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Help: Searching for Vandersteen-like speakers...

I have been searching hi and lo for the right speakers until I found the Vandersteen 2Ce and I thought my search was done. Ok, so, after hearing a few amps, I think I am really in love with SET tube amps of one kind or another. The thing about SET amps that I have seen is they have very low wattage(one had 3 watts and another had 18 watts) and this leaves the Vandersteens out in the cold with an 86db sensitivity. I can see why Vandersteens go well with SS amps. Plus, besides the sensitivty, Vandersteen 2Ce also have a recommended amplification of 40 to 160 watts. This sort of leaves SET amps right out of the question.

My thing here is that I would like to find something like the Vandersteen 2Ce in the $1500 dollar range or else forget about an SET; however, if all else fails, I will go back to my original idea of mating the 2Ce with an ARC 100 watt amp.

Any ideas?
matchstikman
matchstikman OP
205 posts
 
Phasecorrect, I really like the tube sound. I already started a thread about finding a SS amp with a tube sound and the ending result seem to be that there is really no such thing; close, but no cigar. However, are you suggesting that it is possible to get a nice tube sound from a SS amp if I used a good tube pre-amp?
phasecorrect's avatar
phasecorrect
2,013 posts
 
Precisely...all the benefits of tube "warmth" in the highs with tight,clean,bass from the SS power...am I the man or what? Jolida makes some decent hybrids...check out their website....if you want to go that route...
joe_b
421 posts
 
If you like the tube sound, especially what you have heard from single ended stuff, I doubt you will find a better combo than the Quicksilvers and Vandersteens. It won't have tight bass. It will have a midrange that you will probably like very much.
unsound
7,329 posts
 
They may not be the answer, but they might be closer to what you are looking for: Meadowlark.
rayhall
393 posts
 
You might try the Vandersteen's with a Pass Aleph series amplifier. I use a 100 watt Pass Aleph 4 with my Vandersteen 3A Signatures. Maybe not exactly a tube sound, but you do get a very smooth, neutral sound with a clear, sweet, airy midrange, great soundstage and superb high frequency detail. The midrange is not fat and tubey, but it IS neutral and sweet. There is no harshness, hardness, solid state signature or grain to be heard. You also get an absolutely full-range frequency response which no tube amp and very few solid state amps can equal or surpass. Now the Alephs are not the last word in bass slam or dynamics as far as solid state amps go, but they will certainly go way beyond what a tube amp can do. With careful matching of cables and other components and with their great bass and treble extension, I don't see how you could ask for much more from an amp, tube or solid state. I use a CAT Ultimate preamp and Theta Gen Va DAC with the previously mentioned equipment and am very happy. I suggest you consider an Aleph 5 for your 2CE's. The Alephs all utilize a single-ended design and most only have two gain stages, thus somewhat emulating the minimalist design of the SET's without the hassle of tubes.
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