I agree with the many who have already stated the Vandersteen is a great choice. I am of the opinion that it is the best value in a full range speaker. It is a steal at its price point.
The Magnepan 1.6QR is a great speaker as well, but it presents many potential problems. It requires quite a bit of current as is extremely sensitive to placement. In the right situation it could outperform the Vandersteen 2CE Signature. I would say that 90 percent of the time the Vandersteen will be the better choice because the speaker is not at all picky about what is being used to drive it and it is not anywhere near as placement sensitive as the Magnepan is.
Good Luck.
The Magnepan 1.6QR is a great speaker as well, but it presents many potential problems. It requires quite a bit of current as is extremely sensitive to placement. In the right situation it could outperform the Vandersteen 2CE Signature. I would say that 90 percent of the time the Vandersteen will be the better choice because the speaker is not at all picky about what is being used to drive it and it is not anywhere near as placement sensitive as the Magnepan is.
Good Luck.