Recomendations Please

I agree the Vandy 2CEs sounded really bassy to me almost to the point of being imbalanced. If you want punchier bass then you need a different set up where you can blow high SPLs and not get distortion or sound effect bass. Bigger speakers might be the right ticket. Another thought would be to go with a SS preamp they often deliver bass better IMHO and I am an all tube guy except my phono stage which just so happens to deliver beautiful bass.

why would you want what's not on the source? high fidelity means true to the original.

Interesting suggestion from all. I never thought my 2ce were really bassy. I always thought they gave accurate response for whatever music that I played. I think when I have more space i will add a vandy sub. THanks for all the suggestions. Perhaps more power from the amp since I am only at 125 watts per channel. a belles 350a might do it. . but in the meantime I am working on getting a USB dac. . thinking the upcoming rega that is coming out in october.

I would think moving the speakers even slightly may increase the bass response. The 2CE is not really what I would call "bass shy" and I doubt the Belles 350 would make a huge difference. I have heard the 2 series Vandy's with 30w tube amps supply all the bass you would need for most music with exception of full orchestra

I too have never thought of the Vandersteens as being bass shy, especially at their price point. I do feel that they are very room sensitive. Adding a Vandy sub or preferably two, would be the most obvious solution to your dilemma. FWIW, it seems to me that you've put together a really nice system there. At the risk of stating the obvious, I'd suggest playing around with speaker/listener placement before doing anything else.