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

Wow - thanks to all for the feedback/input. John Rutan was very kind in reaching out to me - we've burned a couple of hours of his personal time on placement changes based on my not-so-perfect space with SIGNIFICANT improvement.  Kudos to John - super helpful, super nice.  We've talked through many details and following through with a needed repair/upgrade on the Apt, cabling improvements, etc. - going to knock off variables and stay the course for a while.  I highly recommend John - he's really helped me in re-learning this hobby after being away from it for many years.  Thanks to John and everyone that has chimed in - hope you all continue to enjoy the journey.

So happy for you. Glad you talked to a pro who uses the. Daily as well as other lines. Set up is so key to any speaker. 

Nothing was done in repositioning that can't be done with any other speaker. It's not the long term solution if you are not liking a speaker. Within a week you will adjust to it and you'll be back at the same place again with criticism.

 There are many thin slice ways to affect speakers. That doesn't resolve the larger issues with them. Just because there was a change doesn't mean a particular speaker is anywhere near the potential ideal. This is one of the biggest mistakes that is made continuously. It does set up a sale for the dealer, and if he has put in the time and effort, he deserves that consideration. You would get superior sound moving up the line, so that is another alternative. But, until you get other speakers in there to compare head to head, you have no idea what you're doing. The dealer will push his line, no surprise. 

So, you will be throwing money at it, with an upgrade, new cables, etc. That is an expensive way to learn, but there are not too many other options when one does not have experience. Try to keep it as fun, not frustration. Vandersteen, especially lower end, is a polite speaker that will not offend. Whether it is involving enough over timer you remains to be seen.   :)

@gjinwi

Fantastic to hear. Johnny is a gem of a gentleman, and knows Vandersteen better than most all.

I have the 2CE Sigs, and can tell you, I feel the disparaging descriptions to be misguided. This is all very subjective; what one feels about a particular piece of equipment can always be countered by another who desires, demands, and expects something else. That doesn’t necessarily equate one of being good or bad, just different. And we all may want different things.

For me, at the price point I picked-up my 2CE Sigs at, I doubt most any other can compare. To me, they just sound ‘right’, great tone and timbre, natural, which for me is most important. In addition to great soundstage and dynamics potential. Positioning and placement is the key for any Vandersteen. But once you get that dialed-in, and you like the overall sonics they can provide, (for many many hours of listening at a sitting), they should make you happy and pleased. And, of course, as you improve your front-end, they sound even better. They please me a great deal, and astound me with their capabilities still.

Enjoy

I did a lot of looking around before I bought my Quatros CTs.  One of the key elements is not just the product, but the company behind the product.  With Vandersteen, I found a family company working hard every day to improve their craft.  After reading comments about how Richard may be losing high-frequency hearing, I called Richard to discuss the design process, as this idea that Richard's ears play a big role did not match what I understood as there is a lot of work done in an anechoic chamber.  Most speaker companies don't have an anechoic response measurement and the consistency that it creates.  In this case, 44 years and 8 models of Model 2 speakers.

I learned that Vandersteen speakers have always been Time and Phase Correct and measured flat in frequency response, in contrast to the tipped up highs and booming bass of many other designs.  Over the years, passive components like internal wire, capacitors, resistors, input connectors, and driver technology advancements have revealed more information and transparency. The basic design has not changed, including the newer VLR CT, TREO CT, QUATRO CT, and SEVEN MkII being:  first-order networks, one driver per frequency band above 200Hz, minimum baffle area, pistonic cones and domes, and time alignment. Richard has always referenced his product designs with live vs. recorded evaluations, which is self-correcting for age; besides, Nathan, his son, does all of the anechoic chamber work these days. I found all Vandersteen speakers still measure flat today like they always have, but modern technology does allow them to reveal much more of the recording. The continued effort at Vandersteen is to employ materials as they develop to better the speakers by reducing noise in the products.  The Model 2 may represent the best example. Although aesthetics remain the same, the new model introduced in June represents another improvement in clarity and timbre, while remaining true to music, at least to my ears.  If you have a Vandersteen dealer in the neighborhood, just go in and talk to them.  Most of the dealers, I found, have 30 to 40 years of experience with Vandy.  I see Jonny R posted here.  That is a great place to start.