Truly a natural and lifelike speaker. It sounds like music!

No artificial bass impact or forwardness for the rock/pop music junkies.

I bought these used and have listened to them for about three months now. Can you spell bargain??? These are truly high end with a seemless, balanced sound from top to bottom. Image depth is the standout feature. I'd like to comment on the bass though. At first, I thought the bass was a bit light and not as tight as some of the speakers that I've heard or owned. Actually, what I've come to appreciate is that this is the most NATURAL bass I've heard. However, if you like a lot of pop music and want the bass to hit you in the chest this is not the best speaker. But if you listen to a lot of jazz or classical (especially classical) this is one of the most lifelike accoustically proper bass ranges that you'll ever here. They remind me of the IMF Studios that I had many years ago but better in nearly every respect. I think the transmission line bass provides an extraordinarily balanced in room response. And, yes, room placement and setup is key. Be sure you have the room to play with positioning from the back wall and corners and get the stands because getting the right tilt is critical. The upper mid and highs especially are critically dependent on the proper angle. I'm using these with a B&K ST202 amp which seems very satisfactory. The liquid top end of the Mosfet design is most alluring on these speakers.

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Easy amp load. My Krell just slightly warm after running for hours moderately warm. Others claim this amp runs hot(!?). Good space and imaging, dependent on system, as I have found. Highs don't bite, nice vocals. Sometimes bass seems reticent, but that is due to no bass humps. COmes out when needed, will suprise.

Big fabric covered tower. Not bad looking but saves money for the good guts. But cats see a giant scratching post! Must wrap it in protective covers here, when not in use. Well, keeps it clean, too.

Well, I can certainly recommend these as a really great all around speaker. Have upgraded electronics, and decided speakers will stay! I had used Hafler amplification and Sony ES CD, Denon/Grado as occasional analog. Got alot of pleasure for almost 5 years. Just upgraded cheaply to Krell, 300CD, 300i amp. SOme have complained about the 300cd being too bright. Sounds just right to me, less bright than old stuff. YOu will hear the improvement if you get better gear with this speaker. Only have 2450$ into the new/used/mint electronics. Now, you may think that much money ahead or the Vandy's is overkill..NO! Have had some spine tingling jaw dropping listening with the new setup, the deep bass reach of the KRell proves that the 2Ce does have plenty of deep but tight bass if you can get it to the speaker. Haflers just not quite as good, very deep. THis speaker is more likely a sure bet than many other speakers.

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The Best price performance Tonal neutrality Soundstage Transparency Softness

No binding posts to support spades,etc. The stands should be included in the package Its very difficult to access the speakers.

This is my second review after many tests with my Vandersteen 2Ce speakers. Follow my conclusions: My system now is: Integrated Amplifier Origo by Etalon CD California Audio Labs Icon MKII Interconnect First Ultimate by Van Den Hul Speaker cable Kimber 8TC with WBTGold 24k Banana plugs 2Ce Stands filled with sand (You must use) Antivibration systems to CD Player, Amplifier and Rack. The Vanderteen 2Ce are really HighEnd Speakers and to show all their quality, needs to have very good equipments and cables matched.Before to decide, I tested many powers amplifiers(Krell, Mc Cormack, etc), CD players(Rega Planet, Nakamichi, etc), Cables(Audio quest, Horizon, Van Den Hul, etc) Today I have a very detailed sound(not excessive bright), very deep and musical bass (30 Hz in my room), relaxed voices, and very close to real highs.With some CDs Afterglow( Kendra Shank ) , the speakers and my walls disapears and some details are alive.Cafe Blue (Patricia Barber) HDCD shows one amazing 3D sound. I'm talking about a sound quality that I've never heard until 2 months ago, after upgrade my amp and cd player and cables equipments. The other point is that cables are very important.The VDH First Ultimate is very neutral(carbon) and this is important to achieve the best sound with Vandersteen speakers. I'm planning to replace the Kimber 8TC, because the medium region in this cable are not relaxed and I need to use the Vandersteen controls(-2db) to makeup this problem. One important item is to use one independent energy system to your stereo with large cables(4mm2 at least). Nothing will work if you dont positioning correctly the speakers and the stands angle(follow the manual) and avoid the first reflections with absorbent materials. Be sure, if you dont have a very very good sound with your 2Ce speakers, the problem is with your other equipments or your positioning in your room. Amplifier and CDPlayer investments wil be reimbursed with better sound that you cant imagine. Tip: If you have one Receiver, try to test the 2Ces with a good Integrated Amplifier and a good CD player and write your opinion. Dont forget the room positioning, the cables, etc are very important too. To reviews that says a Sound boxy, no dinamics, no detailed or deep bass, veiled, etc.I can guarantee.Its your equipment, not the 2Ces. You can choose between use colored sp

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SOund better than alot of the electronics out there. Smooth.

THe vertical characteristics that all low order crossover speakers have, a sacrifice for the phase coherency

Vantersteen 2Ce's...Well I heard the original 2's in about 1977, liked them, but was baffled by the marketing info they had out. Finally heard the 2Ce's in a GOOD listening set-up with mega bucks gear--Had to buy! Liked what it did with my discs. Got pair with a subwoofer(now gone!) and have never looked back. Like another reviewer said, fantasized about new speakers, then listen to the Vandy's again and change mind. vertical variations in sound caused by low order crossovers is only noticeable artifact, set up per manual and set still! They are noticeable but not horrendous. Plenty of treble here! Great imaging and sounds beyond speakers L-R, if electronics can put them there. ONE CAVEAT- if you have cats, beware that eventually they will be perceived as giant scratching posts. Have to wrap black vinyl covers around them when not in use(secured with velcro strips). Kind of a pain, but appears replaceing the fabric would be big money! Buy some of the latest 2Ce's and have fun! Eqt. upgrades will be audible thru them.

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None lately. Forgot how old speakers sounded-but am sure these are vast improvement.

sound 'right' best buy used

narrow vertical listening window biggish, boxy

A review for fellow cheapskates: Vandersteen has sold boatloads of model 2's over the years, and the going used price for older models seems awfully fair ($400ish including stands and packing boxes in my case). My test is simple: can I convince myself I'm listening to instruments, not components? Even given the limits of my cheap vintage amp, the answer here is a qualified yes. Almost everything sounds right, indeed awfully nice, within the admittedly-narrow vertical listening window. It's a pain knowing that if you sit up or slump down too far, some of the magic will be gone. Setup is even more everything than usual, and if you stand up, you lose it. They're good enough to tempt me to replace my old Citation 12 (don't laugh: cheap, reliable, independent 2xPS) to see what these kids could really do. FWIW, the rest of the chain is: Precision Fidelity C7 preamp, Rega Planar 3 turntable, Benz Micro Glider cartridge.

Time and phase aligned. Imaging. Baffleless design.

No dealers in Brazil. We have a big market here for this kind of speakers.

I would congratulate Richard Vandersteen to create and my friend Edsel, that told me to buy these speakers. Was very difficult to carry (by plan) to Brazil, but I''m very happy for 8 years of use of these uncompaired speakers. Imaging is the key word, that means, when you listen Vandersteen speakers you can imagine the musicians playing the equipments. The people that didn''t like of this speakers certainly have problems with their earings. Consult the medician. I used with Sony ES (class A and B amplifier) and Nakamichi CD player. I''m planning to buy other Vandesteen speakers to upgrade my Home Theater environment.

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The ability to reproduce a square wave, which means that the signal coming out will be similar to the electrical signal that was fed into it. You hear the music correctly. The best bass for their price range.

I wish they looked more stylish, but the dull looks do reduce the cost, so it doesn''t bother me much. The necessary stands cost $150 extra. Locking banana plugs cost me $100 extra. You may never again be able to tolerate loudspeakers that are not time and phase aligned.

These speakers will reproduce a square wave. VERY few speakers on the market will do this. Some dude named Mike from New York said these were obsolete speakers using a 25-year-old design in his previous review. That just means that most other speakers have yet to catch up, and Mike is that one-in-a-hundred person that can''t get good sound out of a Vandersteen speaker. Vandersteen may have been the first audio manufacturer to use Time Delay Spectrometry in designing loudspeakers. Most other speakers smear a square wave into a ragged mess. If a preamp or tuner did this, audiophiles would be up in arms and screaming their lungs out, yet they defend their poorly designed time and phase INCOHERENT speakers for it''s "crisp delineation of inner detail" or other gifted listener audiophile bull. I just hear the music and whatever my headgear and amps send down the line. Bad recordings sound bad, good recordings sound good, and if you are listening to music you like, you just lose yourself in the music and forget about the loudspeakers. Vandersteens do very little wrong and a whole lot right. I bought my 2Ci versions in 1991 and they are sounding as good as they ever did without ever having a single problem.

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This is the only time and phase aligned loudspeaker I have ever owned.

imaging and balance...

require proper set-up and stands to achieve full potential

Associated equipment: Acurus DIA-100 direct input amplifier, NAD 502, Rotel 855, and Sony CDP-XA20-ES CD players, Adcom GFT-555 Mk. II tuner, Adcom GSP-560 home theater processor/center/rear amplification, and Adcom ACE-515 power conditioner. Interconnects are Kimber "PBJ" and Vandersteen's are biwired with Kimber 4TC for the highs, and Kimber 8TC for the lows.

I am writing this review after having spent about 5 years with a pair of 2ce's. I could never had received better advice from my father and two high end dealers that recommended the 2ce as my first "audiophile" speaker system. When I started with the Vandy's, my system consisted of a mass market Sony CD player (not the wonderful ES series),a mass market Sony receiver, and the Kimber cables I purchased with the speakers. They produced such a quantum leap over my older midfi pioneer speakers I thought I had arrived. I was to soon learn my first "audiophile" lesson...never use a high resolution speaker system with poor source components!

Though I now had 2ce's that could actually produce a soundstage complete with width, depth, and height, they also faithfully reproduced all the spurious noises associated with my Sony CD player's hard midrange, emphasized mid-bass, and blurry imaging. I immediately replaced the Sony with the NAD-502 player. The result was a more three dimensional soundstage, more extended and accurate bass, and my second realization. I required better amplification to get my Vandy's to sound like they did in the showroom.

Next I upgraded to the Acurus DIA-100 direct input amplifier. Suddenly my system began to take form. Highs and mids were still there in spades, but more refined than with the Sony receiver. The bass performance of the 2ce's improved in depth and control. I agree with many of the reviews that indicate the "faster" the amplification, the better the 2ce's respond. Suddenly I was awash in the soundstage that audiophiles become so addicted to. Never again could I be satisfied with midfi products. Most importantly, the Vandersteens sounded very different with each upgrade I made. These are very revealing speakers! I never was able to get rid of the trace of midrange hardness/glare and imaging blurring I noticed when comparing my system to others at high end stores. I always assumed either the Acurus DIA-100 or the Vandersteens were the source of the imperfections I was hearing. This brought me to my third lesson. Digital sources are equally a important if not more so than amplification sources.

I always felt my NAD-502 and Rotel 855 to be very good products for their price range. I also felt it would be hard to improved on their sound without spending well over $1,000. However after my NAD failed I was forced to reconsider my opinions. I auditioned three under $1,000 players extensively. They were the Rega Planet, the Rotel 971 (HDCD equipped), and the Sony CDP-XA20ES, only because Stereophile rated the XA20ES's big brother the CDP-XA7Es as class "A" and "without equal among CD players". Much to my surprise I selected the Sony ES player (please see my review comparing these three players). After a HUGE step forward in my digital front end I now truly appreciate how reviewers feel about Richard Vandersteen's products. Folks I have imaging like I never dreamed the 2ce's were capable of. Depth, width have improved dramatically. I have pinpoint image focus without even a hint of the image blurring I learned to expect with my earlier digital front ends. These speakers are incredible. I regularly go to my local high end stores to check out competitive products and always coming away with a grin on my face. In this price range there is no other full range speaker that can compete in my opinion. I really have to get into the $3,500 price range to hear marked improvements. Even in this range I would most likely choose the Vandersteen 3a's. I now have a synergistic system for my listening room that I plan to live with for a long time. Though I am always checking out upgrades for my system, I am never in the mood to change my beloved 2ce's. These Vandy's are great on classical, jazz, pop, and rock. I've heard many of the other source components I own through other speakers (Castle, PSB's, Proac, Totem, Dunleavy, Linn, etc.) and I can find any of them in the 2ce's price range to even come close. Where else can one find deep articulated bass, holographic imaging, and a sweet midrange in this price range? Also least people think the sonic signiture of the 2ce is too euphonic, please note bad recordings like the early CD releases still sound pretty bad through the 2ce's.

A word of warning about the 2ces. They are not a "euphonic' product. They are very high resolution. If fed by poor source components, they sound will reflect the signal as noted above. I have also found they require proper setup to
really come alive in bass response and imaging. The optional stands are in my opinion required. Please pay close attention to the excellent manual on proper tiltback and room placement. But once setup properly, you can plan to spend many years with this excellent speaker. And it is of the ability to allow you to appreciate components costing many times it's own price as your audiophile budget grows. Too bad other high end producers don't attempt to provide Richard Vandersteen's ideology regarding performance at a given price point...

great full-range speaker. Solid bass to 35 hz with good amplification. Wonderful on instrumentals and vocals, but really quite good with all types of music. Best overall sound in its price range.

Highs don't sparkle as much as some.

My purchase of these speakers was my entry into high-end equipment. The resolution is definitely good enough to appreciate upgrades in source, amplification, and cables. The speaker has no real weaknesses (though my buddies think they're kinda ugly). Some recordings make you beleive the performers are in the room, a quality lacking on some "more accurate, precise" speakers. The overall feeling is that of being midway back in the listening space.

Vandersteen's instruction book goes into much detail on setting them up. The stands are a must, and it wasn't until I followed the book closely (eg, bringing the speakers out from the walls) that the depth of soundstage was acheived. The addition of the classe amp and MIT cables (both changes made at the same time, so its hard to attribute improvements to each) made them sound even sweeter than before, with great dynamics. I finally admitted to myself that I needed a sub, and added a velodyne, which is set to cut off above 40 hz. I tried running the vandy's with the 80 hz high-pass, but felt the bass sound quality suffered.

I recently acquired the VCC-1, and now have a seemless front soundstage. Though the quality of the system with music is more important to me than movies, I have been very happy with the sound (if one were just interested in movies, these may not be the sharpest, most precise drivers, but still a nice choice). For more details on how to integrate these into a surround sound system, read my review on Marantz SR780.

Sure, there are better sounding speakers, including the revels, the B&W Nautilus 1-2, the Wilson Watt-Puppies, and the Vandy 5's, to name a few, but at this price point, you wont be sorry.

Assoc Equip:
Velodyne FSR15
Classe CA101
Marantz SR780
Sony ES90 & 70 megachanger
Pioneer 515 dvd
Marantz 630pro cdr
MIT T2 biwire cables

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FULL RANGE,OCTAVE TO OCTAVE BALANCE,VERY NEUTRAL,BEST ALL-AROUND PERFORMER AT ANYWHERE NEAR ITS PRICE RANGE!

INPUT CONNECTIONS.

THESE SPEAKERS ARE THE EASIEST TO LIVE WITH I HAVE EVER FOUND. I AM VERY DEMANDING OF A SPEAKER AS MY MUSICAL TASTE IS RATHER ECLECTIC. THE APOGGEE'S, MAGGIES, AND MARTIN LOGANS CAN, AT BEST, ALL PERFORM MAGIC! MOST OFTEN THEY SOUND LESS THAN ORDINARY. AT WORST THEY CAN LASER YOUR EARS OFF! THE B&W'S ARE VERY IMPRESSIVE AND HAVE A VERY IMMEDIATE PRESENTATION THAT AFTER TIME I FOUND FATIGUING. THE PARADIGM IS JUST TOO WARM IN THE MID-BASS AND WILL OVER POWER MOST ROOMS. THE UPPER MIDRANGE AND HIGH FREQUENCIES ARE ROLLED OFF AND DARK.
THE VANDERSTEEN 2ce'S REACH DOWN TO ABOUT 30 HZ OF USABLE OUTPUT. MY KEF'S WERE WARMER AND MORE PRONONCED BASS BUT ACTUALLY DIDN'T REACH DOWN AS FAR. THESE ARE THE BEST AFFORDABLE SPEAKERS AT SOUNDSTAGING AND IMAGING THAT DON'T REQUIRE A SHEEP SACRIFICED TO THEM OR OTHER PLACEMENT REQUIRMENTS THAT THOSE OF US IN THE REAL WORLD (THOSE OF US WHO MUST USE OUR LIVING ROOM OR FAMILY ROOM AND NOT A DEDICATED LISTENING ROOM.)THE MIDRANGE IS JUST THERE. SOME SPEAKERS ARE MORE GEE-WHIZ IMPRESSIVE AT FIRST HEARING BUT BEWARE! ONCE YOU LIVE WITH THEM AWHILE THEY BECOME VERY FATIGUING. THE HIGH FREQUENCIES ARE EXTENDED BUT SMOOTH. I LISTEN TO A GREAT DEAL OF ORCHESTRAL MUSIC, MADRIGALS, HENDRIX, STING ,SARAH MACLACHLAN,NEIL YOUNG,STEELY DAN, ECT THE VANDY'S ARE THE BEST SPEAKER I HAVE HEARD THAT SOUND REAL OVER A WIDE SELECTION OF PROGRAM MATERIAL. WHATEVER SPEAKERS YOU DECIDE ON, MAKE YOUR DECISION BASED ON YOUR PROGRAM MATERIAL (CD'S, RECORDS, EDISON CYLINDERS).AND REMEMBER NO TWO PEOPLE PERCEIVE SOUND EXACTLY THE SAME SO DON'T LET SOME SALESMEN,AUDIO CONSULTANT,A FRIEND, OR ME TALK YOU INTO SOMETHING THAT YOU WILL BE UNHAPPY WITH.

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