Beautiful, Elegant Vandersteeen 2Ce Speakers in Black Ash w/Factory Boxes - Made in the USA

MADE IN THE USA - Beautiful, Elegant Factory Matched Pair (Sequential Serial Numbered) of Audiophile VANDERSTEEN Bi-Wire / Bi-Amp Model 2Ce Loudspeakers - 4 Drivers Per Speaker That Are All Original, Functioning Flawlessly Finished in Black Ash Trim with Black Grill Cloth with Factory Boxes and Packing Inserts – Original MSRP $1,295!

Like many industries, the paradigm shift in technology manufacturing has been to go offshore with manufactured products and assembly or suffer the huge disparity in manufacturing cost and perish. The vast majority of loudspeakers are now manufactured in China, and most companies that did not go with the flow have been forced out of business. Vandersteen Audio is one of the very few that have survived being an ALL USA product – designed, manufactured and assembled right here in Hanford, California, USA since 1976. There are many reasons for their ability to survive in such a hostile and unforgiving marketplace, and it goes beyond having a quality product at a competitive price. If you have ever had the opportunity to contact Vandersteen, you’ll experience one of the nicest and most responsive customer service operations in any industry. Often, it will be Richard Vandersteen himself picking up the phone! It is a big reason that Vandersteen has such great brand loyalty.

But the main reason is that Vandersteen has always manufactured the perfect blend of high quality design, manufacturing and sonic performance. These Vandersteen Model 2ce speakers are truly sublime! PLEASE NOTE THAT NOT ALL VANDERSTEEN MODEL 2 SPEAKERS ARE THE SAME! Unlike most other speaker manufacturers, Vandersteen has a basic model numerology that is unchanged since their very first Model 1, Model 2, Model 3, etc. back in the 1970’s. Also unlike other manufacturers, the general appearance has also remained unchanged from the exterior – you have to look at the rear termination panel to note the subtle differences between a 1977 Model 2 and a 2012 Model 2. Vandersteen has constantly refined and upgraded their models, and while many changes are only discernible by the year that they were manufactured, Vandersteen has slightly modified their Model number nomenclature when major changes were made. Here is the basic chronology of the Model 2:

• 1977 – Vandersteen Model 2 debuted
• 1979 – Vandersteen Model 2A
• 1980 – Vandersteen Model 2B
• 1980 – Vandersteen Model 2C - last model using perishable foam surrounds
• 1989 – Vandersteen Model 2Ci - 1st model using butyl rubber surrounds
• 1992 – Vandersteen Model 2Ce
• 2000 – Vandersteen Model 2Ce signature
• 2007 – Vandersteen Model 2Ce signature II

The first four versions (2, 2a, 2b, 2c) are not necessarily to be avoided, but are far more prone to have numerous age-related issues. The main issue is that the woofer edges deteriorate and require service. Prior to 1989 all of the woofers had foam flexible surrounds, which typically only lasted about 15 years – I doubt if there is a single example of those four models without deteriorated foam surrounds that would need to be replaced. With the introduction of the 1989 Model 2Ci version, the flexible woofer surrounds were changed to butyl rubber, and all subsequent models now have that butyl rubber surround. This accounts for the huge disparity in resale values for models manufactured prior to 1989. While it is relatively easy to repair a foam surround on a normal speaker with detachable front grills, it is not that easy getting to the woofers inside a Vandersteen.

Besides the use of butyl rubber surrounds on the woofers, the other major difference on my Model 2Ce from prior models is the use of the much loved Vandersteen metal dome tweeters, increasing both the range and sharpness over earlier polymer models. Vandersteen did it right when they developed their metal alloy dome tweeter – something that most manufacturers cannot claim. Crisp, clean and detailed, but without any sense of harshness.
Note that the sensitivity of the Vandersteen – like virtually all of their speakers – is low at 86dB. You need an abundance of good, clean power to really make them sing. Don’t use a receiver, and even though you can drive them loudly at 40 – 60 watts, the magical Vandersteen balance does not happen until you get to 100 watts or above. The beauty of the Vandersteen is the exceptional driver matching and balance that they have, and they need a powerful and clean amplifier.

As an “Open Baffle” design, the Vandersteens do not sound like traditional ‘box’ designs, and you really get an openness / spaciousness about them that is sonically blissful. Room placement is very important, as the tweeters do need to be directed at your ears in normal listening position – I toed them inwards. Also unusual about their design is that – unlike most open baffle designs – the Vandersteen 2ce has unusually excellent bass response. The overall presentation is on the warm side, which is particularly nice with vocalists.

One unique aspect to the Vandersteen 2Ce design is that the terminations are banana connector compatible only, and cannot be used with spades, pins, bare wire, etc. If you do not have banana connectors on your speaker cables, it is inexpensive to buy adapters. Also note that these are bi-wire / bi-amp ONLY! Again, if you do not have bi-wire cables it is a snap to modify standard cables or just to use two separate runs of cables to complete the hook ups. I am sure that I can work something out to fabricate whatever you need if you do not have the correct cables – please inquire with the lengths you need (6’, 10’, 15’, etc.) and also what specific terminations you need on the amplifier end.
These Vandersteen 2Ce speakers play beautifully and have no functional issues. They have been tested thoroughly and are truly magnificent. The rear mid range and tweeter attenuators work great and do not have any harsh static grundge to them – they are clean. The grills look nice in normal subdued room light, but harsh lighting reveals a few tufts of fabric primarily on the front and side surfaces. I have gone with a fuzz shaver and tried to minimize the overall affect, but you can still see them in bright light. The black ash wood tops and bottoms are in excellent condition, with sharp, crisp wood edges and only a minimal amount of very light, feint scratches on top. The rear termination plates look great and are unmarked.

VANDERSTEEN 2CE SPEAKER SPECIFICATIONS:

* Drivers:
… Tweeters: 1” alloy dome
… Midrange: 4.5”
… Front Woofer: 8”
… Rear Acoustic Coupler: 10”
* Frequency Response: 29 Hz – 29,000 Hz (+/- 3 dB)
* Sensitivity: 86dB
* Impedance:
… Nominal 7 Ohms
… Minimum 4 Ohms
* Recommended Amplification: 40 – 160 watts per channel
* Dimensions:
… Height: 39.75"
… Width: 16.00"
… Depth: 10.25"
* Weight: 60 lbs each unpackaged

These Vandersteen 2Ce loudspeakers were $1,295 when new, and the average resale price is $730 regardless of condition – many pristine 2Ce models have sold for more than $1,000 on the used market. A nice condition earlier Vandersteen 2Ci model just sold on February, 2012 on eBay for $935 – eBay item number 74. Here is an opportunity to buy a fantastic factory matched set of Vandersteen 2Ce speakers that play beautifully and only have very minor cosmetic issues. Payment is via US Post Office Money Order or Cash Upon Delivery (COD). These are very large and heavy speakers and shipping will be very expensive. I do have the factory boxes, which are nicely double sleeved and corner reinforced for extra protection – nicer than most factory boxes for shipping. So I will ship them, but please note that they will be quite expensive to ship. Note that I am happy to deliver them to you for free if you are close to me in San Francisco, Berkeley or Marin County.