Vandersteen 5 vs Model 2c/2wq Combo

Thanks for all the feedback. I have alot to think about. Ok, I understand how the source and amp make a big difference. Right now I have two 60 watt, tube, monoblocks, no-name and hand built, and I am interested in getting something by Audio Research in the future.

Anyway, here is another question; what kind of amp matches well with the Vandy 5a? With the 2Ce? What are Vandy-ites using?

I am using Theta Dreadnaught to drive my model 5 because I double my 2-ch with HT setup and I already have the Dreadnaught before I bought the 5. Ultimately what amp matches well largely depend on your taste. I like the 5 driven by tube amp better so in the future, when the upgrade bug bites, I would probably get something like BAT VK-75SE, Quicksliver V4, or Atma-Sphere.

If you could stretch your budget, I would highly recommend the 3A Sigs. They are much better than the 2's, and you may not even need the subs. If you decided to purchase the subs in the future, you would have a setup that comes close to the performance of the 5's for less money. In the meantime, you could enjoy the outstanding performance of the 3's.

Good Luck ....

Maxgain offers a good analysis. I owned a pair of 2cis for about 10 years, and as my electronics and source improved, I was able to get much better sound and lots of enjoyment from my modest (in high end terms)speaker investment. I have now graduated to 3Asigs and they are MUCH better, but if space is a problem, these suckers are BIG. If you want to keep $ down, I would start with 2ce sigs and a single 2WQ, then move up to 3A sigs, then add a second 2WQ. Right now I am reasonably content with the bass, and am upgrading electronics (bi-amped McCormack DNA 0.5 Rev B to Rev A). You can get by with a lower powered amp if you use a powered sub; the tubes you are using would probably not be enough for the 3A sigs, but would probably work with 2/2WQ or 5s (due to powered subs). I would vary slightly from Maxgains rec by focusing on a high quality pre and then go for the source (either new CDP or add a used DAC-very cost effective). Just my 0.02, YMMV. Have fun.

If you want to go cheap: Get a set of 2ce Signatures and power them with a mccormack dna 1 or .5 rev A. You will get great sound from this and probably won't need a subwoofer. I feel that from a price/performance/packaging viewpoint, the 2cesig is his best speaker. In some ways I preferred the speed of the 2ceSig to the bass of the 3aSig's.

If you want to go cheap and have bass, I would just go for the 3aSig's, a mcormack dna1 or 225, and skip the subwoofer. This combo has awesome bass. You should be able to get those for 2-2.2K. Try to get a dna1 w/revA.

The 5 is a world class loudspeaker. The 5 and my current eidolons are my two favorite speakers of all time. The avanti running a close 3rd. The model 5 does offer something unique in that you can drive it with a smaller amp & save money there. I drove my set with a 100w audio research vt100m2. Match made in heaven. It gave me the lowend power of a solid state amp, the midrange of a tube amp, and the coherency of an integrated rull range speaker. I think it would be reasonable to use a 125w dna .5 to drive them. The five is an enormous step up from the 2's. The downside is that you really need a big room for them to sound good and you need to have the hipass filter between the amp and preamp. I sold my set because I couldn't get them to sound good in my L shaped 16x12 room without moving them 5 feet into the room. You might be able to pick up a used set of 5's for 7-8K now that the 5a is out. The 5 had the most perfect integration of heavy bass and mid/hi range. I've never been able to get a subwoofer to match a mains speaker as well. In fact I've kind of given up on subwoofers.