Vandersteen vs. JBL rock music etc.

the vandy 2 should handle any catagory of music just fine, and with the equipment you've got.

The vandys can boogie, no worries there. Look at the long thread going which I added to yesterday after just hearing Vandersteen 2ce sigs for the first time in years. I still can't get over the sound quality for the money. There are many many speakers out there that are waaaaay over priced compared to these. And they should go great with your adcoms. I think they need some power and control.
Good luck!

Depends on how loud you like your music. Since you have a pair of L166s, I have to tell you that Vandys become hard and congested long before JBLs. I have spent many hours auditioning 2C,2Ci,2CE,& 2CE Signature Vandys before going with Magnepans (obviously also not a rock speaker). Vandys are great speakers but not best for rock and roll. SPL limits around 80-90db(room dependent) to stay really clean. I could live with Vandys and Maggies for rock but that's because I seldom listen above 85db. I own a pair of L100's which I occasionally use to really let it rip.

I remember Vandy 2Ci's rocking pretty good - and with an Adcom amplifier, no need to tame the high end either, this was with an old CD player fwiw what you have is likely to be much better

the Vandys are smooth rockers IMO

I haven't heard the JBL's.I have owned every incarnation of the Vandersteen 2 except the 2ce signatures.While I love the Vendy's(especially in the right room),I would encourage you to keep the JBL's and brjng in a pair of Vandersteens.Go back and forth for a few weeks and then keep the pair that makes the most sense.You might just keep them both!

I own Vandersteen 2ce signatures and play them through an Audible Illusions Mod3a and Classe 15 power amp. With 175 watts of clean power per channel available, they can boogie really well. My taste runs from Pink Floyd (my absolute favorite), to Jethro Tull to Shinedown and more. They sound great and can play loud. I have measured peaks of 100db from my listening chair and they have never sounded strained, congested or hard sounding. I find JBL speakers to be very bright and very fatigueing sounding, but they are very efficient and do play loud. If you want quality sound, go with the Vandersteens, if you want rock concert levels, go with the JBL.

Thank you everyone for your input. My decision on the Vandys is still up for grabs. I am in the Chicago area and you would not believe what is NOT available to audition/listen to.

I use a 175-watt Plinius with my 2Ce Signatures, and I can guarantee that they will rock very loudly with the right amplifier.

Definitely doesn't leave anything to be desired.

Vandy's can rock, anyone who says they cant doesnt have a good amp....it will be a more ballanced non fatigue sound

Ditto Fin

My Vandy 1C's have no problems with Led Zep, Stones, Deep Purple, etc.

I think a lot of people whose first love is rock music (sorry to use such a general term) have listened through exaggerated, harsh speakers for years. Heaven knows I did.

When Zeppelin, Kiss, Queen, etc. are played through Vandersteens, it can throw someone's ear off, because they're not used to that smoothness and accuracy.

And that gets interpreted by some people as not rockin' enough, which is a shame. To my ears, Vandys are a cleaner, more truthful way to hear any music.

Well stated Theunderlyingtheme.I have a friend who has 4 Peavey DJS5 speakers hooked up to his "mass market" stereo reciever and he thinks my tube driven Tyler Acoustic speakers are lame.Oh well,everybody hears things differently!!!!

Hey Hooch, how is the search going? Probably the only place to hear Vandersteens in our neck of the woods is Quintessence Audio on Dempster. Nobody else carries them AFAIK.