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Trying to extract more from my Vandersteen

I've come to the realization that my ideal system is always 2 steps ahead of whatever my current system is. I am only satisfied with whatever updgrade for a few months, before I convince myself that I need to upgrade again. This is as exciting as it is unsettling.

My current system is as follows:
Vandersteen 2CE sig
McCormack DNA-1 deluxe
TAD-150 sig tube preamp
Eastern Electric Minimax tube CDP
Blue circle Power cords
MIT IC's and speaker cables

I had spent the past two years building this current system, and I had been fairly happy with it. I thank this system for introducing me to the world of jazz. Switching to tubes really helped my Vandersteens "sing". I had entertained the thought of replacing the McCormack with a tube amp, such as TAD-60 or other equivalent, but I never did. I was happy with my system and figured it would remain intact for awhile.

Then something had to rain on my happiness or complaceny. Due to a busy work schedule, I was forced to do most of my music listening either in my office through my old NHT and all rotel setup or at home through my Sennheiser headphones. After a couple months of this, I finally had time to do some listening through my main system. It had never been apparent to me before, but all the music coming out of the Vandersteens sounded "veiled". Before, I purchased my vandies, I read and heard all the criticisms regarding this "veiled" or "shrouded" sound. I never felt this was true about my vandersteen's until now.

So instead of making generalizations, I figure this is a good opportunity to "improve" my system. I am still more than happy with the soundstage, midrange clarity, and bass dynamics. Perhaps what I want to improve is higher frequency extension.

All this being said, I welcome all recommendations and comments that need not be limited to the following topics:

tube-rolling...

Pre-amp...
Any recommendations on pre-amps (tube or SS)?
How about a passive unit (Sonic Euphoria, Placette, Mccormack TLC)?

cables...
anyone recommend Purist?

Amp...
Any good integrated's out there?
What do you think about the Eastern Electric Integrated?
How about Krell KAV 400xi? For that matter, how does Krell match with Vandersteens?

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to reading your comments.

Drew
drewyou
jig
160 posts
 
After reviewing your system again, I think the MIT cables are the bottleneck creating your problem. Try borrowing some other cables and make sure you bi-wire the speakers.
jig
160 posts
 
I will probably get some raised eyebrows for saying this--if you really like your speakers try some cheap tweaks. Insert a graphic equalizer in the signal path and boost up the highs. Try some silver based interconnects or straightwire cables, these will definitely bring out the highs. Lastly, if you have some tubes lying around try some different ones. If you have none of the above, try borrowing from a generous audiobud. All you are wasting is time. BTW, speaker placement is critical with these speakers as is the rake angle. A friend of mine has a pair of these in an all Rogue setup and it sounds too bright to me. These speakers have a metal dome tweeter and can put out plenty of highs. Anyhow, if you implement some of these, I'm sure you will see an improvement. Your equipment choices all look good, so no problem there.
ozzy62's avatar
ozzy62
3,151 posts
 
All good suggestions. I agree, it looks like better speakers are in you future. The rest of your system has evolved to the point where this is only a natural progression. IMHO, Vandys are nice and easy to listen to, but boring and bland for the most part. You should mention your room size and budget before anyone can reliably suggest a replacement.

Oz
krisjan
100 posts
 
I will be the contrarian here and suggest that your time of listening to an old NHT/Rotel system AND through headphones (especially) has thrown off your perception of what sounds natural/real. I think you should recalibrate your ears to what real acoustic instruments sound like before making any changes at all. Of course, this really only applies if you are trying to get real, natural sound from your setup. If all you want is to get more exciting sound than what you have, then have a blast changing whatever you want that meets that subjective requirement.
Good luck,
Mark
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
After owning both the Vandy 1Cs and 2CE signatures my advice is to ensure proper set up and placement. I learned with the 1Cs that vertical orientation is critical to detail and image. This held true for the larger speakers also. I suggest this because my initial set up followed the instruction manual as I understood it. With some experimentation though, the sound improved significantly. If you haven't exhausted this avenue it will cost nothing but time.
Still believe the 1Cs are one of the best values on the market, new or used. Good luck.
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