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Not Thrilled with Vandersteen 2CE Sigs - where is the first place to work on?

Trying to build up the system this year, bought some Vandy 2CE Sigs.  Have the anchors, following instructions for placement, built bass traps and a couple of acoustic panels in my medium-sized but odd-shaped basement listening area - still not thrilled.  Using laptop with Tidal and Dragonfly Red - and some stuff sounds GREAT (Steely Dan, SRV, Beck, Dire Straits, Wilco) - but disappointed in a lot of other stuff.  Some objective opinions on where my issues might lie?  Expectations too high? Hearing the truth of production variations?  Running an NAD C272 at 150WPC and an original 1979 APT Holman Pre Amp.  Not MAC, Bryston, etc - but was expecting more.  Thoughts? Rebuild/recap the APT?  Amp upgrade?  Where might the low-hanging fruit be?
gjinwi
miketuason
334 posts
 
I currently using the Vandy 2CE Sig II driven by Mac. MC601 (600) watts mono block and with C2300 Tube pre in a 12x12 room, the vandy is about 18” from the back wall and I must say the bass is very sufficient, good soundstage, crystal clear, and quiet at any volume range. It’s just a matter of setting the systems right.
gosta's avatar
gosta
839 posts
 
You've just experienced that high-profile recordings like Steely Dan etc may not be the best to evaluate systems/speakers while they are made to sound good on anything and are actually an easy load.
rushfan71
291 posts
 
I would eliminate the laptop and the dragonfly first. 

Steely Dan, Dire Straits, ect recordings will always sound better than a lot of other recordings.
jnorris2005
185 posts
 
Although probably not the main culprit, the Dragonfly Red is a singularly uninspiring DAC.  It's missing low and high frequency extension as well as dynamics and punch.  I replaced it with a very old PeachTree DAC-IT (the original version) and heard an immediate improvement. 
turnbowm
353 posts
 
Had a pair of 2CEs that worked well in a medium-sized room but not so good in a small room. As others have said, they need room to breathe. The listening position also needs to be 9-10 feet away (min.) for a proper blend of the drivers.
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