Vandersteen 2ci and 2ce

Shoe, try to listen to the 3Asigs with a pair or 2wq subs. Or at least one 2wq sub. If you can swing it in your own system, a pair of these makes the 3Asigs just awsome! The way Vandersteen has them work is that the 2wq takes its signal from the amp with a pair of inline filters suppling the crossover. This remove that frequency from the amps workload. The amps and network in the subs put it back. The resulting sound is deep, powerfull and FAST base. The amps now have less work to do since the inline crossovers remove everything from 180 HZ (if memory serves me) down, which make the 3Asigs sound that much better. Well worth the extra expense. Check out my virtual system to see what they look like.

Aedv8sc is absolutely correct. The addition of a pair of 2Wq subs with the inserted filters makes a great speaker even better and the subs provide a solid bottom to below 20hz. I use this combination myself currently.

Thanks for your help. I did purchase a pair of 2CE Signatures, which I thought was out of my league financially. However, I found a good deal on ebay.
I am enjoying them right now.
Thanks again,
Don

Thought Id jump in since there is no end in forum discussions on the Vandersteen 2 series. I think my favorite is the 2CE Sig I (came out around 2000). They have the rugged Scanspeak midrange with a regular magnet that doesn’t have the tendency to demagnetize over time like alnicos such as the one used in the Sig II midrange. That open back transmission thing Vandersteen talks about in the literature doesn’t make sense to me. If it is so desirable, why not use it in the woofer and tweeter? The Sig I is also voiced warmer and flatter than the Sig II which sounds lean to my ears; doesn’t have enough lower midrange. Even John Atkinson pointed that out in his measurements. About the 2Ci v 2CE low end: Yes it is true that bass is tighter and leaner (flatter too) on the 2CE and later models with its bigger box volume extending and lowering the Q of the system compared with earlier versions that had a slight bass bump which some folks prefer. I happen to prefer the tighter and more immediate sound of the new models, especially the Sig I.

I have the 2CE Sig II. You will have to let us know how well you like it down the road. I listened to Klipsch, Polk, Kef, Magnepan, B&W, and many others but settled on the Vandersteen because it sounds right for Jazz, Acoustical music and vocals. I would like to audition the Quattro Wood CT down the road if I ever have that kind of money. I also like the 3.7i by Magnepan, but I think the powered bass in the Vandy would give it more depth.