alon II or Vandersteen 2ce how do they compare?

I've heard both in different settings. Basically my impression is
- the Vandersteen 2CE's are very liquid and smooth. Pleasant to the ear and easy to listen to. They present music very nicely, if a little polite for some people. A speaker you could truly love. But you will probably need a tight amp to deliver the best bass from these speakers, and may also need room treatments.
- The Alon's are a bit more "live" sounding, and can be somewhat bright and forward, They truly need a tube amp to smooth them out. However, their big bass speaker needs solid state to be contruolled and not overwhelm the room. That may be why they have individual terminals and recommend bi-amping. They are very open when driven correctly, but definitely need some taming.

Both are good when done right. The 2CE's are probably more easily a plug-and-play option for most people though.

Enjoy,
Bob

I actually owned both. They are ENTIRELY different animals. The Vandies were always musical and forgiving and seemingly easier to drive. They were more forgiving of ancillary equipment and wire, etc.. The Alons were certainly more revealing and even more open and spacious. They need the right speaker cable or they can sound dreadful and wiry. I would also recommend at least 50 tube watts to drive them. Your B&K should have no problem at all. They hated Kimber wire. The Alons were more an audiophile type speaker and the Steens were for just enjoying music. I hope that helps

I've never heard the alons, but Chris and Bob are right on with respect to the Vandies. And you can always hear the impact of an upstream upgrade.