I have had the 2 Ce Signatures for a very short time - I bought them less than a month ago - but I have to say that since I installed them in my living room I have probably managed to log more than 100 hours listening to them, that´s how good they are!! These speakers have made me fall in love again with some long neglected CD´s of my collection. I´m not an expert in audiophile jargon but I can teel you that these speakers have an "airy" quality that has more than a hint of what you get from electrostatic speakers, albeit with marginally less resolution (but much better bass). They are never intrusive, and present what I think is an exquisite tonal balance. They did sound definitely laid-back when I first set them up but after some hours of breaking-in and a lot of tweaking they have loosened up nicely.
I have also noticed that the sound you get from them is really dependant on the way you set them up in your room. I don´t know if this has anything to do with first order crossovers or the "time-phase correct" argument, but as you move back and forth along the center line between both speakers the nodes (where some frecuencies dissapear and some others are reinforced) became much more noticeable that with my old speakers, so finding the sweet spot was not an easy task.
Anyways, I am REALLY enjoying these speakers and I fully recommend them.

Associated Equipment:

Cambridge Audio CD6 player
McIntosh C-15 preamp.
Adcom 5500 amp
QED Qnect2 interconnects
Straightwire Quartet speaker cables

I have owned my 2CE Signatures for a month or so. They are in a home theater setup that is used for music 75% of the time and movies 25% of the time. They replaced a pair of original PSB Stratus Silvers.
What do I think? Very positive! While there was a great deal to like about the PSB's, there was always a tiny amount of lower treble problem. Call it ever so slightly bright, whatever. With the Vandersteen's, it's gone! The best description I can think of for the 2CE Sig's is "musical". Everything is still there, but just not in your face. (Maybe a tenth row performance, not front row???) (Whether or not the phase correct/time aligned philosophy has anything to do with my feeling that these things just sound "right", I don't know.) As noted below, I had also heard that the Vandersteen's can sound midrange forward. Well, in my system, they sound very balanced, with no particular frequency problems of any type. When setup reasonably well, they also image great too.

Over the years (yes, I'm in my 40's), I have listened to many speakers. The 2CE Sig's are as good as I have heard in their price range. Are they perfect? No, of course not. Since they use 1st order crossovers, high volume levels aren't a good idea, unless you want to have them repaired often. And, if you have young children, they aren't very kid-proof. The grille cloth wouldn't tolerate much abuse.

So, to summarize, if you are looking for an analytical/front row type performance, then look elsewhere. But, if you're looking for a speaker that allows you to remember why you loved music (and you don't mind pulling out every CD you own because it seems like you're hearing them for the first time), then give the 2CE Signatures a listen.

For me, in my system, they ARE what I was looking for. And I'm picky!

I have owned a pair of 2C Signatures for about 1 year (as of July, 1999). I had gone to purchase an Adcom preamp from someone in my area, and (unknown to me at the time) he also had these Vandersteens for sale. To make a long story short, I ended up walking off with these speakers for $475/pr. Quite a steal! Now for the actual review..
As some other reviewers have said here, these speakers definitely grow on you. I have listened to many (and I mean MANY) speakers since I purchased these, and have yet to find a speaker I like better for under $2000 (B&W 805, Martin Logan Aerius, PSB Stratus Silver, just to name a few). You can find speakers that are better at one particular thing at this pricepoint, but I haven't found any other that is so well-rounded and listenable. The only speaker I would consider (at this price point) other than my 2C's is the Magnepan 1.6/QR. They don't have the very extended bass of the 2C, but they are very transparent and have first-class imaging.

I have these speakers about 2.5' off the back wall, 8' apart, and well away from the side walls. I use absolutely no toe-in, keeping the speakers parallel to the back wall. This is Vandersteen's setup recommendation. I have tried various degrees of toe-in, but have always ended up turning the speakers back to their original position.

I have been upgrading my system since I purchased these speakers (having replaced almost every component), and can safely say that the 2C's will respond to the signal they are fed. Out of all my upgrades, speaker cable and interconnects made the most significant improvement on the sound. I highly recommend biwiring. Imaging and soundstaging have improved dramatically!

Right now I am quite happy with my modest system, but am considering an upgrade to a Krell KAV300i sometime in the future. A Rega Planar 3 is also a future prospect.

Associated Equipment:
Marantz CD-67SE
Adcom GTP450 (Soon to be replaced by Adcom GFP750 or ARC LS10)
Two Carver TFM-15CB's (Set to mono, one for each speaker. This is a decent bob carver-era amplifier)
Monster Cable M850i Interconnects
Monster Cable M1.4s BiWire speaker cable

These speakers make music that's easy to sit down and listen to. If you want analytical, in-your-face sound, you should look elsewhere. Highly recommended.

To tell the truth, I was a little disappointed in these. I can't say that I was able to review them at any great length, as the store in which I auditioned them didn't have them set up ideally, so I quickly grew tired of listening. They were powered by a 150 wpc Acurus amplifier, source was an Acurus CD player. While I felt the sound was good, it didn't really impress me like I expected it to. Bass extention wasn't what I expected, although what was there was very clean and accurate. It was far from an offensive speaker, but just not one that I would buy with my $1500. YMMV.

I have to admit that when I first listened to the 2Ce Sigs, I felt a little like Drew in the next review....I was looking for the speakers to blow me away. The next pair I tried was from Energy...nice bass but where's the rest? As I tried different speakers, I found myself enjoying the sound I heard from the Vandys more and more. I began noticing the relative failures of the other speakers. The more I listen to my new Vandersteens the more I like them. I use them in a home theater set-up matched with the Vandersteen VCC1 center speaker, that is about 65%/35% music and TV. The speakers almost seem to disappear, leaving nothing but the beautiful sounds of my music. Highly recommended...

These are the best value in affordale audiophile speakers. After many, many hours of listening I still love them!

It's been said a zillion times, but their strength is how
balanced they sound.

Probably not the end-all in the detail department.

I've wanted a pair of 2Ces since 1991. I just bought
the Signature models with the optional black trim and
the required Sound Anchor "brackets".

The rest of the system is: Adcom GFA 555mk2 amp and 555mk2 preamp, California Audio Labs DX 2 cd player. The speakers
are bi-wired with 8 foot runs of AudioQuest Type 4 cable, and the interconnects are all AudioQuest Ruby. Overall,
a phenomenal sounding entry level system. The 2Ces have
an extremely open, boxless presentation, and in my opinion
simply sound like music, not a pair of speakers.

I also auditioned and was very immpressed by the Magnepan
1.6 and the B&W CDM1Se. I always came back to the Vandersteens for their killer combination of strengths.

My next upgrade will be either Conrad Johnson pre and power amps, or the Aragon 8008BB and 28k.

Highly recommended for the critical listener who just wants to relax and enjoy music, and stop worrying about gear.

Similar Products Used:

B&W dm302, Mirage m490

These babies cannot be beat for under three grand by anything that I have heard out there. I really can't say enough about how much I enjoy listening to these speakers especially when matched with a really good amp. If I could give 6 stars, I would.

Purchased these beauties a little over a month ago and could not be happier. Have spent time listening to the 2ce and the signature and prefered the signature due to softer high-end with better soundstage. I don't think its possible to get such quality in speakers for under five grand. Some might say that the bass is not what they want it to be but I have found that it is very amplifier dependent. If you want a bass weighted system, get a subwoofer!Am trying to decide which amplifer to join with the speaker, the McCormack DNA .5 or the Bryston 3B-ST. I'm sure both will sound amazing.

Monitor quality imaging, excellent integration between drivers, neutral-warm balance, transparent

Critical listening position, gain for mid

This is a great spk, equivalent to a minitor with an integrated sub. Tonal balance is good-v good. High resolution of low level detail. My room is abt 160 sqft, and I have them toed-in to my ears abt 7' away and abt 6' apart. In this position, the spks just disappear. The stands are ideal, allowing you to adjust the tilt. I pushed it back firing upwards until vocals just floated and had a full rich sound.

My only complaint is that the mid shouldn't have any gain controls, cos this will affect the sound quality in the all important mids. There should be a bass control instead. The other thing is that it is extremely critical of the listening position. One inch either way and the soundstage collapses. In the sweet spot, its magic.

Similar Products Used:

Totem Model 1, Totem Forest, Dynlavy SCIII