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Seeking informed advice on speaker acquisition (Vandersteen vs. OHM Walsh)

I bought a used pair of Vandersteen 2CEs about 6 months ago. They sound great to my relatively uninformed ears, but I would like to step it up. The Vandys are 25+ years old.
I have two speakers under consideration and would like input from individuals who have heard both. I am considering upgrading the Vandys to the 2CE Signature II model. I am sure the improvements in the last quarter century will greatly enhance my listening experience. The other speaker I am considering is an Ohm Walsh 2000. I have read many rave reviews on the Ohm Walsh and am seeking input from those who have heard both.

I would also like to hear from those who have heard both speakers, but have an alternative in mind. My budget cap is $3000. I prefer to buy a new pair, but I am not opposed to acquiring a used offering in great condition. I am in the Atlanta area if anyone has a used pair for sale.

My room specs are 18 x 15 with 7 foot ceilings.
System:Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II; Merrill Super12 Polytable; Oppo UDP-203; Parks Audio Hybrid Budgie phono
arturos73
shadowcat2016
132 posts
 
Vandy's and power levels.

I agree with audionoobie concerning the need to goose the Vandy's a bit to really open them up. Mine, the 3A's, seem to have two gears, low, which is fine for more casual listening and high when you really want them to start singing.............Not saying that you need a monster amp, I could drive mine just fine with a 130 watt intergrated (Bryston) before I bi-amped them. Nor do you need to rattle the windows, volume wise, but they do sound better at higher levels. Depending on your listening tastes and where you live, that may be an issue. I enjoy them at low volume, but they ARE better with more power.
arturos73 OP
38 posts
 
dep14: You have an order on back order? Which ones did you get? If you've heard them, what were your impressions?
shadowcat2016: Thanks for the great DIY advice. I researched making my own a while back, but forgot most of what I read after building my first two. Reading your post was a good reminder. I forgot about the rock wool. Luckily, I have my own music room so aesthetics won't be an issue. Did you do roof panels above/in front of the speakers? I have 15'x18' room with 7' wood plank ceilings, brick walls and wall-to-wall rugs. I have a large two-pane window on the side wall too. I am going to source materials like you did and experiment. How did you build the corner panels? Any other advice is greatly appreciated.
dep14
336 posts
 
@arturos,

So I have some much older used, beat to heck cylinders. I liked much of what they could do as a speaker, so... I ordered a pair of Demo 4900’s that I was going to try and then make a decision on that model, likely in a different color or even something else in the line-up.  My hope was the demo's could ship a bit more quickly than they have.  I'm sure they are just busy.

Unfortunately that was back in early June. I know they took some time off in July. I had expected them to ship. I’m likely going to cancel them for now as things have changed a bit in my situation. I still may try some at some point, very nice guys, interesting speakers. But some of the excitement has worn off along with a major landscape project at home. So, probably holding off on them for now.
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