Vandersteen 2ce Signature, I don't get it!

[Garrardman]

I'd never heard Vandersteen's until the Bristol (UK) hi-fi show last February, when Exposure were using a pair of 2CE's.

I thought they were bl**dy fantastic, and the people I went with hated them!

Guess they do polarise opinion.............................

Adam.

[heywood]

My father has a set of big vandys. I'm OK with them, but the real thing is they work well for him, and that's all that really matters. I like my Maggie 3.6's better. Some people prefer another sound and that's OK, heck, I even have a totally different rig for HT and I love it too. If you've got issues with your speakers, especially ones as easily sold as the vandys, but all means SELL them.

Oh. I didn't find ANY suckout in the midrange with the vandys, perhaps you have a defective set?

Maybe I used to strong of language in regards to ''midrange suckout". I notice some speakers present the sound up front, sort of an ''in your face'' sound more like live music up close. That's in all fairness to the Vandy's, a preference I've cultivated over the years. I think a few years back I might have actually preferred the Vandersteens sound, I would call it more of a studio presentation quality ( for lack of a better phrase). Again please forgive my verbage. It's hard to find analogies to describe something that in the end is so subjective.

The 2ce's display in general a laid back perspective( Relatively Speaking!) to the music ''Presentation'' in contrast to the speakers I've grown accustomed to as of late. That's a big thing with me these days is how the music is so to speak ''laid out'' even with warts and all before you. as opposed to pleasing sounds and laid back.

Granted the systems I've heard lately are very efficient Horn loaded and single driver based speakers with small powered single ended tube amps. The sound is to the extreme almost very forward to the unaccustomed ear. It was hard to get used to a first. My Dynaudio's were foward too!

But I started noticing that it felt more like the excitement of a live performance. Fast! Stand up and take notice! Macrodynamics Galore! I now realize that the ''live sound'' sound is definitely not to everyone's liking like I assumed.

The Vandersteen 2ce Signatures just surprised me to say the least, because it has such a huge following. And it was just simply hard to fathom how so many people preferred that type of presentation.

My Sky Cam has pulled back since last week when I was so emotional about my purchase.

I'm sorry my topic generated such a semi-heated discussion on the reviewer topic. I tried to stay out of that since I didn't have much knowledge on the subject. I sensed there was a ''history'' there if you know what I mean.

Also just an FYI here; My amp that everyone questioned might be the culprit? It's an amp that Richard Vandersteen is very familiar with according to a few dealers I've talked to. It's an Audio Research VT100 MK.II- powerful- trust me.

This amp dove the Stew! out of my 86 db efficient 4 ohm load Dynaudio Contour 1.3 MKII's. where the Odyssey Stratos ( I can hear the faint rumblings in the distance of a new heated discussion) became unstable. 150 WPC 40 amps High Damping Factor!!!
Go Figure!

Oh yes, I almost forgot, I owned the Vandersteens for a week and sold them in a day.

Thanks, Let the Show begin- and I agree- let's have some fun- not so serious- it's just audio. Yea I know, I've got room to talk. huh?