Vandersteen 2CE or 1C for small room?


Hi,

I am considering Vandy 1C or 2CE sig II as my next purchase. I would like a speaker that would work in a small or large room. Would the 2's be too bass heavy in a small room(say 10' by 10')? Would I lose a lot of fidelity if I bought the 1C's?

Pete
petewhitley
A few years ago my system with a pair of Vandy 1Cs was in a 10X11 room. They worked very well in that small room. So well I bought a pair of the 2CE sigs from a local guy and put them in the room. The 2CE sigs were way too large for that room. IMO it would be extremely difficult to get enough distance between the speakers and the listening position to allow for proper integration.
Within a month I sold the larger Vandys. I'm sure the 2CE series are fantastic speakers but they need room to shine.
To this day I believe the 1Cs are one of the best bargains in audio.
I've been weighing the same speakers for a just slightly bigger room: 12 x 20 with the speakers on the long wall. Is this still unrealistic amount of space for the 2CEs? What other recommendations do people have for that kind of space that's a step or two up from the 1Cs?
I've heard the 2's in a lot of different setups. They are room sensitive, and not just in the bass. As good as they are, they can sound down right bad, in either too small a room, or with poor placement.
Okay, Unsound, I can believe the assessment.

So, if I'm looking for something for my room that's a above the 1C's (just for comparison sake), what would be on the list to audition? Is a good sound stage possible in a 12 x 20 room?