vandersteen) or a room friendly soundstage regardless of listening position. The Vandy will present a sonic hologram in the sweet spot; the Mirage will energize the room like live music, meaning you get the same basic response curve wherever you are in the room. Because a significant amount of the treble response is rear-firing, you can easily adjust the HF tonal balance by experimenting with the wall hangings behind the speakers.

You wouldn't lose with either speaker, but the Mirage presents an alternative way to energize the room and listen to the music. These speakers disappear into the music and scale up and down from solo voice to large ensembles very naturally. Definitely worth a listen.

They should match well with your Rogue integrated.

I owned 1c's, went to 2ce Sigs, 3A's & now 3A Sigs. If you like the Vandie sound, it only gets better as you go up the chain. At some point I may add a couple of Vandie Subs, but otherwise, I've bought my last speakers.

Adam18,

I used to have a very old pair of the original Vandersteen 2C's... my first high-end speaker, although they were physically too big (and, in my wife's opinion, too ugly) for the new room I had to move them to, so I was off on a speaker search. Given that I loved the Vandy's and we have similar musical tastes, here's a "left field" suggestion.

I don't know what the output of your amp is (I'm running an 80 watt/channel Unison Unico tube/SS hybrid) but you might want to consider one of the Ohm line of speakers. I have the Micro Walsh Tall's, which are fantastic for a small room and will only set you back $1000 plus shipping. Or, you could well afford the Ohm Walsh 100-S3 (Series 3) which is "only" $1700 to $2000, depending on the finish you choose. They're only sold factory direct these days, but you get a 120-day in-home trial, with a money-back guarantee. The Ohm's are incredible at the price if you like the sound.

My 2 cents. ;-)

Timrhu nailed it.

I've heard the Vandys...I'd look for a pair of Snell Type AIII's, do the woofers if necessary and save about $1000 of your $2500.

The Snells will have a similar sound to the Vandys...just a better version of it(imho).