Help me choose between Vandersteen 2c or Bowers and Wilkins DM640

Vandersteen 2c or B&W DM640?

  • 2c

    Votes: 6 100.0%

  • DM640

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    6
Shrugg

Shrugg

Active Member
Looking for an upgrade from my current speakers, DCM Tf-600s, and found both of these speakers for about the same price and distance. I’m planning on driving them in a smallish medium sized room with my Yamaha AX-900 (130 wpc) so power is no issue for me. Room is somewhat oddly shaped, kind of like a rectangle with one corner removed and a diagonal wall connecting the two shortened sides, and has a vaulted ceiling. Generally, I listen to classic and prog rock, but also listen to jazz and classical, as well as a few other genres. Planning on setting the speakers up about 6 feet apart away from any side walls, and can pull them away from the back wall. What speakers would fit my needs best and be a good choice in the long run?
 
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I have a pair of Vandersteen 2ces that I'm very happy with. They will sound better if they are moved into the room some distance from walls or corners. When I bought them, before they were hooked up, the guy selling them said "they have a lot of air", and I kind of got what he meant when I heard them; very open, with a nice soundstage, and the timbres of instruments sounded quite natural to me. I knew I was going to buy them in 10 seconds -- no exaggeration.

On the Vandersteen site you can see the manuals which give some placement recommendations; I set mine up on what I think they called the "Thirds placement" approach and they sounded much, much better than when they were near a back wall. I listen mostly to jazz and sometimes classical, for which they are very nice, but will occasionally listen to the rock music I grew up with, and I don't find them lacking in any way with that sort of music either. I think a good speaker should be able to sound good with any kind of music, and I think these sound just fine with just about anything.

None of this means that they're better than the B&Ws you're considering, of course. Needless to say, the best way of deciding is listening to both, but it sounds like that's not really practical in your instance.

I should caution that older 2s can have foam surrounds that may need to be replaced, but newer ones have rubber surrounds that won't rot. You can find threads here on that topic.
 
I haven't heard the B&Ws, but I upgraded from TF-600s to Vandersteens (first 1Bs and later 2Cis) and think you'd be very pleased with that path. The Vandys take everything the TF-600s do well up a couple of notches except the wall of sound effect the DCMs excel at. Instead, the 2Cs provide more precise imaging and greater overall clarity in speakers that still "disappear." Like the DCMs, they are never fatiguing and encourage long listening sessions.

With the types of music you listed and the ability to place them properly away from walls, 2Cs are a no-brainer recommendation. I'd advise getting 2Cis or newer to avoid having to refoam woofers. Neither Timeframes nor Vandersteen model 1-3s are much fun to work on. Enjoy whatever you decide to get!
 
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