Vandersteen Forum

Speaker design and opinions about speakers (sound quality) vary greatly. To say the least. What you like or don't like about the used 2CE may be that you don't care for the sound, you didn't have them set up properly, they were damaged , they didn't have enough power driving them or so many other factors. The 2CE has a stellar reputation that goes back decades and Richard is a well respected speaker designer. Glad you like B&W but someone who replaced those same B&W speakers with Klipsch, Revel, Sonus Faber or another brand might say they are inferior??? To each his own...

brand specific sites tend to accumulate fanboys and girls... helpful for tips if one has committed to that brand, perhaps less useful otherwise 

that said vandys and b&w's are at opposite poles of sound character... so if someone likes one it's hard to imagine they'd like the other

I’m on my 2nd pair of Vandy 2CEs... the latest Signature III. I wanted the Treo CT to replace my 20 year old pair of Vandy 2CEs but couldn’t spend $9k. I guess you could say I like the Vandersteen sound, and Richard has sold over 100,000 pairs of the 2 (that success has generated some envy among rivals, I suspect). So, there are a lot of happy V owners, many of whom have moved up to the Treo CT, Quatro CT, Kentos, 5’s, and the amazing 7. I have a short list of other brands which I would consider if I had $20-40k to spend, of course. Or, if I could afford 2 good systems, there are also some 2-way monitors that I would own too for a different experience.

It’s not a cult... they just make a great speaker (and imo they are a good value) if you like the sound. I have not found a US-made full range floorstander that comes anywhere close to the 2CE in performance for $3400. Not even close. They really shine with true bi-wiring and excellent amplification with enough power. I’ve heard them with a $20K Audio Research stack and they shined, rising to the challenge.

The 2 and the Treo are on this list:
50 Greatest Bargains in High End Audio

The OP was on the Vandy forum and posted some very critical posts-mostly to the effect of how can the speakers be redesigned. He was told in no uncertain terms that he could modify the speakers to his heart’s delight, but the forum would not be party to it. Hence, he is on Audiogon trying to make the Vandy Forum sound ’cult-like’.

Far from it. The forum is for Vandersteen owners to share experiences and learn things they might not have known about. Yes, most forum posters are Vandy fans, we are those that find time and phase correct speakers to provide that ’je ne sais quoi’ that other speakers don’t. If you find ’25 year old Vandersteen technology’ to be so bad, why waste your time complaining?

@2psyop , posted a great reply, as did the other repliers.

@geworthomd ,

Sorry the Vandy’s didn’t light your fire, but at least you found something that does.

And, to answer your question:

Yes, it is just you.

Bob

@gdnrbob 

👍🏼