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Vandersteen 2CE Signature II: Is it worth the price of $2700? Why are so many for sale?

I have seen several ads on both AG and Ebay for a "variety" of Vandersteen 2CE's  

Question: Is:the "latest version:"of the model worth its  $2700 price tag  considering the evolution of this design over the last 10 to 12 years

Vandersteen's website shares a few paragraphs about the upgrades made; but, has their really been notable or marked improvements in sound quality and overall performance?.

The amount of 2CE's for sale regardless of what version seems unusual,and even cautionary for buyers looking at a used pair ( taking into consideration age and condition)

Lastly, does this model compete with the performance of other speakers in its price range??

  Thank you, S.J.


 

sunnyjim
partroysound
25 posts
 
How do you know the age/series of the speaker. I bought a used set that say 2Ce and has his signature on the terminal plate. Is that what they mean by signature?
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,911 posts
 
quick call to factory with serial # will give you approximate age
Richard answers the phone
There is also a section on website called “ ask Richard “ sort of a streaming FAQ, many questions answered there....

sssperf's avatar
sssperf
3 posts
 
Vande are a great way to go.  Just don't overpay.  Also, stay away, far away from the 2ci's not in the same league sound dead just muffled highs so warm they are hot!  Bought a pair mint w factory stands locally for $400 unloaded them to a h/t guy who had 1c's after one month.  Early 2ce's are fine. 
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
"How do you know the age/series of the speaker."

Actually you can’t. I asked Richard about my 2Cis and his response was they don’t keep a record of the serial numbers and dates. He did however give me a rough approximate timeframe for mine. Maybe he does now for the newer models.
gdnrbob
4,444 posts
 
Regarding serial numbers:
Vandersteen doesn't keep records of serial numbers, and Mr. V. will most likely not be able to give specifics.
The 'Ask Richard' page isn't well organized and you can spend a day reading through the posts.
If you want a rough idea, google the model's release date and try to interpolate.
You could also try to call John Rutan and get his idea of how old something is. If you are on the East Coast, he may well have sold them originally.

My take, buy the most current model you can(-so 2 ce sig2's). Get the serial number and call Johnny to see what the current serials are running.
I bought a pair of Treo's that Johnny sold to another Agon member who upgraded to Quatro CT's. Though mine are not CT, they are still fairly recent and they sound wonderful. So, even if you don't get something cutting edge, they should sound very good- just not what is currently offered, but then, you would be paying twice as much for that performance...
B
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