what to upgrade

Like some others here, I think the speakers are the LAST thing to upgrade. And I wouldn't upgrade a preamp if I only had funds to upgrade one component. First thing to upgrade is your power amp; then your CD player. You should look into getting a CD player that can connect directly into your power amp so you can skip the preamp stage altogether. Really, the speakers are the last to consider. You won't believe how big a difference the power amp and even the interconnects and speaker cables will make in the same speakers. Your speakers are decent. Just my opinion!

I'd start with seriously considering Trelja's comments, Ampzilla. Think about where you want to go with your system over time. However, I agree with South_park and Sdcampbell that a change in your speakers will give you the most immediate and noticeable improvement. If you like your Vandersteen 1's, the 2Ce's will make a very significant improvement in the sound of your system. Your amplifier will easily support the upgrade. The 2Ce's will allow your to tell you a whole lot more about what you're hearing (or not hearing) from the other components in your system, and they will well support improvements you then consider for your front-end. The 1's are nice speakers, but I don't think you will fully appreciate the other changes being recommended to you until you can hear those changes through speakers comparable to the 2Ce's.

thank you all very much.im not a firm believer in racks and cables and wires,to improve on the sound.but the room treatments is a great idea,i mean your gear always sounds soo great at the store,then once home somethings missing,or something else is there.great advice,thanks,oh by the way,i have some tara labs cheapo rca's for my cd player,and some really basic monster cables for the amp to preamp(dont laugh,please!)lol!mostly i listen to newer music,meaning not classical.50's and 60's rock,of all kinds,particularly cream,and the beatles,i like a lot of 80's and 90's music,such as,oasis.the verve,stuff like that,kinda melow english rock i guess?and finally to 311,and sublime.once again,dont laugh.i know most of you probably listen to calssical,or that sort of music,wich i do like,just dont own.i find that bands like 311 have a lot of detail and power in there music,compared to other popish bands.my room is aprox 15x15'but only 3 walls,it opens into the kitchen,probably bad for the sound,difraction,hmm another great reason for treatments,traps,ect.my amp and preamp are very far appart.but my cd player is right under my preamp,i can hear you shuddering at the thought!there in a built in entertainment center,so a rack wouldnt really fit anyway,the damn things fastened to the wall good.and if you havent guess i live in an appartment : (.thanks again everyone,i really value all the input!!!davezilla,oops i meen dave : )

Don't discount decent wires and cables without first hand experience. Decent doesn't necessarily mean expensive, either. But DEFINITELY consider room treatments. That's the stage I'm at now and it's surprising what small things will do. For example, in my system there's a slight hardness to the upper range of vocals, especially female, that I've been chasing down. Almost a sibilance, but not quite. Tried vibration isolation and several different tubes in the pre- and DAC, but it persisted in one form or the other. Just moved and the previous tenant had a picture hanging on the wall where my speakers are now. Hung a blanket up on a whim and guess what was gone. Yep, the problem is apparently smearing caused by the reflection off the front wall. Picked out a nice wool wall hanging this weekend and will order it this week. Best of all, it comes out of the decor budget, not the equipment fund.

Dave- no one will laugh at your choice of music and you will find that many (most?) of the active posters enjoy popular (i.e., non-classical) music. I would have to say that in my experience changing speakers has a major impact on the character of the sound, while changing electronics has more impact on detail, soundstage, imaging, etc. I don't know your electronics but others say they are decent. I would think that for limited budget, cables would be a good way to go, cause you can add one pair at a time and purchase used with little chance of a operational defect. They aren't sexy, but they can have a major impact. DH Labs is well thought of in the modest price speaker wire dept., lots of choices for interconnects (AQ, Homegrown, DH Labs, better monsters, Kimber to name a few). If your budget is bigger, I would then consider pre or speakers next. Sd's point about a major step up is a good one, unless you enjoy the buying and selling. Someone once posted their rule of thumb (garfish maybe); need to spend double what you spent on the component your replacing (comparing new vs. new or used vs. used)to make a significant impact, assumming you've chosen equipment wisely. Seems reasonable to me, based on my experiences upgrading over the lasts 18 months.