May come in handy as fire wood.

Boom-Box like bass and midrange; Bose-like high end.

Why would anyone be foold in to thinking these are a decent product? They're 25 years old, have no new technology, and show for it. Compared to similar speakers on the market, I consider these to be a major rip off. All you're paying for is grill-cloth to cover the mess of cardboard boxes stacked on the inside.

Not unlike the last reviewer, I've also got an Acurus amp, Kimber speaker wire, Nordost interconnects, a B&K pre, and a Cambrige Audio CD player. Frankly, when I play my equiptment throught these speakers, everything come out with some sort of over/under emphasis. There is simply no balance to these things. There are simnply too many better speakers on the market, at the same price or less.

If you like the sound of Vandersteen, you'd probably be better off spending less money on a pair of Bose speaks.

For the same price, go buy the Monitor Audio 5i.

Similar Products Used:

B&W DM602, Medowlark Kesrel, Monitor Audio Silver 5i

I would really like to audition a pair of these speakers but cant seam to find a dealer around. If anyone knows of a dealer in the mid-west please contact me. Thanks

Excellent imaging, neutrality, build quality, value

Dynamics, bananna input connectors

Well I've had these speakers about a year and I thought I'd
throw in my 2 cents worth. I'm not sure why everyone thinks
these speakers have rolled off highs, in my room I had to turn the treble down a little. Then again I have a very bright room. These speakers are very neutral and accurate in their performance. They are great for listening to musical instruments, especically classical or jazz. They are not for everyone, however. In time I noticed I missed some of the dynamics of other speakers I've owned. I think these speakers perform more like a Rolls Royce than a Porche but that's great if you're looking for a Rolls. I must conceed though my room acoustics are not ideal and my placement options were limited. These speakers may be somewhat placement sensative and you will want a good room preferably with acoustic treatments. If you want punch and slam then look elsewhere. If you value neutrality over dynamics then these are great speakers and a very good value. I'm more of a rock than classical listener so I've sold my 2Ce's and plan to shop around for a speaker that favors dynamics over neutrality (but without totally sacrificing neutrality we can hope but that's another topic). I'd also make sure you have very good exlectonics with these speakers because they are ruthlessly revealing like my old NHT's. Bright or shoddy electronics will hurt your ears on these speakers but don't blame the speakers, garbage in, garbage out. In summary I'd say they are excellent speakers but they really depend on your personal tastes so be careful before buying and give them a good listen. In this price range they are very, very difficult to beat for value if they're the kind of speakers you are looking for. Only construction complaint I have that will drive you banannas are the female bananna inputs.. come on Mr. Vandersteen, let's get some 5 way binding posts .. spades make tighter connections and for those bananna people out there they can still use them. You're too good of an audio genius to go with banannas ..

Similar Products Used:

NHT 2.5i, Klipsch KG 4.5

Coherence,non-fatiguing,musical

less than pinpoint soundstage,
transparency good, not great

A basic assessment of the Vandersteen 2Ce is that it
is a very serious step up in performance from the
mid-fi stuff that is sold in basic home theater
speaker packages. This speaker is easy to listen
to, gives a very good account of itself over a wide
frequency range, and is very good value for the dollar.
The audiophile will enjoy this speaker (while looking
forever for something better). The rest of us will
enjoy this speaker, because it is very good and we'll
have some coin left over for a summer vacation.