Want to replace Vandersteen 1C's with better spk

would suggest alon / nola... more revealing and transparent speaker... check your room first since these are a dipole...

The Signature is significantly better than the 2ce. More transparent, better midrange, more tuneful bass. The Virgo, in my opinion, is better than any Vandersteen short of the 5A. I haven't heard the Quatro.

Passing on the Druids is a mistake I'm glad I did not make. They occupy a much higher tier than the other products being bandied about on this thread. Prior to buying these I owned Goldmund Dialogues, Avalon Eclipse and Aerial 10T. The Druid surpasses all of them. In more than 30 years of working in high end as a dealer, salesman, factory rep and manufacturer, I have never encountered a speaker that so charges a room with musical energy.
This fellow member who thinks the Druids are overrated clearly was unable to optimize the product.
Also, your reference to disliking companies that don't make their product available thru dealers overlooks the 40 to 50 per cent the dealer gets to sell them. If the Druids were marketed through conventional channels with standard markup, they would be priced around $7000. These are not made in China and they don't buy drivers from the usual suppliers. Everything in the Druid is made in Utah with the exception of the Cardas binding post. There is no higher quality speaker available at any price. Your feelings about the sound are not predictable but I can tell you this. Very few people have ever returned a trial pair and that must be true of the guy who sold them used. He too had the option of returning his to the factory for a full refund. Why didn't he? It sure would have been better for him than selling them used.
This Zu company is stirring things up in high end audio. I predict that within 5 years they will be a household name.
My only affiliation is that of happy customer. I just ordered a Mini Method sub to compliment my Druids. Right now they reach down to about 35hz. The sub will extend that to 16 hz.

Thank you to all who responed; I did consider upgrading to the 2ce sigs. Is there a difference between the standard 2ce and the signatures??.... As far as the Virgo II's that might be the ticket considering that I have actually wanted to purchase them for the last four years. I always thought they were too expensive, even used. I know they are now designated a "classic", but I wonder if they might be somewhat "over the hill" In addition, any used V-2's are going to be at least 4 years old and electronic and physical condition is always a concern.... The Druids were a recent consideration, especially since you can buy them from the factory used if they have a returned pair. Unfortunately, I was informed by a member who owned and then sold them that he thought they were overrated. In addition, I never liked speaker companies that don't provide easy access to their products by demonstrating them in a store. Having them shipped in with the possiblity of returning them is a pain in the butt.... Finally, when I originally auditioned the IC's, I was told (and also misinformed) by the salesman that the 2ce's used the same tweeter which cooled down my interest in them. I later found out the tweeter is different. One of my major criticism of the IC's is the highs are somewhat limited and can sound edgy and even ragged. I originally was driving them with a Musical Fidelity X-150, then switched back to my main electronics of Aragon and Conrad Johnson, that provided some improvememt, but not enough to make me want to keep them permanently.... Again, thanks to all!! Jim

I've owned the Vandersteen 1Cs and the Theil 2.3s in the past and now use the Source speakers. In my opinion the Source 8.1 is a big improvement over the 1Cs and the 2.3s.

http://www.sourcespeaker.com/

I agree with every syllable in Narrod's post. Thiel, Vandersteen and VS are all just decent. Nothing special there at all. If you want to move beyond the limitations you mentioned, a used pair of Zu Druids are the ticket. Problem is they are seldom available on the used market because you have to spend 3 or 4 times their purchase price to buy anything better. Look into it.

Try to listen to a pair of Von Schweikert VR2s. Used, they are in your peice range. I like them a lot better than my Vandy 2CEs. Much better highs, mids and bass, more detailed and more dynamic.

or here you go upgrade to 2ce sig
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1150130609
This will also help and get a 2w. I had this set up it was 85% of what my 5a are now.

Well vandersteen are some of the best bang for buck so you are going to be hard pressed to find anything better. Maybe you could tell me what limitations you are hitting. You could add a 2wq, 2w to help with bass this will allow more power to the speakers and add to clarity to the highs as well as tighening the bass. I had 2ce sig and added a adcom amp and better speaker wires instead of my receiver, wow what a difference. I imangine part of your issue may be the equipnment as well. Vandersteens will show anything throught that is lacking.

If you like the Vandersteen sound the 2CE Signature would be a logical upgrade. If you choose Thiels try to get a trial period with them. They tend to be bright and can fatigue after extended listening. My best recommendation is a pair of used AudioPhysic Virgo IIs. They can be found for $2000 used and are superior to Vandersteen and Thiel, IMO.