2. speakers
  3. 134598-1644

Vandersteen 2CE Signature II: Is it worth the price of $2700? Why are so many for sale?

I have seen several ads on both AG and Ebay for a "variety" of Vandersteen 2CE's  

Question: Is:the "latest version:"of the model worth its  $2700 price tag  considering the evolution of this design over the last 10 to 12 years

Vandersteen's website shares a few paragraphs about the upgrades made; but, has their really been notable or marked improvements in sound quality and overall performance?.

The amount of 2CE's for sale regardless of what version seems unusual,and even cautionary for buyers looking at a used pair ( taking into consideration age and condition)

Lastly, does this model compete with the performance of other speakers in its price range??

  Thank you, S.J.


 

sunnyjim
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
Sunny, I sold my Treo's to Bob and I LOVED them.  I now own the Quatro's and I listen to everyone's 35k or down speakers and still went with Quatro's.  Coherency, tonality, extension top and bottom, yet warm enough and smooth.  Tons of micro and macro detail give you teh emotion that most speakers are missing.  

As Tomic stated above, they use very expensive components and don't worry about the cabinet in the 2 and 3's.  If you set them up properly they crush most of the competition that can cost twice the price of each.  Not everyone gets them as they don't smear and are time and phase correct as folks have said.  They are as true a point source in a conventional speaker as you will probably hear.  Feel free to PM any Vandersteen owner on here as we will probably tell you teh same things. Older ones are usually sold as folks move up, like I did.  

Since the 2's are the best selling high end speaker of all time and have been on the market since 78 I believe, there will be many for sale.  Most are in great shape if taken care of, but if someone can afford the 2700, the newest ones are SOOOOOOOO much better as they have trickle down drivers and components from the original Treo's ;)....Yes, they are that good to most ears.  JMHO
sunnyjim OP
927 posts
 

Thank you again to all who have responded.  This thread has provided me with a store house of info on Vandersteen 2CE Signature II. I am curious if anyone knows how much better the 2CE Signatures II are than the original 2CE Sigs


To Jafant   The electronics are still the Conrad Johnson 14L SE; pre-amp; Balanced Audio Technology VK200 (100RMS) and the Ayre CX7e mp2   CD player.  I did change out the speaker cables about 2 months ago from Harmonic Technology Ref 11 to the Grover Huffman EX cable.

The GH cable which I have owned for about 2 years amazed me with  its silent background, excellent dynamics, and deeper bass than the HT cable.. It does have a bit of sizzle at the top end which I can live with. I never got the new GH cable, but had the EX version re-terminated

mr_m
1,900 posts
 
I too, have a pair of Vandersteen Treo CT's. I was playing a rendition of "Sweet Emotion" by Leo Kottke. My Son-in-Law walked into my listening room and exclaimed, "Where's that electric guitar and drummer!?" He couldn't get over how realistic the sound was in my man cave....lol
helomech
1,670 posts
 
@sunnyjim 

That may seem like a bargain considering the current retail is $2700. But what other speakers new like the Magneplanar 1.7i for almost the same amount of money may be superior even though they have different design and work on entirely different sound propagation principles. Regarding a more conventional box speaker, the Revel Performa F-206 is repeatedly praised by reviewers in TAS and Stereophile. I briefly heard them and liked them a great deal, but not for $3500, their current retail price. I have rarely seen a used pair under $2600 and their size and weight makes shipping to the West Coast about $200

I much preferred the current iteration of the Vandy 1Cis to both the Maggie 1.7is and Revel 206s. The Maggies and Revels had quicker bass, but the advantages ended there. I can't help but imagine the 2CE Sig IIs would absolutely wipe the floor with them. I thought the Maggies were a great value until I encountered the 1Cis. 

If anything, $2700 is a bargain.
phastrone
24 posts
 
I currently have my Signature IIs up for sale pending audition of some high quality stand mounted speakers (Usher Tiny Dancers). I've been having some trouble getting the imaging I know is possible from the Vandersteens in the odd room in which my stereo lives. They are laid back in a way, but these are my third pair of Model Twos over the years and I'm not confident that I can find anything as musical as they are in my price range...
More to discover