Vandersteen 5 vs Model 2c/2wq Combo

Match...: many good observations above. What size is your room? I've owned (and enjoyed) the 2Ces, 3As & 3Asigs, and presently the 5s. I started with the 2Ces in a 12 X14 room and could never play them at more than low-mod. levels w/o overloading the room, and a sub was out of the question. After remodeling and going to a 14 X 22 ft. room, the 3A/3Asigs sounded great at any sane listening level, but I never felt that I had room for even one sub.

All these Vandies are large speakers, but because of their bass tunability, the 5s may actually work best in a smaller room, but as John_1 said, they do need to be placed well away from walls, but then so do the others. Also, you don't need a sub w/ the V5s (subs take up room).

The Vand. 5s are wonderful speakers with world class bass, and my last speaker, and they fit well in my medium sized room, but I wouldn't want them or the 3As in a 12 X 14 ft. room.

Since I got the V5s, I'm going from a 300 wpc McCormack amp to a 100 wpc McCormack DNA.5 Rev A Gold. As others have noted, the McCormack/Vandersteen combination is a good one if you want an SS amp.

Hope I haven't sounded discouraging, but if you really do have a small room, I'd be looking for a high quality stand mounted speaker and maybe a small sub. Looking back on it, that's what I really needed in my 12 X 14 room. Best of Luck, and Cheers. Craig

Hi Match..; If you're really set on the pretty big Vandersteen 2Ce/3A, they will sound very good when played at low volume settings. In fact that was a characteristic that I really liked about those speakers. The 5s have to be played louder to sound natural. In a 12 X 12 ft. room, you can't get low bass anyway-- probably no lower than about 40 HZ, but for most music that is enough.

You probably already know that square rooms are acoustically difficult to set up stereo systems in because the "squareness" creates some bad room modes/nodes. If you're set on a good sized speaker, the Vand. 2Ce sigs are excellent and would be my choice, and they do sound good at low to low-mod. volume settings in a small room.

But in my 12 X 14 ft. room, I wish I had chosen something like the small Proac stand mounted speaker (don't remember the model number), and a small sub to get greater bass solidity. Good Luck, and Cheers. Craig

Good point Maxgain, re the Vand. Model 1 speakers. I've only heard them in-store, but they sounded good to me. They would be easier place and use in a 12 X 12 room. Cheers. Craig.

I agree Maxgain, the 2Ce/sig are very capable of showing changes in up-stream components and tweaking for good or ill. I continued on the up-grade path 'cuz I had the bucks to do it, and ultimately specifically wanted the 5s for their built in subs more than than anything else.

Either the 2Ces or 3As (and sigs) are excellent alone and great when subs are added. Cheers. Craig.