Thanks for all the response so far.....My listening room size should be "plenty big" to supoort the 2CE Sig./II's.
I guess the next step would be to find a dealer that has the Rogue and Vandy's, and compare the 1C's and the 2CE Sig./II's in store. Obviously a home audition would work best. I'll check it out.
Anyway, any other speaker suggestions for my system ?? Let me hear more ideas. Thanks |
Johnnyb53.....In response to your query....My audio habits are quite selfish, and my insulated/panelled/carpeted basement listening room is set up for a specific sweet spot (my leather chair and the small swivel bookcase to my right where I can rest my Scotch and my books on Jazz)...The main level of our home is a separately amplified and sourced system, set up with in-wall and ceiling speakers for "multi-person enjoyment." So,...with the Vandy 1C's that I now have in my basement system, I do enjoy a "sonic hologram in the sweet spot'" and I want to sontinue with this type of musical presentation. |
Thanks for your interest, Johnnyb53. I appreciate the solid advice and your seemingly keen insight. Happy Listening, my friend, and stay well !
And to everyone else who has helped in my quest for the proper speaker upgrade for my musical tastes and audio system....Thanks so very much. It's definitely an honor being part of this Audiogon commununity. |
Meanwhile, back at the ranch......I spent three wonderful hours last night listening to some amazing jazz and guitar blues through my Rogue/Rotel/Vandersteen system, and my ear-to-ear grin was constant. I was, very much, the "happy camper."
Prior to my listening session, I re-read the Vandersteen 1C's manual, and re-measured and slightly re-adjusted the "vertical tilt angle" of the speakers acc'd. to Richard's explicit instructions. The improvement was subtle, yet noticeable.....so I'm assuming that the originally set tilt angle changed over the years as the spikes further settled throught the carpet and padding into the floor..... Pretty cool stuff,.....don't ya'all think ? |
I'm really enjoying reading everybody's reasponses, and I am learning quite a lot about the wonderful "uniqueness" of Vandersteen sound. I just came upstairs after spending almost three hours listening to wonderful music (I was in a great mood after watching my Giants beat the Steelers). Tonight was all vinyl.....Hank Mobley, Grant Green, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Dave Brubeck.....The records, the Vandy's, and the system all worked beautifully together to create a stunning musical presentation. I think, as soon as I have the dinero, I'll be moving on up to the Vandy 2Ce Sig. II's. It should be quite a ride. |
Hey Jdolgin...............Thanks for your response. You've really made a lot of sense. Last December, when I decided to upgrade from my old Arcam Delta 90 integrated amp and Marantz CD-63SE player, I spoke several times with both John Ruttan at Audio Connection and Mark O'Brien at Rogue Audio. I explained what I really enjoyed about the way my Arcam/Marantz/NAD set-up drove my Vandersteen 1C's, and what I was hoping to "hear in the music" through the Vandy's with new electronics. After much research and review reading, I followed the advice of both gentlemen, and bought the Rogue Audio Cronus and the Rotel RCD-1072. The entire transaction process with John was a pleasure.
As you can see from my posts, I'm extremely happy with "all my stuff." I've recently spoken with John again, and he thoughtfully and happily explained the rationale behind his recommendation of the high pass filter/Vandy 2WQ upgrade, while kepping my 1C speakers. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Your recommendation has further enlightened me as to the benefits of this idea. So,.....the saga continues |
Okay,...... so let's go with the theory that the midrange speaker is a key element to the "Vandersteen sound" in the models above the 1C. Now, how do the mid-range and tweeter drivers in the 2CE Sig./II compare to those in the 3A Sig. ? What do you guys think ? |
This has been a great exchange of ideas, and I really appreciate everyone's input. So, last night I spent around 3 hours in front of my current set-up, listening to all CD's......Rob Wasserman (both "Duets" and "Trios"), Sonny Rollins ("The Bridge"), and Jennifer Warnes ("Famous Blue Raincoat" re-issue.) The music sounded absolutely fantastic, and I was in "audio heaven." So, maybe I'll just leave well enough alone for now, and keep on enjoying my system just the way it is. Who knows ?? This crazy hobby of ours certainly is a lot of fun. Take care, ya'all, and Happy Listening. I'll keep you posted. |
Thank you, Sonofjim. Very nicely stated. Enjoying the music is what it's all about.
Take it easy...... |
Samhar.......I'm sorry that you are annoyed. My intent is very much the pursuit of better speakers, and thanks to everyone who has commented, I will probably wind up buying the 2CE Sig./II's. Your "time and energy" is very much appreciated, as is the time and energy of all my fellow Audiogoners, but isn't a very important part of our hobby the exchange of lucid and enlightened ideas so that the philosophies behind "high end audio" can be shared and discussed by all ? So try to put aside your annoyance, and be happy that your audiophile knowledge is certainly helping all of us to better enjoy our hobby and share some collective insight. That's what makes these forums so worthwhile. Happy Listening, and thanks for all your advice on this forum. |
Yes, Samhar.....I do love music. I was trained as a classical cellist, and my heart now belongs to 1950's - 1960's jazz and the "classic rock" of my younger days. And, yes indeed, I have benefitted from all the responses, and I am very grateful that everyone has taken the time to help make this forum such a wonderful place to exchange ideas. Thank you so much for your good wishes, and I'm very happy that we share a deep appreciation for music and all our attempts to lovingly reproduce it in our homes. |
Wow......You guys are fantastic !! Thanks so much for all your ideas and all your support. I love my music, and I love our hobby. The ongoing pursuit of audiophile perfection must always remain closely related to our honest enjoyment of the music. Listening to our favorite tunes, on the equipment which keeps us constantly energized and allows us to remain acutely aware of our options to upgrade and improve our systems, is the guiding light which keeps us going. YES....I will upgrade, both my speakers (staying with Vandersteen) and my analog front end. My purchase decisions will be based on the wonderful education I've been exposed to on this forum, and it truly is an honor to be part of a "community of learners and teachers" that is the core of the Audiogon experience.
Now, let's all sit back, relax, and enjoy spinning our CD's and LP's. Listen to the songs, smile, and appreciate the talents of the composers, songwriters, and players who make us happy. |
Rogue Audio and Vandersteen seem to be a wonderful match. I really love my Vandy 1C's with the Cronus, and will probably upgrade to the 2Ce Sig. II's as the budget allows. For now, I'm busy upgrading my analog front end, and am about to sell my NAD 533/Goldring Elektra set-up, and buy a new Rega P3-24/Rega Exact rig. Needless to say, I am incredibly psyched for this improvement. The new Rega set-up should work beautifully with my Rogue/Vandersteen system. |
Mrtennis....In an ideal world, YES...the auditioning process is a fantastic idea. However, many of us live in areas where it isn't possible to audition "as many products as you can afford" due to a total lack of quality audio dealers within reasonable driving distance. Therefore, one of the many things I appreciate about our Audiogon forums is the ability to exchange ideas in an effort to "narrow down the choices," so as to properly plan the necessary "auditioning road trips." |
Wow, Mrtennis............Very insightful philosophical thoughts. These ideas can be extended to quite a few realms far beyond audio decisions. Well said, sir ! |
Nicely said, Mrmitch. For me, the overwhelming purpose of my participation in our "audiophile hobby" is the pure and simple enjoyment of music. Beyond that, I very much cherish all the interchange of ideas and advice that we share on these Audiogon forums. It is extremely educational and thought provoking to converse with all of you about our audio systems and ideas for their improvement, and it's really a lot of fun to be part of this discussion community. Participating in these forums is a wonderful way to learn more about our hobby, and to explore the vast wealth of knowledge that all you guys are so willing to share. As a result, I continue to realize how much I love listening to music, and how much I enjoy the many hours I spend in my "sweet spot chair" in front of my Vandersteens, with a smile on my face as the music stirs my soul. For all of this, I am quite thankful. |
I've just finished re-reading all the responses to my original post on this thread from last October, and I still want to let all you guys know how much I truly appreciate all your tremendously helpful feedback and advice.
So...., in order to keep you all updated,......I have been enjoying a wonderful upgrade to the beautiful music created by my Vandersteen 1C's. I greatly improved my analog front end by switching to the Rega P3-24 turntable with the Rega Exact 2 cartridge and Rega TT-PSU power supply. The sublime change in the way the Vandy's now "sing their sweet music" has been incredible, and the speakers now sound better than ever. I also built home-made isolation platforms for both the table and the Rotel CD deck (with Vibrapods and MDF boards,) and this also led to an improvement in how the speakers sound. Finally, with the educated advice of Nick and Mark at Rogue Audio, I swapped out the five stock "small tubes" in my amplifier for some hand-picked NOS tubes, and this too led to a very noticeable improvement in the way I've been enjoying the music throught the 1C's.
So for now, I'm truly loving my system, and I'll hold on the Vandersteen 1C's for a while. I'm just amazed at the way the improvements in the rest of the "audio chain' have enhanced the wonderful musical qualities of the speakers.
I hope that you are all doing well, and are enjoying the music as much as I am.
Happy Listening, my friends. |
Hi Bondman.....I really enjoyed reading your thread, and your "chronicles" describing your experiences with your new Ohm speakers. I remember when I was a surgery resident back in the early 1980's, my buddy had an Ohm Walsh based system, with a Marantz receiver and a Thorens table. I was enjoying my Yamaha receiver, Mission 717 speakers, and Beogram turntable at that time, and I remember that we both loved spending our listening time in front of both set-ups. His Ohm speakers were definitely very special, and I'm looking forward to reading more about your new speakers as time goes by. Happy Listening ! |
Been there, done that..... You're absolutely correct, Stringreen. Over the past two years, I've swapped out the stock power cords for SignalCable MagiCord AC lines, I've carefully followed Richard's guidelines with my Vandersteens placement and tilt-back, I've upgraded my interconnects to AQ King Cobras, I've replaced my Rega table's felt with a Herbie's mat, I've added the Rega TT-PSU, and I've played around with the room's furniture positions ......all in an attempt to optimize my system's sound. All these "changes and upgrades" have brought a sense of cumulative improvement that's been pretty noticeable to my ears and to the ears of my family and friends.
So thanks for your response. By the way, your system looks like it's mighty fine. I bet it sounds great. Enjoy your music, and Happy Listening !. |
Thanks for the subwoofer idea..... John Rutan had suggested this a while back. I'd have to send my Rogue Cronus back for modifications so it can connect to the sub(s) and the 1C's. For the $$$ involved in modifying my amp and buying the sub(s), it's propbably a similar investment as selling my 1C's and buying a new pair of 2Ce Signature II's. Meanwhile, until my "personal economy" improves, I'm extremely happy enjoying my wonderful system just as it is right now. Happy Listening, and best wishes to all of you for a Happy Thanksgiving !! |
