Novice Questsions on Vandersteens

[IEHAGY]

I am looking at picking up a pair of Vandersteen 2ce's in the coming days and had a couple questions that maybe y'all could help me with. These speakers were recommended by the gentleman who rebuilt my ARXA turntable and he did such a killer job on that that i want to follow his recc.

1. I currently have a Stromberg-Carlson Stereo 8 integrated amp, that is listed 34 wpc ( specs in photo ) is this going to be enough to drive them. I have heard they want around 40 but can be more forgiving with tubes?

2. My room is about 14 x 14, is this gonna be adequate for them. I can probably place them about a foot from the back but not much more.

3. Can some one be so kind as to explain bi-wire and how i navigate the four speaker posts ?

Thanks alot and apologies if any of these questions are particularly novice.

 

[ScottFan355]

I've never personally heard the Vandersteen's but I think you will be fine. Unless you like to wake up your neighbors. As far as bi-wiring goes I don't personally bother but opinions are all over the map. Except among electrical engineers, 99%+ will say there's no advantage.

 

[Audiofreak71]

I am looking at picking up a pair of Vandersteen 2ce's in the coming days and had a couple questions that maybe y'all could help me with. These speakers were recommended by the gentleman who rebuilt my ARXA turntable and he did such a killer job on that that i want to follow his recc.

1. I currently have a Stromberg-Carlson Stereo 8 integrated amp, that is listed 34 wpc ( specs in photo ) is this going to be enough to drive them. I have heard they want around 40 but can be more forgiving with tubes?

2. My room is about 14 x 14, is this gonna be adequate for them. I can probably place them about a foot from the back but not much more.

3. Can some one be so kind as to explain bi-wire and how i navigate the four speaker posts ?

Thanks alot and apologies if any of these questions are particularly novice.

I own a pair of 2ce signature's and I can tell you my experience on getting the best sound out of them. I have approximately the same size room slightly bigger and have mine about 2ft from the back walls 6ft part and listening distance to my ears are approximately 10ft. I used the guide as per vandersteens instructions on the correct amount of tilt to add vs your seating distance. I have the bases filled with shot and they are bi wired as per Richard Vandersteens recommendation for optimal sound. I have mine running off a solid state amp that is putting 300 watts to each speaker.

What I can tell you is give the vandys the most clean watts you can afford. I have not ran mine with a tube amp yet, but I have heard they sound great with the right ones. I started with 85wpc and with each increase in watts I gave them the better they sounded. I will say that I don't believe that bi wiring is very important with alot of speakers never have, however when the person that invented the speakers highly recommends that they be bi wired, then it's probably for a reason and when I tested my vandys without being bi wired vs being bi wired the difference was significant, much cleaner tighter bass mids and highs just all came together in unison. I forgot to mention my speaker cables are Banana on the amp end and Spades on the speaker end which makes it easier when connecting them.

Hope this helps and once you get them set up correctly, you will be blown away at how good these speakers are.

Audiofreak71

 

[hjames]

I think 34 w/ch is a bit underpowered. I had Vandersteen 2CEs and while I could run them on my Jolida 502 integrated amp (60-85w/ch)
they really did better on a B&K ST202plus amp w/200w/ch. I did not play them LOUD on the amp, mind you,
but more watts means more headroom for percussion and sudden musical dynamics like that.

I found a set of MIT terminator BI-wires on my local Craigslist and bought them (used) - it seemed to make a subtle difference, then again, perhaps I psyched myself after I bought them. I think with Vandersteens you get into the range where you can detect more subtle improvements in your gear, wiring, etc.

 

[soundmig]

At a sensitivity of about 86db (1 Watt at 1 Meter) those are going to be tough to drive with only 34 watts. You can drive them with 34 watts, but transient peaks (that require quite a bit of power) will limit how loud you can play them without risking clipping of the amp. Personally, I probably wouldn't recommend it, but if you tend to listen at pretty low levels it might work out. Tubes do tend to clip more graciously, so you might get away with it.
Your room is big enough for the Vandies. You may need to get them more than a foot off the back wall though - for best results.
As for the bi-wire inputs. A set of jumpers will get you started. Beyond that experimentation is the way to go. Bi-Wire or single wire with jumpers all depends on what YOU hear when you try the various set-ups. Try various configurations with your single wire/jumper arrangement as one or another may sound the best.

 

[cratz2]

Yeah, our Vandersteen dealer used to demo them with 4x100 watts, being bi-amped.

I did briefly hear the 2Cis with a 50 watt Arcam integrated and I don't feel it was quite enough, but that was in a much larger room than 14x14 feet. It was closer to 16x24 with about 12 foot ceilings.

That's not to say they won't sound good with your amp, but I definitely don't think you'll experience their full dynamic capabilities.

 

[IEHAGY]

Thanks for all the feedback. My current speakers are DCM TimeFrame 500s ( 90db I think ) and the amp seems to do fine, though not a powerhouse with them. I still may pick the Vandies up with the hope of upgrading my power in the future !

 

[onplane]

Thanks for all the feedback. My current speakers are DCM TimeFrame 500s ( 90db I think ) and the amp seems to do fine, though not a powerhouse with them. I still may pick the Vandies up with the hope of upgrading my power in the future !

Here is a thought for when you get the Vandies. Use your SC amp to power the high frequency drivers and get a solid state amp to drive those power hungry woofers in the Vandies.

Regards,
Jerry

 

[Audiofreak71]

Thanks for all the feedback. My current speakers are DCM TimeFrame 500s ( 90db I think ) and the amp seems to do fine, though not a powerhouse with them. I still may pick the Vandies up with the hope of upgrading my power in the future !

Best bet is to get them and arrange them in your room until they sound the best. They are really excellent speakers when setup correctly and will yield many hours of happy listening sessions.

 

[CohibaJoe]

I am looking at picking up a pair of Vandersteen 2ce's in the coming days and had a couple questions that maybe y'all could help me with. These speakers were recommended by the gentleman who rebuilt my ARXA turntable and he did such a killer job on that that i want to follow his recc.

1. I currently have a Stromberg-Carlson Stereo 8 integrated amp, that is listed 34 wpc ( specs in photo ) is this going to be enough to drive them. I have heard they want around 40 but can be more forgiving with tubes?

2. My room is about 14 x 14, is this gonna be adequate for them. I can probably place them about a foot from the back but not much more.

3. Can some one be so kind as to explain bi-wire and how i navigate the four speaker posts ?

Thanks alot and apologies if any of these questions are particularly novice.

Well Well. Model 2 Ce...I had picked these up from a moving sale...I removed the socks as the guy's cat used these as
a Cat Tree. Only the Socks had been ripped. I call Mr. Vandersteen on ordering replace socks and also about Bi-wiring.
You will get a Very Detailed answer to the Bi-wiring and this is how I setup with the PrimaLuna. I did not order the Speaker
socks....I like the way these look.

 

[frperdurabo]

The North Jersey Vandersteen dealer only demos them with tubes. I've heard them w/70 watt Quicksilver Monos, and they sounded great. Depending on room size and program material, you might be OK with 3db less headroom. They have a kind impedence curve, thanks (presumably) to their 1st order crossovers, so like the BBC LS3/5a they don't need as much power as the specs would suggest.

 

[sqlsavior]

1. Believe it or not, there is no practical difference between 34 watts and 40 watts.
2. You will want them at least two feet out from the wall, with 3 feet better.
3. IMO, bi-wiring is for the birds. Tried it once, on Vandersteens, out of respect. Even geniuses can be wrong.

 

[niws]

I have owned both 2ci's and 2ce's. When I first owned the 2ci's, I had them in a 9'x12' room and I drove them with a Berning EA-230, which is a 30 wpc tube amp. In this room, I had enough power to drive them effectively. However, when I later moved them to a larger room, the Berning did not have enough power. The best sound I got out of them was with Quicksilver Mono amps. I had both the Quicksilver 8417's and later the Silver 90's.
Vandersteen 2ce's are designed to be bi-wired which means there are separate speaker terminals for the high frequencies and mid-range/bass on the speaker. You need to either use double runs of speaker cables and join them together at the amp end or use speaker cables specifically configured for bi-wiring. You can also buy jumpers designed to join the speaker terminals together and then use only one speaker cable. My experience was that bi-wiring results in a slightly more dynamic, richer sound, but your experience may be different.

 

[cnolanh]

I've got a pair of 2Ces in a 15 x 12 room. Superb speakers. Usually they're powered by McIntosh or Pioneer solid state amps in the 120-140 watt class, combinations which work brilliantly. I have experimented with biwiring the 2Ces and I'm one of those who didn't discern any difference.

I also have a small Bogen AP200 tube amp that produces about 22 wpc. For kicks I've tried it with a number of different speakers including these Vandersteens. Although of course I couldn't drive them as loudly as is possible with larger amps, the sound was lush and enjoyable, and certainly enough for moderately loud volumes in this size room.

I recommend that you try your tube amp with the Vandies and see for yourself. You may be surprised!

 

[IEHAGY]

I recommend that you try your tube amp with the Vandies and see for yourself. You may be surprised!

Exactly what I plan to do ! Thanks for all the advice, I am picking them up in a week and will report back. Thanks.

 

[onwardjames]

I have a pair of 2c's. Giving them 165 wpc with an Onkyo M504. It isn't enough, but they sound pretty darn good.

They're amazing speakers. I know you're going to be happy.

 

[IEHAGY]

Just to follow up, I got em and I am not in love. I have tried a couple different room placements and they always come across muddy, especially and the mids to the point where i feel like they give me a slight headache. My guess is that my amp is drastically under powering them. Now I gotta decide if I want to look for more efficient speakers or moth-ball them till i can find / afford a better pairing amp.

 

[Pete B]

Try to get or borrow 100W/ch solid state and try them with that. They are good
in the bass so they will excite room modes so you have to work on the placement.
Try the mid control, two ticks down on the level it really helps to balance them.
They are a bit boxy and lacking in depth with the levels set flat.
The Vandersteen 2 series went through many revisions, do yours have rubber
surrounds and if not do they need refoaming?

 

[IEHAGY]

Try to get or borrow 100W/ch solid state and try them with that. They are good
in the bass so they will excite room modes so you have to work on the placement.
Try the mid control, two ticks down on the level it really helps to balance them.
They are a bit boxy and lacking in depth with the levels set flat.
The Vandersteen 2 series went through many revisions, do yours have rubber
surrounds and if not do they need refoaming?

Thanks for the advice. These are the 2ce's so they are rubber i believe, but regardless I just got them back from a tweeter repair and cleaning. I have a feeling you are right that tracking down a higher powered amp is gonna be the key.

 

[Audiofreak71]

I have my 2ce signatures bi amped and am putting down about 300wpc to them, they love power and more importantly placement is key , highly recommended using the setup diagram on the Vandersteen website to get the angle and toe in correct, once done they should sing beautifully.