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Add a Subwoofer to my Vandersteen 1ce s or replace with Revel Concerta2 F36

Hey Audiogon community,
    Perhaps you guy can help here. I have a VPI Scout with Sound Smith Zephyr III Cartridge running into a Musical Fidelity v-LPS that runs into a NAD VISO 5 Receiver and back out to a pair of Vandersteen 1ce's. Since I recently bought the Zephyr III, it revealed some inadequacies, and I am in upgrade mode. My audio advisor from Brooks Berdan suggested I start with the speakers. Mind you, I Love my Vandersteens but wish there was deeper bass realism. I have been listening to the Revel concerta2 F36  recently with a Cronus Magnus powering them via some entry level Oracle turntable. I like the F36 a lot, and feel like they would give me more full range dynamics especially on the low end. I am looking at upgrading to the Rogue Cronus Magnus soon as well. And am hoping that upgrading to the F36 is the smarter choice than adding a sub that would seamlessly integrate. Any thought would be appreciated. Thank you.
voodooman13

Showing 1 response by mtrot

mtrot
804 posts
 
@voodooman13

Upgrading speakers will likely be the most immediate path to getting significantly better sound. The F36 is a nice speaker, but you have other options. You owe it to yourself to visit Destination Hi Fi in Los Angeles and listen to a set of Legacy Audio Expression. The Expression offers a ribbon tweeter and 38Hz bass extension, and weighs in at 70 pounds, while the F36 weighs 50 pounds. The Expression has 8" woofers vs 6.5" woofers on the F36. The Expression will give you the low frequency dynamics you mention, in spades.

 http://destinationhifi.com/

For a real tweet, while you're there, have them connect the Expression to a Raven Audio Osprey tube integrated amp!

BTW, I'm pretty pleased for now with the audio quality I'm getting via my Denon X5200 receiver, paired with a Krell FPB-400cx power amp for the front L/R channels, and my Legacy Audio Signature II speakers, which are from the 1990s. I think you can get some pretty good sound from a package of your current receiver, separate power amp, and a significantly upgraded speaker such as the Expression.  You can always add a higher quality pre-amp later.
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