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Vandersteen 2C - The Fix

baco99

baco99

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
For those of you not following D&S, I recently was presented an offer I couldn't refuse on a pair of Vandersteen 2Cs that need some work. One of the tweeters was out, the PO thought it was a crossover issue. And both woofers were noisy.

Turns out both woofer spiders need to be re-glued back to the baskets. And I think one of them got a little dirt inside the VC gap because there's something scraping in there. A thorough cleaning and new glue and those should be back in business.

The broken Polydax TW9 tweeter has the common broken tinsel issue. I unwound the tinsel one turn and plan to resolder on to the terminal and reassemble. The tweeter measures 5.8 ohm, which seems a both low to me for an advertised 8 ohm driver, but perhaps it's OK. Unfortunately, the TW9 is no longer available, so the fix should work, or I'll have to find a modern Audax or equivalent replacement for both sides.

Opening these things up is like undressing a mistress.

Whomever got the glue discount for DCM, also bought staples at a discount for Vandersteen. There's a million staples in there.

And lastly, I have decided the the most brilliant speaker designers are terrible wood workers, or they wouldn't wrap their products in fabric.

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More to come!
 
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If your tweeter repair doesn't work, you might want to call Vandersteen and ask about driver repairs before shelling out big bucks for two new tweeters. Several years ago I bought a pair of 2Cis that had one blown tweeter. Vandersteen rebuilt the driver for about $70 including return shipping, if memory serves.
 
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Well, I do buy into what Richard Vandersteen says about being able to put more money into the
drivers and crossovers without spending a lot of time making pretty veneered boxes.
I've had JBL Monitors and they are some pretty walnut boxes, (and sound nice)
but I really do like the open sound of the Vandersteen 2 series ...

Then again, I believe the 2CIs and 2CEs don't have some of the issues the older 2C speakers had ...
 
baco99 said:
And lastly, I have decided the the most brilliant speaker designers are terrible wood workers, or they wouldn't wrap their products in fabric.
Click to expand...

I agree and disagree with you to an extent. While I sometimes like to listen with the grills off to see the drivers. I do love the look and design of those Vandy's! Sorta like DefTech, DCM or my Mirage's. I still like the clean look of speakers with socks! :thmbsp:
 
halo71 said:
I agree and disagree with you to an extent. While I sometimes like to listen with the grills off to see the drivers. I do love the look and design of those Vandy's! Sorta like DefTech, DCM or my Mirage's. I still like the clean look of speakers with socks! :thmbsp:
Click to expand...

there is something mysterious about the socks.
 
tweeter has been repaired and we are back in business!

During the repair. Doesn't look pretty, but it sounds mint! I also replaced the ferrofluid with new stuff while I was in there.
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Will work on the woofers next week. the VC gap for the woofers is about as small as the tweeter. relatively-speaking, there's not a lot of slack there. will take some time.
 
well they got better at woodworking. they're not cheap but i love the way my new quatros look. and they match my vintage stereo cabinet (well almost, the cherry is getting a nice patina). the treos are gorgeous too and a bit more affordable, but i've been graced with a room that is 39' long on the axis they fire on so i knew i'd want subs again and the treos didn't have them built in. oh well, i figured my stereo gives me more joy than any car and i don't plan on every buying new ones.
 
Those look like the Audax 1" tweeters? Did you notice the number on the back?

They look like 2Ci s by the way, Vifa rubber edge woofer, Peerless mid.
 
Pete B said:
Those look like the Audax 1" tweeters? Did you notice the number on the back?

They look like 2Ci s by the way, Vifa rubber edge woofer, Peerless mid.
Click to expand...


YOU ARE CORRECT!

I didn't take the mids out. The tweeters are Polydax/Audax TW9.

The woofers and subwoofers are rubber surround.

Serial # are 31434Ci and 31435Ci

Putting the finishing touches on now.

Anyone have dimensions or a schematic for the stands?
 
I have a pair of 2C stands I can measure if you think they are the same for the 2Cis. These are the heavy industrial strength stands.... Send me a PM and I will send you the measurements.
 
I vividly remember listening to a pair of Vandersteens driven by Mitch Cotter electronics at Take Five in New Haven CT in 1982 or 3. I've never heard anything as three dimension - you felt your could walk among the instruments. I was in no position to buy either the speakers or the electronics at the time since I was in Divinity School, but back then audio stores indulged the curious, assuming that at some point, they'd buy (and I had bought cartridges and step ups). I took a leaflet about Vandersteen that touted the precision of their wood sawing equipment, and credited some of their excellent sound to the tight fit of their enclosures. So I can't agree with the aspersion on the wood working. The sock has obvious acoustic benefits, and nailing everything down to minimize rattles and resonances is also beneficial. It's a pain in the ass to work on, but what aspect of this hobby isn't?
 
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