Vandersteen 2 ce vs. B&W N 804, Any opinions?

Even being quite the fan of Vandersteen speakers, I'd have a hard time recommending them in your situation. As Sdcampbell noted, the rear driver will be very close to the wall, and it just seems to me that the bass would overpower the midrange in that situation.

Then again, I can't stand the sound of B&W speakers, personally, so I have a hard time recommending those as well.

Tough choice. Good luck figuring it out.

I know the room greatly effects the sound of speakers, but I am no expert in this regard so I can't help you there.

I listened to the 2Ce's. The Thiel 1.6's were a huge upgrade. I then listened to the B&W 703's and they smoked the Thiel's but were a bit harsh to me. I then listened to the 804's and they were downright beautiful. I listened to the Nautilus 805's and the treble and midrange were even better than the 804's but you definitely would need a subwoofer. The Signature 805's are like nothing I've ever heard. They are beautiful They would cost you the same as the 804's minus stands. The bass on the Signature 805's is substantial so you could get by without a subwoofer for a good while.

Listen. See what you like. One thing I've learned reading posts like these is that everybody's tastes and likes are very different. You have to be happy. It's your system and no one elses. Best regards!

These two speakers have quite different tonal characteristics, with the Vandy being on the warm side of neutral, with rather full lower frequencies, and the 804's somewhat brighter and balanced toward a leaner, more forward overall sound.

Your proposed positioning for the 2Ce's may be less than optimal, since they have a rear-mounted acoustic coupler that needs to be at least 2 feet away from the rear wall. The space to the side walls should not pose a problem, although the different distances may make the speakers sound somewhat unbalanced.