[magsterone]

Hi,
     A couple of questions and an observation.  How do you think the Vandersteen 3A signatures would do with Parasound A51 or 5250 amp?  Would be used in my room which is 18' w by 30' long.  No side wall issues, just the short back wall.  The room on one side opens into a similar size space.  I am not sure the 2ce Signatures would be enough?  My one problem is considering how to convince the wife to ignore the the look of these speakers!  They are not something to look at, but sound great.  Any ideas on overcoming this?  Thinking of the HDP 70 as the processor.
     Would you consider the Definitive Technology BP7001c similar? 
     My observation was listening to a parasound a21 powering the Vandersteen 2ce signature.  Brought some cd's, Yellow Jackets "Blue Hat", Acoustic Alchemy, and Hendrix "Bold as Love".  Listened to various tracks and they sounded great!  Hendrix's "Up from the Skies" was amazingly clear and spacious!  Next listened to system using B&W 804"s.  Love the look, but I preferred the sound of the V's better.  Any other brands you would recommend?  thanks.

Joe in Mobile

[Dan Driscoll]

My 2C's are being driven by a Sherbourn 5/1500A in a room about 12' x 28' and I've never been able to get past 9 o'clock on the volume control. That's obviously not a technical assessment, but from a purely subjective standpoint I believe the combo of 2C's and the Sherbourn could easily handle a much larger room. That said, I'd still take 3A's, of any flavor, over 2C's. As good as the 2C's sound, the 3A's are at least an order of magnitude better, 3A Sigs probably even more so.

When I was looking for an amp I demo'd the Parasound 2205A and it worked very well with the 2Cs. I chose the Sherbourn because I felt the 2C's had slightly better bass response and were a little less bright than with the 2205A. But it was not a big difference and I could easily understand someone else preferring the Parasound.

Is your wife a music fan and has she heard the Vandy's? My wife doesn't like how they look, but she does enjoy how they sound.

My alternative recommendation would have been the 804's.  Vandy's have a certain sound to them that no other speaker has. If you like that sound, then Vandy's are really your only option, because there's nothing else quite like them.