Vandersteen 2ce questions

One of the very things that impressed me about the 2C Vandersteen speakers when I first heard them was the quality of the bass, very natural without the irritating mid bass hump that many speakers in their price range exhibit as noted above. I agree totally with Dan, Zd542 and Rrog and of course Johnny. These gentlemen really understand these speakers. Proper set-up, interaction in the room and the amplifier used go a long way in realizing their potential which is considerable for a full range speaker in their price range. I would address the amp last after all set-up and placement issues are addressed. While the Vandies are not the most efficient design they don't exhibit any wild impedance variations that mandate a high current amp, relatively easy to drive but as is with any quality speaker, benefit from quality amplification and I would agree, they like power. No they don't have the slam of other speakers but what they really get right is natural tuneful bass as you would hear it live. These speakers are better suited towards acoustical jazz and classical and are NOT for headbangers, IMO.

You haven't stated your musical preference Biffrythm. Ultimately they may not be your cup of tea but none the less they are excellent speakers. I owned a pair for 10 years and I always enjoy hearing any of the Vandies that are well set-up.

It seems clear Biffrythm that for some listeners the Vandersteens will not produce the impact/slam/dynamics that they want, regardless of amp or set up, and that for other listeners a well set up pair are sonic heaven. It does seem from the response of the Vandersteen dealer and others, that proper set up may be even more important than usual with these speakers.

I am going to do the proper set up this weekend. My daughters are at their mothers for the weekend. Good news is I am getting low tones now, so set-up seems to be the issue. The bass does seem to be at a lower volume than the rest of the frequency range. Not at all detached, like I've heard in other speakers, but subdued. I'm not a headbanger at all. I'm 46 so even the heavy metal of my youth is classic rock now. I listen to rock, blues, country, and reggae. And I do like these speakers. Best of ever owned. Only issue is bass, and it may simply be that I was used to the mid-bass hump. I love everything else about them and am even getting used to the subdues bass.I like them more every day. I'll do a proper set-up per the manuel and enjoy. Thanks for all the advice, everyone

I own the 2CE sig II and you guys are right, set up and positioning is very critical with the Vandy 2's. 1/2 inch movement (tilt and toe-in) make a huge different. After six months of trial and error, I finally got it to where I think I nailed the sweet spot. When an audiophile friend of mine walked in while I was listening to Diana Krall, he ask me if I had my SUB woofer on, and when I said no, he was blown away. The bass is tight and at some point there's a certain frequency the you don't hear the bass but rather feel it, I assume that freq. is close to 20Hz. So I believe set up and positioning is the key.

UPDATE: After much work measuring my room(little smaller than my estimate) I have mondo BASS. Sounds great and am VERY happy I splurged on these monsters. Thanks again for everyone's help. Damn glad I found this site.