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Vandy 2ce sig versus 3a

It seems to me that a pair of vandersteen 2ce signatures can be had for about the same price as the vandersteen 3a. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what the specific differences between the two are, because they seem very similar, and should you spend the extra couple hundred dollars for the 3a's.
brlaaudio

Showing 2 responses by ljs_fin

ljs_fin
14 posts
 
Yes, the 3A is easily worth the extra $200 or so. The biggest difference is that the 3A has superior bass. Also, the 3A has better drivers. The 2ce Sig II uses the same midrange driver as the 3A but I don't think that that the 2Ce Sig does.
ljs_fin
14 posts
 
Bass performance is not the only area where the 3As are better. The 2Ce Sig has a less sophisticated midrange driver than the 3A.

Midrange is the heart of the music. The 3A has a more advanced open-back midrange driver using an Alnico magnet. The 3A midrange has no reflective magnet structure behind the cone (this driver is also used in the 3A Sig and, though irrelevant to the OP's question, the newest version is better and periodically updated and is now also used in the 2CE Sig II). The 2CE sig midrange driver has a more conventional die-cast frame with a ceramic magnet.

So looking only at drivers and cabinet size:

3A is much larger and has better bass than the 2Ce Sig.
3A has a better midrange driver.
3A has the same tweeter as the 2Ce Sig. (but drivers vary depending on manufacture date).

This is definitely not the best way to compare speakers and there are many other differences. But I want to point out that the speakers are not as similar as they may appear.
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