Richard Vandersteen sure would disagree.
I’ve shared this anecdote elsewhere but it’s certainly appropriate here.
Not long ago I ordered a pair of new Vandy 2CE Sig IIs based on a positive experience with the 1Cis. Prior to their arrival, I was listening to a pair of New Large Advents that I found on CL. The Advents had been re-foamed but were otherwise all-original.
The 2CEs arrived and I spent half a day making sure they were optimally setup per the manual, which is what I had done to great effect with the 1Cis (my room is plenty large and near golden ratio dimensions). I ran them in a few hours before sitting down for a real listen. First impressions were underwhelming. Bass was good but every other performance metric left me baffled (pun intended). I had gotten much more life-like sound with the 1Cis. The natural decay of the 1Cis was completely MIA. The imaging was just average. The vocals were small and recessed - not at all life-size. Transparency and resolution also left me wanting. Many nuances and microdynamics I know exist in familiar recordings were missing. Over the following week I tried many setup adjustments to no avail. I even made sure they were bi-wired with solid-core cable that some swear by.
I finally decided to throw the towel and setup a return. Nothing I was willing to do short of a complete system/room overhaul was going to make these speakers worthwhile. Some members here graciously offered to help with setup but by then it was too late and I felt I had already tried every practical option anyhow.
But before I sealed the boxes on the 2CEs, back in the Advents went. They are not my usual reference pair of speakers but they were the easiest to access at the time. I placed them without much care, sitting directly on the floor, no real attention to toe-in or any of the usual parameters I’ve been known to obsess over. What a night/day difference over the 2CEs! I found myself laughing aloud many times that night. These were doing everything the 2CEs would not. Vocals again had presence. The detail and nuance was back. They simply compelled me to listen late into the night, which I hadn’t once experienced with the 2CEs. Imaging, despite the wide baffles, was so much better I just kept shaking my head. Soundstage was about twice the width I had been getting with the Vandys, but not the homogenized, unrealistically-wide imaging one can experience with a 15" woofer or panel speaker. Every instrument occupied its own space within the soundstage.
Now, in all fairness to Vandys, I do recall really enjoying my time with a pair of 1Cis. But I find it interesting that the main difference between those and the 2CEs, respectively, is the 2-way vs 3-way configuration, and that the midrange is covered by an 8" woofer in the 1Cis. I suspect the larger midrange cone of the 1Cis accounted for the more life-like vocal size and presence. And of course, if a speaker has an 8" midwoofer cone, then it’s somewhat akin to having a larger baffle vs a 4" cone in a minimal enclosure.
My experience has been that speakers with the most natural imaging and vocals tend to have either somewhat wide baffles, or midrange cones of 7" or greater.
For those who doubt the imaging capability of a wide-baffle speaker, I suggest a back-to-back comparison of a Spendor 1/2e or Stirling Broadcast LS3/6 against your favorite minimal- baffle model. Have a friend stand and speak near each speaker and compare the vocal size and projection.
