Model 1 to Model 2Ce Signature III?

[Better Days105]

My Model 1s are now 24 years old. I still them. At times they still amaze me. But I am considering moving up to Model 2Ce Signature III. Will I notice a significant difference? If so, what might it be? 

BTW - I use these with NAD C356BEE amp, NAD C356BEE CD player and C-MARC speaker cables (a present from a good friend when he upgraded his speaker cables). I did notice a real difference with these cables. 

[ghamilton]

Stepping up to the model 2 will of course make a difference. It also requires more attention to get things right. More power and bowering will be a itch that you will eventually have to scratch with the model 2. They will also have to have mor room than the model one. They need to be further from walls on all sides. 

[andrewtgt]

How large is your listening room, how far from the walls can you afford to place them and what are your wishes and expectations? 

If you have enough space I'd go have a listen to the new 2Ce and also used 3A Sigs since they're in a similar price bracket. This is just in case you find yourself highly valuing the additional bass extension of the 3A.

Most significant and instantly obvious difference to the 1s will be the additional bass extension. The second will be midrange since you're upgrading to 3-way speakers that have a dedicated driver for that frequency range. But they're still easy to listen to speakers, not too analytical at all.

Have fun with your auditions!

 

[ctsooner]

Based on what folks who have broken in and heard the sig 3's say, you'd be better off with a new pair of the 2's rather than used 3's.  you'd also get the full warranty etc.., but the sound of these new 2's seems to be a large step up from the last gen 2's.  The amps you have will run the 2's just fine for now, but in the future, you will probably want a bit more refinement and power.  These 2's seem to be able to scale from what I've heard.  Every Vandy I've owned was also able to scale pretty high compared to so many other brands that I've owned or auditioned.  

[Steve Edwards]

Hey Better Days,

Just wondering if you made the jump to the 2Ce Signature IIIs?  As previously mentioned, depending on the size / configuration of your room, they most likely will bring you years of audio bliss. 

[ctsooner]

Guys the upgrade to sig 3 is THAT significant 

[Boom Boom]

I finally booked an audition with the Sig 3's next week. My dealer is having them brought up from Tacoma for a week. There's another customer auditioning them too. I have lived very happily with my 2Cs for almost 40 years! I have a good friend to give them to (mebbe for a bottle of wine). I recently upgraded my A/V rack that and used the boxes to make boxes for the 2Cs. There's other leftover packing material I will make good use of. I've done this before when I moved over 10 years ago. The plan is to have the Sig 3's in home in June.

I'm enjoying this forum. I like seeing pictures of Vandersteens and how owners have come up with system solutions that make them produce incredible music. I also like reading about the owners experiences with different with different gear. 

[TomicTime]

Boom - stop by DesMoines sometime to hear model 7’s. The new 2’s are cut from the same time and phase correct cloth 🙂 good on ya for passing along your beloved 2’s

jim

[Steve Edwards]

Really excited for you Boom.  I started my Vandersteen journey with 2C’s as well.  Didn’t have them nearly as long as you; went to 3A’s - had them upgraded to Signature and now have Quatros Cloth.  I’m sure you’ll be gobsmacked by the improvements you’ll hear in the 2Ce Sig III’s. 
 

Play on

Edited May 24, 2021 by Steve Edwards
Grammar

[ctsooner]

I'm late to the party.  I was friends with many Vandersteen dealers over the years, but Bruce's was the only one who really had them set up properly and singing.  How much time did I miss over the years without the Steen's.

 

[Boom Boom]

My 2Ce Signature III's came in to the store. Still waiting on speaker cables and an interconnect upgrade. I've been told those are scheduled to be built at the factory on 6/17.

This will be the last weekend running the 2Cs. I'll be boxing up for pick up by my friend I'm giving them to. I've got a contractor coming in to work involving painting, so it's best not to take delivery of my new speakers yet. I urged my friend to come in and listen to the 2Cs before I box them. That was a good outing. I'm encouraging him to get a decent integrated amp and some entry level cables which will be easy to upgrade later. Since that outing my HRS nimbus damping system came in for my power amp. I waited until I upgraded my cabinet in March to consider ordering them. They really mated well with my old Simaudio Moon W5. This will be the best sound from the 2Cs. Had to remind my friend it took me 37 years to get to this level. He's impatient.

My contractor is backlogged until next year to do some bathroom remodeling. I am looking to upgrade my DAC next. I'll look through the posts here to see what other Vandersteen owners are using to reproduce excellent digital music. So far considering the Bryston BDA3 or the PS Audio Directstream DSD.

[TomicTime]

what is DAC budget ? I am a big fan of Aesthetix Pandora

[Huang]

@Boom Boom congrats, you probably have a good idea of speaker placement that is one thing to cross off your list! Now you have break in.

I have a Directstream in one system and I love the sound. I have a surround system in that room and I had to verify the rear speakers were not playing it sounds so immersive. Remember  the DSD  will benefit from a break-in. The latest firmware brings it up even further. The ability to program the FPGA has allowed the designers to do a lot. I guess I am partial to DACs with FPGAs my other DAC is a Chord with Mscaler. I recently added some Storm Reference cables between the two and WOW through the Treo's WOW.

[Boom Boom]

On 6/10/2021 at 10:42 PM, TomicTime said:

what is DAC budget ? I am a big fan of Aesthetix Pandora

This is going off topic for this forum string. I'm budgeting $4,000 to $6,000 USD.

[ctsooner]

In Addition to what I e shared in that other thread,  I feel you must also audition the Holo and the Aurelic.  Aurelic is repped by Alex Brinkman. He’s a best guy and loves Vandersteen. It’s between their top one and the Ayre when I change back to a DAC/streamer. 

[GdnrBob]

I just moved from an Ayre Codex to the QB 9 Twenty, and have no complaints. I think Ayre has a newer DAC, but Ryan said the QB-9 was just as good.

In my opinion, I avoid spending more than $3k for a DAC, as the technology is changing quickly. Unless the manufacturer offers upgrade-ability, I would be hard pressed to spend more.

Bob

[nrenter]

The QB-9/20 will probably be my DAC of choice when I decide to get into streaming - hope I’ll be able to find one when that time comes.  I’ve been using a CX-7emp for 15+ years, and I’m still pleased with the performance.  

[ctsooner]

That diamond circuit is a special one to say the lease.  I think I shared that Charlie doodled that circuit when in college.  Ariel shared his notebook with me when I was visiting.  I was blown away.  I got to speak with Charlie on a fairly regular basis, but he never shared that story with me.  How much more is the QX5/20?  It has the streamer built in and it's one of the best streamers I've heard that's integrated into the DAC or Server.  it really is that good.  

[TomicTime]

i believe the way to think about a DAC in a Vandersteen centric system is all about filters, jitter and a strong musical low to zero NFB  analog output stage. The clue about the Ayre are the “ listen and measure “ filters…..and of course Charlie knows a thing or three about an excellent analog gain or buffer stage…

IF i replace the Pandora it would be a short list: Nyquist II, Lampizator Golden Gate, or a Pandora Eclipse. But i could live w a QB Twenty, it is that good and the Ayre w bridge / streamer built in would simolify life…... in fairness, i will have to listen to the latest offerings from Auralic.

 

fun

[ctsooner]

I have to hear their new ones myself.  Rutan just got them in I believe.  The Nyquist is out of my league, but man does it sound good.  I'm not the biggest Lampy fan.  I've heard them vs my buddies DaVinci mk2 and it wasn't even close in his system.  I would never by anything from the guys who make the DaVinci though as they are not reliable and dont' stand behind their products based on a few folks I know who own them.  Heck, if I had the money, I'd be looking STRONGLY at the MSB DAC's. I've heard them a few times and loved them. Escoteric also makes a great digital product that is worthy of listening to if you are in that price range. 

The top Holo DAC is special for the money.  It's built as well as most DACs I've seen/heard and has VERY low jitter.  The upgrades are easy as it's a TRUE ladder DAC.  Pandora is another one that doesn't get enough attention. The issue for me is that I own a lot of 32 bit  music and it only plays 24 bit.  I'm hoping they update their DAC's  as there is more and more higher res music coming out.  

[Boom Boom]

I had my 2Ce Signature III's delivered today. I timed it to avoid Seattle traffic. They're still boxed up and the bases as well. My Gen 6 Transparent cables are due Friday. I'll swap out my old ones then. When I get those home, I'll be able to hook up the new speakers and start breaking in cables and my new speakers.

I decided to go with the Bryston BDA-3 DAC to upgrade & replace my PS Audio NuWave DSD in the living room. Thanks all for your suggestions.

I've also ordered Shunyata Delta V2 NR power cables to upgrade some old Harmonic Technology cords for my DAC and amp. I'm hoping to get all of the things ordered within a month. I'll shift my Shunyata Delta NR (V1?) to my Classe CD player. The ProAC 11 and fantasy AC10 will move over to the Linn amp and pre in my bedroom system.

My friend picked up my old 2Cs a couple of weeks ago. I scored a couple of bottles of nice red wine in the process.  I've been relying on my bedroom system since then for music. That's where my 1Cs are.

[ctsooner]

Awesome and what a great move up.  Can't wait to hear your impressions.

[GdnrBob]

Yes, keep us abreast of what you hear.

B

[Huang]

The next best thing to new gear, is listening to new gear. One of my favorite things is the Ah Ha moment when you first realize it has broken in.  You know the, darn this sounds sooo good, or the hey, I never heard that, moment! The worst thing is waiting for it to break in and not being really sure it has.  Enjoy!!!!

[Boom Boom]

Hello

I finally got cables in. The speaker bases aren't sand filled. I have to fill them. So my question:

• How much sand do I need to buy?
• Should 0.5 cu-ft (50 lbs) do it?

Thanks for your help!

In the meantime I will hookup without bases for now to start burn in.