Time to move UP, speaker-wise...

Dropped dead? What does that mean, really? My initial thought when I first read the thread, other than maybe wanting something different/new, why not fix what you have if you have enjoyed them for so long, certainly more than likely, a cheaper option?


Maybe things have moved on some as the Vandies have had continuous improvements to them over time, but....doesn’t make what you have bad or worse.

@frazeur1 makes a good point, a call to Vandersteen for a service quote might be in order.

Four drivers were found dead, across the two Vandersteen 2CI's. I could have had them repaired but I doubted that the investment would return the sound to its former glory. I did send them in to the local shop and the cost of repairs would have been quite a bit higher than I could justify, given a now twenty-seven year old set of speakers. I thought it best to take the money and apply it to something new... 

@OP, 
When you consider Vandersteen is constantly updating even their older models- without adding a new name or designation- it might possibly be an upgrade if you were to have them repaired by Mr. V.
Though, to be honest, I would move to the newer series, like the Treo or Quatro. They are much more refined, and look nicer,too.
B

The newer Vandersteens are highly attractive, but the Treo, new, comes in around $9000.00. That's quite a jump, from my $3000 limit. I have always been able to do amazingly well in the lower price ranges, and as I don't have buckets of cash and no longer believe in paying for things (except for cars and homes) on credit, I will bide my time until the right choice emerges. 

I did strongly consider fixing the blown drivers, but that possibility has now passed. The speakers were "donated" to the repair shop in my city. 

On other fronts, I spent about three hours "dynamating" (not dynamiting) my two RP280F's. The sound has improved. Glare has dropped away, at least by 30-50%, maybe more. Some 'glare' now sounds like the very instrument it had been hiding. I am going to play a bit more with positioning, which has always been huge in pulling the best from these speakers. They are dynamic, but I had an experience yesterday, on XMAS, that left me pondering a stronger midrange speaker voicing.... I went home visited the family, and a guest was in attendance who happened to be equipped with her violin. She's a professional violinist, and as she pulled out her instrument I asked if she could play any one-stringed Paganini; he was known to notch strings and play the final minutes of his presentations furiously on one-string, a kind of rock-n-roll style climactic event. The request was more to boast a finely (self-regarded) detail in memory than any sort of comprehensive appreciation for violin greats. Still, she quickly sat and immediately played two section of two Paganini pieces. The vibrancy of the instrument in the room put the reproduction of violin work in a CD I listened to today to shame. The violin almost didn't need to be in the recording, so subtle a position did it occupy. I feel that a more vibrant mid-range section would entirely change the character of the music I"m hearing. By contrast, I took "New Moon Daughter" (Cassandra Wilson) to the local stereo shop and played it on a pair of Forte III's and the midrange popped. the relationship between the acoustic instruments and the vocalist swapped places entirely. It was not a small change from my RP280F speakers...