Oregon Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 This should be my last HiFi as I'm an old one. Since 2016 it has been a 2Ce Signature II based system. At the time I was running a vintage VTL line, Project Perspective turntable w/Alpha Genesis 1000 cart, some Supex step-up transformer, Marantz CD player, Infinity Reference 6 loudspeakers, Acoustic Research interconnects, home-made military surplus silver-plated loudspeaker cables. Got my 2’s sight unseen, never auditioned. From the many reviews it was pretty clear these things would likely deliver the sound I sought. The day the 2’s arrived it was pretty clear I had made the correct choice. Since the minute they were playing my audio adventure has been both exciting and educational as these 2’s scale with every new equipment change. Currently running the 2’s, a Manley Jumbo Shrimp preamp (Telefunken and GE JAN matched tubes, Manley Snapper amps w/matched Mullard EL-34’s tubes, ClearAudio Performance DC table w/Tracer tonearm, Hana Umami Red cart feeding a Manley Chinook phonostage w/matched NOS Telefunken 6922 tubes, Rotel CD14 MKII CD player. A Denafrips Ares2 12th Anniversary DAC is on the way. We’ll just see what this digital thing is about. Anyway, not the big guns rig some of you lads are running but it sounds FANTASTIC in my little 13’ x 14’ listening/war room. Should any be offended by the sight of war memorabilia maybe a Moderator can clean it up. I simply wish to show how the helmet racks serve as sound diffusion for reflections. Thanks for looking, Cody 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratocaster Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Awesome rig @Oregon.. I too ran a Manley Shrimp/Snapper combo with my 2CEs. A formidable combination which can keep up effortlessly with the bigger Vandersteen models should you get bitten by the upgrade bug down the road. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmz Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 That pointy helmet should keep most people from sitting on the table.😎 i like the room though. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC-93 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Have you tried listening without that reflective table ? Smaller rooms can sound great, IMO. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oregon Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 5 hours ago, DC-93 said: Have you tried listening without that reflective table ? Yeah, I know it's an audio no-no. Sometimes I place a towel over the table. I can't describe the difference it makes as my ears aren't that discerning. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsooner Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Great share. Thanks. I love seeing pics of folks set ups. Enjoy the music 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratocaster Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 @Oregon completely missed seeing your tube stash.. guess I am going to bug you the next time I am looking for a tube replacement and can't find any in stock.😃 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomicTime Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Fun ! love the tube collection also 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oregon Posted January 17 Author Share Posted January 17 Tubes are so essential to my sense of HiFi I like to display along with the target equipment the tubes running within. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsooner Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 Great pics. Speaking of tubes, I have what I think is a full set of them for the Aesthetix Rhea that I sold. They were new in box from Aesthetix. Let me know if interested. I can use them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oregon Posted February 6 Author Share Posted February 6 Added a Denafrips Ares 12th-1 fed by the Rotel CD player. The Rotel replaces a Marantz CD6005 from 2013. Between this new CD player and the DAC the sound of the digital side of my stereo has improved CONSIDERABLY. First time digital has ever sounded decent in my rig. :^) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratocaster Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 @Oregon am glad you mentioned the improvement with the Ares. Am contemplating between the Ares and the Pontus.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oregon Posted February 7 Author Share Posted February 7 Something I remembered when setting up this new rig was to get the subs off the floor, made a HUGE difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Vandersteen Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 This is only true of some sub designs. Most subs are designed to sell not reproduce accurate bass, so they have a "Q" that is too high. These will improve when you lower the effective "Q" by getting them some distance from the room boundaries. Best to design a sub for proper bass while on the floor for obvious reasons and have a "Q" control for people to adjust to taste, IMO. RV 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oregon Posted February 8 Author Share Posted February 8 Hey Richard, Thank you for commenting. My thinking is placing the sub more or less (ish) between the floor and ceiling can't hurt. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmz Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 17 hours ago, Oregon said: Hey Richard, Thank you for commenting. My thinking is placing the sub more or less (ish) between the floor and ceiling can't hurt. If I could shove one under the floor, or in the attic, that would be more WAF compliant. 😄 And use a port to get it to the room. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarf Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 I really enjoy your pictures. The Manley gear is always intriguing. Thanks for sharing the setup and the interesting room! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oregon Posted March 5 Author Share Posted March 5 The Snappers now sport black face plates. :^) This small rig sounds fantastic with all the genres to which I listen! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratocaster Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 @Oregon that looks cool.. Does Manley sell the black plates direct? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oregon Posted March 6 Author Share Posted March 6 24 minutes ago, stratocaster said: @Oregon that looks cool.. Does Manley sell the black plates direct? Yes, $300/pr.. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oregon Posted May 14 Author Share Posted May 14 Thanks to all for the many suggestions re a speaker upgrade from the 2Ce Sig. II. My goal was to procure the same midrange as I heard in the Treo when I visited Bradfords in Eugene last summer for a B'Day present to myself. As I live in BFE, Oregon,, the nearest Vandersteen dealer is halfway across the state. At least I have a Vandersteen dealer now. Many suggested used Treos. Too heavy, couldn't get 'em upstairs. likewise, 3's are too heavy. Hell, it was all I could do to get the 2s up there. Also, I won't buy used loudspeakers, risky. As I adore the sound of the 2s it finally occurred to me to just get the new 2 Sig. III. Doh! They've been breaking-in for about 50hrs, loosening up some. They sounded tight and hard right out of the box, better now, still have a ways to go. The mids are heavenly with my beloved string quartets Here are some pics of Bradfords located in Eugene, OR. Tim has a boatload of used gear at this time. Cody 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomicTime Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 Ive been there - excellent people ! congrats on your new 2’s ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsooner Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 Congrats. the new 2's are such a beautiful upgrade. They scale so well that you can enjoy them with an integrated and smaller system, or got total separates and use very expensive gear with them. I've heard a pair with the Ayre 5 series components and all cost appropriate AQ cabling and they were a true end game speaker for what most people want. Honestly, I dont' know of any speaker under 10k that I'd take over them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boom Boom Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 Congrats! I also upgraded from 2Cs (original owner since the 80s) to the 2CE Sig IIIs. I took advantage to upgrade key components and cables. When I acquired the Shunyata Alpha USB cable and my Moon 740P preamp, I finally optimized my setup and have improved my room acoustics. Subconsciously I was setting up my forever system. I immediately noticed better bass response (more articulate, detailed). With latest upgrades up the chain everything is more precise (I notice more accurate timbre and spacial detail). An audiophile friend came over and noticed the improvements. He's a former professional musician, played clarinet in a symphony. He spins SACDs with solid state equipment and KEF speakers. The Treos were soured on me due to a horrible demo from a salesman who's unsolicited opinions on cables I didn't share. I decided I wouldn't buy from this person. His senior coworker (who sold me my 1Cs) came in and immediately noticed the Treos were too close to the front wall. There were comments made by the salesperson that clearly demonstrated he didn't carefully listen to what I told him. It's been many years now, and I hear the salesman is reputable, but still. The differences I heard between the Treos and the 2CE Sigs were enought to let me know I wanted to move into the CE Sig series. A proper demo with the newer CT versions of the Treos may likely change my opinion about them. I have no desire to change out my Sig IIIs since they work with my listening room. IMO you need speaker that will work well in your listening room. That's the most important factor for speakers to me. Others may think differently. Audiophiles are very opinionated, it's all good. Best -Robert 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huang Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 Congrats on your new 2’s! I love the room. Keep listening and smiling. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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