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Vandersteen 2CE Signature Speakers

Hello.  I recently auditioned a used pair of Vandersteen 2CE Signature speakers. I found them to be amazing for jazz (lots of detail, great imaging) - really everything I read about on how these speakers sound.  However, upon listening to classical (full orchestral recordings of Mahler symphonies and Strauss tone poems), I found them to be boxy, dull and closed (quite the opposite from the jazz recordings).

Is this normal?  Why would this happen?  What can be done to fix this? I would like to buy them. 

Thanks
128x128cspiegs
ctsooner's avatar
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
I'm not Johnny.  I owned the best MIT speaker cable and interconnects made with their 350 cable (interconnects) and their 770 speaker cable.  I got the AQ adn never looked back.  I have had so many name and off name cables in teh system and none have been as neutral as the AQ stuff.  If you are going to use a cable/wire to 'tune' your system, I personally feel that you have the wrong gear.   Using Nordost to lift the highs of a dull amp, still starts with a DULL AMP, lol.  This is just system matching, but for my money nothing touches the AQ cables for sheer neutrality.  JMHO
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,483 posts
 
John is the most knowledgeable I've ever met it this genre....Maybe Richard Vandersteen is his equal...not sure.
bstatmeister
537 posts
 
I'm not Johnny.  I owned the best MIT speaker cable and interconnects made with their 350 cable (interconnects) and their 770 speaker cable.  I got the AQ adn never looked back.  I have had so many name and off name cables in teh system and none have been as neutral as the AQ stuff.  If you are going to use a cable/wire to 'tune' your system, I personally feel that you have the wrong gear.   Using Nordost to lift the highs of a dull amp, still starts with a DULL AMP, lol.  This is just system matching, but for my money nothing touches the AQ cables for sheer neutrality.  JMHO
Yeah, I think that's the same concept over in the analog section where I was asking if it could be possible to go from MM to MC on the cheap by buying over-achievers in their respective price groups. The consensus was that it doesn't really make sense to go MC unless you first make sure that all the other supporting gear/electronics is top notch, if you don't there isn't much benefit and could actually sound worse. I will likely save up for the Vandy subs as my first order of business then let the wallet heal and for bit then buy a pre-amp after that at some point (or upgrade to the 2ce sig IIs). 

ctsooner's avatar
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
Makes the most sense to me.  I personally upgrade the speakers first.  Then the source and then the amps.  Cords and cables are always last.  That's just me. I purchase the best speakers I can afford.  
mr_m
1,900 posts
 
+1 for building the system around the loudspeakers.
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