Vandersteen 2C contour controls +-

Funny thing - I had never considered inside space to be important but I removed two very full LP crates from between the speakers and the amps (amps are positioned in center between the speakers) and that opened up some more bass. So the speakers need a little breathing room on both sides, not just between the wall and speaker.

I'll be keeping the new cables in place between the pre and amp. =)

On side note: The single most effective jump in sound quality I've observed - once I assembled my current set of components - was power purification and AC cables. I can't explain in words how huge of an effect that made (noted: I have an old house with dated wiring). AC upgrades should not be shrugged! If I hadn't made those upgrades I don't think I would be hearing such large differences in interconnect cables.

Thanks all!

It's magical when it all comes together. Congrats and enjoy

change your outlets on the wall
PS Audio makes a nice affordable outlet or a hospital grade Hubbel is even less $
also get the amp and preamp on seperate circuits
try a ground cheater or two but absolurely ensure the power amp is grounded if you do
finally get all your wall wart switching supplies, digital hash producers on a third circuit

enjoy

It sounds like, all things being equal, the Vandersteen 2C models - with back firing woofer, need to be placed closer to the front (or back behind them) wall to amplify the bass. I experimented with my 2Ci model and moved them from 24" to 16", considering mine are on the sides of a bay window, and it shrunk the depth of the soundstage but did add a tiny bit more bass. Just like everything else, it all boils down to tradeoffs. For me the presentation of the soundstage is more important than the extra bass.

Update:

After letting the cables sit without change for over a week the bass came back 80% which is fine - I was a little bass heavy before. More importantly, it really only shows up after letting the entire system warm up for a few hours. Previously I'd get up to full range in an hour or so.

I've now put a bit shy of about 200 hours on the cables.

I think this lends to the dielectric properties theory. The new cables are just more difficult to charge than the other ones. The end result is a better sound in my system.