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Add a Subwoofer to my Vandersteen 1ce s or replace with Revel Concerta2 F36

Hey Audiogon community,
    Perhaps you guy can help here. I have a VPI Scout with Sound Smith Zephyr III Cartridge running into a Musical Fidelity v-LPS that runs into a NAD VISO 5 Receiver and back out to a pair of Vandersteen 1ce's. Since I recently bought the Zephyr III, it revealed some inadequacies, and I am in upgrade mode. My audio advisor from Brooks Berdan suggested I start with the speakers. Mind you, I Love my Vandersteens but wish there was deeper bass realism. I have been listening to the Revel concerta2 F36  recently with a Cronus Magnus powering them via some entry level Oracle turntable. I like the F36 a lot, and feel like they would give me more full range dynamics especially on the low end. I am looking at upgrading to the Rogue Cronus Magnus soon as well. And am hoping that upgrading to the F36 is the smarter choice than adding a sub that would seamlessly integrate. Any thought would be appreciated. Thank you.
voodooman13
ctsooner's avatar
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
Agree with jafant.  Listen to the subtle dynamics. Listen to the sibilance (John Mellencamp stuff is good here).  Listen not just to amount of bass, but also the quality of each note.  Which gives you a real sound stage.  Does the sound stage stay big all the time or does it change per recording?  I'd listen to well recorded music to see which one is better and then to other stuff you just love. 

It will be very hard to make a decision without have them in your own house side by side and all but make some notes and listen to the same recordings.  Get to know the cymbals and piano and then male and female voice etc...  Where are you sitting in the hall....I never understood components that put you IN with the band or orchestra, lol.  

Have fun with it all and listen as a system to make sure it's what you can get out of your own.  Also listen with top of the line components to see how much better your speakers can sound as you upgrade in the future.  Keep us posted.  Two speakers you list are a good start for sure.
gdnrbob
4,462 posts
 
Well, I hate to be a stick in the mud, but if you are considering the Vandy 2's, I suggest also looking at the Treo's. I bought ctsooner's pair after owning the 3a sigs. It was a good move. I like the more stylish design as well as the improved performance.
Since you feel you need added bass, perhaps the Quatro's would be a good move. You wouldn't need to add the 2w/2wq subs and their footprint is identical to the Treo's. 
Though I know you have a budget, and spending $4-5K might seem ridiculous, just remember that if you are buying a pair of 2sigs and a pair of subs, you really aren't spending that much less and you will be ahead in terms of upgrading.
Bob
mn2bttb
25 posts
 
I can tell you this from many years of audio. Integrating a good to excellent sub will make a monstrous improvement in your system. Period.  Very few speakers under $5k can come close to a sub like a JL Audio E110.  The musical improvement will floor you.

voodooman13 OP
7 posts
 
O.K., I have listened to the 2ce's and was floored. Much, much, better to my ears than the Revels! Now then, 1 thing I noticed is there are a lot of used Vandersteen 2ce's out there. I may be really happy with getting a pretty decent discount going used and getting some decent speaker cables, as the 2's are bi-wired. Obviously I would also like to maintain a relationship with a brick and mortar, and an Audiophile mentor in that way. But I noticed that the 2's go from $500 -$1100 used on here, which is way less than the $2560 new. Also there is a great savings on a gently used Rogue Cronus II on here for $1900.00 which is also a great deal. But I have never bought any speakers or amp second hand. How do you guys feel about buying used? I mean I just barely met the Vandersteen dealer. We did have some amazing moments as he hooked up the 2's to a million dollars worth of turntable, mono amps, preamps and phono stage to show me what they could do. So I would love to buy from him and help keep him doing what he does. But I may be able to get the Rogue, and 2ce's for not terribly more than the price of new Vandersteen 2ce's. Any thoughts? 
bondmanp
1,824 posts
 

voodooman13 - Please keep in mind that the 2 has evolved dramatically throughout its ~40 year run.  Parts and drivers have been improved significantly over the years.  I think there may be details about the 2's evolution on Vandersteen's web site.  Plus, if not well cared for, the "socks" on the cabinets and the cloth insert on the top can look pretty bad after 10 or 15 years. 


You could also ask the dealers in you area to keep you posted on any 2's that get traded in to that dealer.  Knowing they have a ready buyer for a recent minty pair will encourage the dealer to make the trade up for the current owner to work out.


I bought my Vandy's and my current speakers new, but I have bought other speakers used, including my Vandy subs and the crossovers, and have had no problems with any of them.  But speakers do wear out with age, and may need some repairs to restore original performance.  Most common are the foam surrounds of larger cone drivers that disintigrate over time.  I am about to have these replaced in my vintage (and purchased new in 1978) Advent Large speakers.  Other parts, like crossover components, can also fail over time, and require replacement.

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