Vandersteens in the house!!!

shacky

shacky

Addicted Member
I'm away on business. Saw an ad for cherry looking 2C's on my local CL. The seller had so many responses he wasn't willing to wait for me to get home this weekend, so...

I called my son and asked if he could pick them up. Then called my wife and asked if she could run to bank to get $200 for my son to buy them.

Believe or not both agreed and the 2C's are sitting in the back of my wife's car as we speak!!!

Problem is I won't get home till Friday to hook them up and hear them. They appear to be in great shape and came with original stands (does not look like the upgraded version), monster cable wires, and "connectors" - I'm thinking the bridges for single amp setup but will see for sure when I get home.

Pictures and impressions to follow!!!
 
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Congrats!

These earlier ones have a less demanding midrange driver and associated crossover. Richard Vandersteen ran them on 80wpc PSE Studio II amps.
 
Killer price on great speakers. I have the 2CE and from what I`ve read, the entire model 2 line sounds good with only minor refinements gained along the way. Enjoy!
 
Congratulation! I've seen those speakers only once on an ad and the asking price was something around a grand here.
 
Not the best pictures but here they are in my wife's car. Looks like the stands could use some freshening up.

I wonder if these have rubber surrounds? :scratch2:

2c2.jpg


2c1.jpg


2c3.jpg
 
Here's what I have to drive it:

Sony 6065 just recapped
Pioneer SX-950 recapped
Sansui 890DB
Sansui 9090DB
Eico HF-81

I've read that driving these babies with '70's receivers is like putting ketchup on a steak. But as of now I do not have a quality pre and amp.

This experience may put me on the lookout...

The 6065 above sounds great with my Theil 03a's. With recapped EQ. I would love to be able to find/afford a nice CJ pre and PSE or similar amp.

Ah - this hobby just keeps getting interesting/expensive doesn't it :D
 
Congrads Shacky .....look forward to hear your impression of them ....Can I ask you a question? Just how did you get your wife to go to the bank and pick them up? WOW! My wife would have hung the phone up on me.......Well maybe she might do it for me at what cost Im not sure......
 
Very nice find there, Shacky!

I would like to know how they sound with the Eico. Always on the lookout for one.

Rome
 
wsissons said:
Congrads Shacky .....look forward to hear your impression of them ....Can I ask you a question? Just how did you get your wife to go to the bank and pick them up? WOW! My wife would have hung the phone up on me.......Well maybe she might do it for me at what cost Im not sure......
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She's a keeper for sure - the wife I mean :D
 
I recently acquired 2ci's and have learned much about this hobby from these speakers. I found them to be very responsive to proper placement, room treatment, cables, amps, pre's....everything. Their ability to reveal the strength/weakness of every link of the chain is remarkable. I really had to up my game to realize their full potential. I started out with an Onkyo M-504 and P-306 pre with low voltage landscape lighting wire and rat shack cables in an untreated garage and wasn't impressed. They're out of rotation now for repair (spider on one of the sub-bass drivers came unglued from frame) but before I pulled them I did extensive treatments to the room, added Audioquest cables and interconnects and a Phase Linear 700B/Hafler 110 pre to juice 'em and a Grant Fidelity Tube DAC 09 to warm up the signal. With each change came a noticeable improvement until cumulatively they uplifted the Vandys to a remarkable level of loudspeaker performance. I find they have a lot of authority without being "in your face". Enjoy!
 
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My vote is for the Eico HF-81. Seriously, I've heard them sound great on the AES Super Amp, which is only marginally more powerful. But ideally you want 70-100 watts of push-pull tube power.
 
I guess this may mean it is your first step into higher end gear.The beginning of the end for the 70s receivers.
 
shacky said:
Not the best pictures but here they are in my wife's car. Looks like the stands could use some freshening up.

I wonder if these have rubber surrounds? :scratch2:

They have rubbers surrounds - however they are prone to detaching from the cone - they can be glued back to new pretty easily after pulling them apart (not so easy) you have to pry the cap off (the lower first I think) than pry the upper off - the grill cloth is covered in a dopey substance and squeezed down by the cap -
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Congrats! I have the 2Ce Signatures in my main system. Glorious speakers. Very smooth sound with beautiful tonality and excellent imaging. You will fall in love with them. Hook them up to something with serious muscle, though. They are a bit power hungry. (Looking through your list of gear, it looks like you have that covered.)

One small thing; Those are not the original stands.

Enjoy!!!!
Dave
 
Got home after 6 hour drive from Manhattan. Tired but I had to try them. Moved the Theils out of the way and bi-wired them as I do not have bridge connector.

Right away I hear a hissssss. Fiddled with the attenuators and sure enough they are plenty dirty.

Then one is putting out great bass. The other - not. I turned them off thinking maybe it's a surround. Hope previous owner didn't blow a woofer :scratch2:

Looks like I'm going to be taking sock(s) off. Are new one's readily available? One has stain though maybe I could reposition that side on rear?
 
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What Theils do you have ? Would love to hear comments once you settle down with them.
My 2C's are early ones but are real workhorses. the imaging is amazing once you set them up properly(mine=20" off the backwall, 7 feet apart not toed in at all) with minor room treatments in a 10x12 room. Tweeter and Mid controls at 0dB and on 55wpc push pull tubes. goes as loud as I want to, sounds great, and won't clip unless I'm being stupid. Mine are on the 4ohm taps since it's a tube amp.

Good luck with yours.
 
cleaningthe level controls is a pain..hardest part of taking off the sock was removing the staples under the bottom panel and then tensioning the sock to re-affix them when you're done. takes time but is worth it. mine needed the front woofers re-edged. no biggie. i was too cheap(broke) to send them to V in CA.
 
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