Owners of Vandersteen 2CE & Ayre Ax7e...

My gut says you will need more power than the AX7e can give you for the 2CE's. I love the AX7e though and used it successfully for years with Harbeth SHL5+'s. The thing is that it needs balanced sources to sound its best. Once I updated my Digital Source to the Ayre Codex it really sounded great. The Codex is also balanced. I don't have any experience with the irDac but I did try running my Arcam Blink directly into the AX7 single-ended and it just didn't have the drive I needed for a satisfying listening experience.

As for the sound with the 2CE's I recommend contacting JohnnyR at the Audio Connection in Verona NJ to speak to the combination of this amp and speakers. He is an Ayre dealer and probably knows more about Vandersteen speakers than anyone outside of Vandersteen.

Good Luck!

I am a huge Ayre fan it has a unique sound, it isn't exactly warm so much as quiet. Extremely calm.

You may want to contrast it to Luxman.  I have a Luxman, but Ayre is the other similarly prices Amp I'd have a tough time picking between.

joey54,That was another question I forgot to ask... XLR vs RCA. I’ve read too that the ax7e sounds best when used with balanced gear. Mine other gear is all RCA. 
riley804,I asked about room size as I’ve also read that certain owners have reported the ax7e not having quite enough gusto to run the 2CE’s. Seems that may be the case. I used to run a Naim XS integrated on my previous 2C’s and it was 60wpc and had major gusto. I sold the 2C’s over the summer and got these 2CE sigs. The 2C’s were laid back in the mids/highs compared to the 2CE’s. So much of a difference that I find myself looking for a laid back integrated that is warm and “tubelike.” I demoed  a Musical Fidelity A5, but it seemed a little cold or sterile. I think the A300 or A308 were the warmer sounding models of the A series. Right now I’m using my buddy’s krell 400xi until I find something. It sounds good, but it too is bit forward.  

You might want to look at the Belles Aria which seems to be a good match to the 2CE’s. 

jsbach1685

The AYRE will sound best using balanced XLR connections.

Happy Listening!