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I have a pair of 2C's from 1988 I believe those are of the silk dome variety and are very smooth - never sibilant unless the source is (which they can be). I am not sure of the tweeters in the very latest model 1's 2's and 3's think the tweeters are all the same except if you bump up the the "CT" or carbon tweeter variety in their upper tier line) In general the 2C will give a meatier sound and provide more SPL, which you would want for your room. In fact, if you can swing it go with the 3A sigs and you get the same midrange driver that is in the Treo and Quatro I believe. Good stuff. Judging by their website specs, the 2CE Sig IIs are now nearly identical to the 3A Sigs except for cabinet size. I may hold out for a used pair of 3ASigs. |
I appreciate all the input.
For some reference on the sibilance I heard with the 1Cis: Yesterday I bought a pair of near-mint Large Advents (77'), the ones with the orange "fried egg" tweeter. I kid you not, they sound better than the 1Cis ever did in the month I owned them...well, aside from the decay factor. However, I noticed the Advent tweeters exhibit a similar sibilance with some recordings. The same applies to my EPI 100s (I have 6 pairs of speakers currently). In my system, the 1Ci tweets were no more refined than those of these vintage models.
Rest of my system is probably considered "mid-fi" around these parts. Amps are the Rogue CMII and Yamaha A-S1100. Current sources are Pro-Ject Pre BoxS2 Digital and an Acoustic Signature Wow XL turntable with Hana SL cart. Parasound JC3 Jr. for the phono stage. The most refined speakers I own at the moment are JM Reynaud Bliss Silvers - best tweeters out of speakers I've owned but not the best I've heard.
How would you guys rate the carbon tweeter against a good beryllium unit? Since I run stereo subs crossed over at 120Hz, I'm thinking I might be better off with the VLR CTs.
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I did follow the setup protocol. I noticed the decay was highly dependent on rake angle and listening height.
Yes, I used multi-strand speaker cable. I owned some Type 4 in the past with my other speakers and wasn't impressed to be honest. I may try some again as my local dealer sells it very cheap. |
Update: I ended up purchasing a brand new pair of 2CE Sig IIs. The dealer received them just this week, so they should be the latest and greatest iteration. Luckily, I was able to negotiate a price based on the $2700 MSRP (Vandy now lists them at $2999, and at least one dealer is asking even more (?)).
Now I'm impatiently awaiting their arrival.
I almost went for 3A Sigs, however, I'll likely be moving in the near future and my system could end up in a smaller space, so had to take that into consideration.
Also bought some AQ Type-4 cable per the recommendations here. I plan to terminate it with the standard 1/4" AQ spades for now. I just question how well they'll crimp onto those rather small-gauge wires. I suppose I'll have to reinforce the crimp with some solder.
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Good choice! I've heard the most recent versions of the 2CE Sig II's, and they are definitely the best yet. Adding a Vandy sub (if you're so inclined) makes for a unbeatable combination. Thanks. I already have two Golden Ear subs that allow high-pass crossover. I'll try running them full-range first. |
I caution you to NOT solder those cables. It is not the best connection. Are you getting them terminated by the dealer or from the company? I don't know if AQ sells them terminated. Just my opinion. Others may say differently.
I typically use good ol' Kester 60/40 - I find it stronger than the silver stuff. I plan to use a crimp connection in addition to solder because the wires might be too small a gauge unless I want to double/ triple fold the ends. Do you know of a solid core cable that has larger gauge wires? |
^ I considered the new VLRs with the carbon tweeter, but decided I want to give another shot at living with a 3-way speaker. I typically prefer 2 and 2.5-way speakers, but I suspect the time and phase alignment of the 2CEs will eliminate the lack of coherence I encounter in most 3-ways. |
I managed to source some of the gold-plated-copper Vampire spades. |
the Anticables copper spades are very soft and yield a nice gas tight connection without excessive torque.
helomech have they arrived yet ??? Not yet. I was hoping I'd have them before my vacation, but had to postpone the ship date because they're coming by freight. They should arrive in a few days. I ordered both Vampire and Furutech spades, and will probably use whichever is a better fit for the barrier strips. I would have gone with AntiCables, but being as I occasionally re-route my cables for use with different amps, I'm afraid the insulation coating wouldn't hold up long. My gear is housed by a rather heavy entertainment credenza that necessitates the speaker cables being snaked behind it whenever I have the urge to switch amps. |
I finally received the speakers, unfortunately, the 26' of bulk cable I ordered with them had been cut into 5 random lengths (wtf?). So I'm using stranded cable in the mean time. I was surprised to discover my Audioquest Suregrip 300 spades were able to fit the barrier terminals.
I had my previous speakers hooked up to my Rogue CM-II prior to receiving the Vandys but decided to switch to my SS amp for initial break-in. They're certainly good overall but I need to play with positioning. I had positioned them according to the manual but not getting the decay I remember with the 1Cis - I suppose that would be a matter of tilt setting.
The bass is definitely improving with each listen. I plan to hook them up to my CM-II this weekend to see if that amp was responsible for the better imaging and soundstaging I was getting with my other speakers (Spendor SP2/3R2). |
Well guys, unfortunately, the 2CE Sigs aren’t working for me. I’m really quite baffled (no pun intended), because they sound nothing like what I recall of the 1Cis. I played them quite a lot over the last week and regardless of placement tweaks, I just couldn’t duplicate the decay of the 1Cis. The midrange is also quite lacking in detail compared to nearly all my other speakers. On the plus side, I didn’t notice any sibilance in the high freqs as I did with the 1Cis. The bass extension is also very nice, though sometimes it sounds like it’s overwhelming the cabinet with resonance.
I realize speakers can take a long while to break-in, but these would have to undergo quite the transformation for me to keep them.
After boxing up the Vandys last night, just for kicks, I inserted my 43-year-old Advents into the system - same cables and all. I’ll be a monkey’s uncle - the Advents were producing more detail, greater midrange presence, better imaging and just overall greater musicality. I know that’s hard to believe but that’s what I was hearing. I’m sure at least 5 out of 10 would hear the opposite. Anyhow, my dealer was agreeable in making an exchange for a demo pair of Stirling SB-88s - a speaker I know I’ll enjoy.
I still appreciate everyone’s responses and advice here.
Happy Listening.
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Helomech-
Sorry to hear about your experience with these speakers. I know you have had bad luck now...twice! But hey that’s ok, just keep looking. Perhaps the Sterlings will work out to be the perfect match, they look to be very fine speakers. I often think, speaker choice is a very subjective journey. The key is to find what you like, not what others like. Good luck, happy listening. Thanks @2psyop Yes, extremely subjective - something I realize more and more the longer I'm an audiophile. Johnny at Audio Connection graciously offered to guide the setup of the 2CEs but unfortunately, I didn't see his message until they were already on the freight truck. And as for luck, yeah, when it rains, it pours. Because I wanted to keep my business with that dealer, in exchange for the Vandys, I agreed to buy some "open-box" Stirling SB-88s. I've heard these speakers in the past so I knew they were a safe bet, sonically. But apparently it's just not my season for speaker purchases. I unboxed them only to find they have many nicks and scratches in the veneer, a dent in one corner and a dust cap that's disbonding from one of the drivers. I really wish they had disclosed the condition prior to the sale. They should've been listed as "scratch and dent," as are some items in their inventory. I would've rather paid almost full retail for a brand-new condition pair. Maybe this is just the universe telling me to be content with what I have. |
Why sweat it just fix it
The only mistake you are making now is to not having the truck turnaround. Re-route is easy
Likely not broken in yet. Bases filled? Ask Questions?
How far out into the room? Bi-wired w solid core
Tilt back? Wider spacing
I’ll bet we can make em work amazingly well. Best JohnnyR Bases were filled with a mixture of lead shot and kitty litter. They were placed approximately 45" into the room (at acoustic center) based on the manual’s recommendations, but I tried a few inches fore and aft of that as well. I also tried many rake configurations in addition to the graph’s recommendation of 1/2." They were equidistant to the forward wall within 1mm of each other. Distance to the side walls was over 3’ for each speaker, though not equal distances as was advised by the manual. They were bi-wired with AQ Type 4 cable. I could possibly have the truck turn around, but based on what I’ve already tried, I’m not confident enough that I could achieve what I’m seeking to risk another $280 hit in shipping charges if I can’t make em work. What really makes me question their compatibility is that I couldn’t get the midrange to come forward regardless of what I tried. Even when I boosted the mids by a couple decibels, the midrange remained very recessed in the mix. The midrange of my 2-way Advents was so much more clear and delineable that I was shaking my head in confoundment. It’s ok though, this whole venture has at least quenched my curiosity. If anything, it’s helped me realize how content I should be with my old setup. At least I know the 1Cis work well in my system so maybe I’ll pick up a pair of those again someday. |
I would say that each speaker 3 feet in from the side wall were too close together and too far out from the front wall for proper power response.Like I said have the truck re-route and I'll pay half if we don't succeed. simple, compliance and call me asap
Best JohnnyR Thanks Johnny, a very generous offer but the speakers are already back to the dealer and I doubt they'd let me try them again anyhow. >3' from the side walls still had the speakers over 8' apart. The distance from the forward wall resulted in good bass, that wasn't so much the problem. It was the midrange that was too recessed for my tastes. I didn't have any such issues with the 1Cis which makes me think maybe the 2Ces are just not to my taste. I'm not heartbroken over it and content with my current setup for now. |
