Vandersteen

gdnrbob, please keep us posted on your thoughts on the Treos. Are you getting the CTs?

I'm sorry, but I really have to agree with bewoods1962, he is absolutely correct in what he is saying and I do know what he means without asking him for a further clarification. I know this because I used to own Vandersteens at one time and got rid of them. Please, I really don't want to get into an argument with anybody here as this is just my opinion and I'm just expressing it like everyone else. Vandersteens are really nice speakers, but certainly not worth what they are asking for them as I feel they are incredibly over priced for what they can do. They are nice enough for acoustic jazz at low volumes, but just cannot hack it for rock or symphonic works. There is so much better out there for the same or mostly less money than Vandersteens and no, I am not going to tell you what I think is better as that will lead to more arguments of which I already am going to have to defend myself for just saying this small piece. All I am doing here is agreeing with the original writer ( bewoods1962 ) that is all.

@tomic601 +1  

Jim is right on here.  I had 3A Sigs for about the same time as him.  I found keeping them out into the listening room to be critical.  If I had them too close to the wall behind them the sound was a bit congested and "rough".  They need breathing room and good electronics and cables.  Richard V. used Audioquest cables for many years at shows with his speakers and had fine results.  I followed his example...that is not to say that they are the only synergistic cables with Vandys.

Re-read what Jim said above and implement as many of his suggestions as possible.

If you want a second opinion, John Rutan at Audio Connection, Verona, NJ is it!

Hope you work it out!

I owned Vandy 5ACs and have had 2CEs Sigs as well. Problem with Vandys is that the "sweet spot" is about a quarter-inch wide and they are hugely over-priced. For about one-third the price Tyler Acoustics gives a vastly broader sound-stage and equivalent quality drivers.

I have to agree with what @tomic601 says, and follow setup exactly. Vandersteen gives very specific instructions on setup, and the stands are a necessity--they add that last bit of focus to the sound.

But I will say this--I have some 2CEs here and don't feel they "fall apart" on any type of music.  Especially large-scale classical.  And, I don't even have them properly set up yet. (Have not had time to fully tweak placement and to be honest, they would probably do even better in a slightly larger room.)  I can vouch for them being power hungry, though. The Threshold Stasis amp I'm running has no issues driving them--the Vandys really bloom when I turn the volume up.  Less powerful amps can't give them the juice they need.  Feed them well with plenty of power and good source components, and they'll treat you well.

I'm a planar speaker guy myself, so some qualities of the speaker aren't exactly my preference.  But still, what the Vandys do, they do nicely.  I probably will keep these for a second system.