Vandersteen Model 2c Speakers

[Paul R]

There is a set of these available locally, and I was wondering if anyone is willing to share any knowledge about them? They look to be in nice condition, but I have no real idea how old they are.

 

The 2c model was a big deal in the 1980s I think, but the seller claims these are much newer. Were they produced into the 2000's?

 

And is anyone willing to share an opinion on what they might be worth? I'm looking for a set of non-planars to put up in the new listening / (record the vinyl to digital) room I am building, but don't want to spend a lot. I was thinking of putting the Imagine Bs up there, but I am not sure they would fill up a 12X15 room.

 

-Paul

 

P.S. These are not the Model 2ce II Signature Editions currently available.

 

[davidulf]

I would suggest you copy down the serial numbers and give Richard Vandersteen a call. I have spoken with him several times and he has been very helpful and informative. He can establish their age.

 

I have owned 1C's and 2C's as part of a home theater system and they were excellent. The 2W subs are awesome.

 

I have a pair of 2CE Signatures (about 9 years old) in a room that's about 14' x 20' and they fill it up plenty. To me they are just what the reviewers tend to say - natural, musical and a great value. Keep them away from walls and give them a decent amount of power.

 

[babybear]

Paul,

 

If you are looking at the craig's list add from a seller in New Braunfels, I would say that the price he is asking is too high for the Vandy 2c speakers. Also, from the picture, it does not appear that the seller has the "optional stands" which improves the sound of these speakers based on my experience with my Vandy 3A speakers (which I use in my living room). I think the suggestion to contact Vandersteen with the serial numbers is a good idea to get a read on their age. Difficult to tell without that as the progression of the speaker was something like the 2 to 2c to 2ci to 2ce to the current 2ce Signature line. As for filling a 12 x 15 room, the Vandy 2C will have no problem with that at all, as long as you give them some decent quality amplification. Also, as I am sure you are aware, the 2C is designed to be bi-wired (doesn't have to be) and I think that they use banana plug terminations on the speaker side versus the barrier strip terminations of the newer Vandy speaker. Also, there are no upgrade options for the Model 2 family from Vandersteen.

 

I like Vandy speakers - I still own my 3A's and I owned 5A's for 5 years. They are wonderful speakers. But if it was me and I was setting up another system to mainly transcribe vinyl, I would start with the Imagine B's in that room and I would put the $500 or so that you might be spending on the 2c's toward upgrades in your main listening room system.

 

[Paul R]

Thanks Arnie - I think that upgrades in the main system are going to run quite a bit more than ~ $500 now a days. I heard some stuff recently that adjusted my sense of what "upscale audio" is really like.

 

Anyway, it is actually this guy in Austin, and he is including the Sound Anchor stands and such. I'm much more worried about the drivers having rotted out or something than anything else.

 

http://austin.craigslist.org/ele/2472009078.html

 

I was thinking of putting the smaller Maggies up there, but they are actually a bit of overkill in that room. More than a bit of overkill actually. They really need more space to open up and sound their best.

 

The B's sound good up there, but they need to play louder than I really want to get them them to open up and sound their best. Limited bass is okay, but I really like the rich midrange.

 

So I decided to try the first exploration into the buying used gear zone... well, maybe.

 

-Paul