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Vandersteen 2Ce Signature loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

The Signature version of the Vandersteen 2Ce seemed a bit more sensitive than the sample of the 2Ce that Tom Norton reviewed in April 1993 at an estimated 84dB(B)/2.83V/m compared with 82dB. The difference could well be within the margin of error on this measurement.

The impedance was lowest with the tone controls set to their maximum positions, and is shown in fig.1. Ranging between 8 ohms and 4 ohms between 90Hz and 4.2kHz, the impedance dropped to 3 ohms just below 6kHz, though the electrical phase angle was generally moderate. Moving the tone controls…

Vandersteen 2Ce Signature loudspeaker Measurements part 2

Fig.4 shows the Vandersteen's lateral dispersion. There are persistent notches at 1.6kHz and 3.2kHz, and some roughness in the responses in the mid-treble, perhaps due to early reflections from the top panel and the dowels that support it, but the 2Ce's radiation pattern is generally even and well-controlled. In the vertical plane (not shown), the speaker's balance doesn't change significantly between the midrange and tweeter axes. At 4.8kHz, however, a suckout develops level with the top of the speaker.

Fig.4 Vandersteen 2Ce Signature, lateral response family at 50", from back to…

Vandersteen 2Ce Signature loudspeaker Manufacturer's Comment

Manufacturer's Comment: Vandersteen 2Ce Signature

Editor: I'd like to thank Stereophile for the generally favorable review of the Vandersteen 2Ce Signature speakers published in the October issue. I seldom respond to reviews because they are simply a statement of one person's opinion, but this one calls out for comment because the measurements published don't accurately represent the performance of the product.

I strongly support the Stereophile policy of providing a comprehensive set of objective measurements along with each subjective loudspeaker review. I think that John…

Checkpoint SA-S P-770 laser alignment tool

In a sidebar to his review of the B&W DM302 speakers in the October 1997 issue (Vol.20 No.10), Wes Phillips mentioned a handy tool he uses for speaker setup—a laser level. The one Wes used was originally intended for construction work, not tweaking one's speaker placement, but now there's one available specifically for that purpose: The 770 SA-S Laser Sound Alignment System by Checkpoint Laser Tools.

Much like the anonymous one used by Wes, this cool tool consists of a torpedo bubble-level precision-machined out of aluminum, with a miniature laser that shines its beam out of one end…

Checkpoint SA-S P-770 laser alignment tool Robert Deutsch November 1998

Robert Deutsch added some thoughts in November 1998 (Vol.21 No.11):

When it comes to positioning loudspeakers in the listening room, you can never have too much accuracy. The ideal is to position each speaker in such a way that the distance to the listening seat is exactly the same, and the speakers have exactly the same vertical orientation and angle of toe-in. Once the speaker-to-listener distance of the two speakers is closely matched (you'll need a measuring tape and the help of an understanding Significant Other), you'll need to adjust the toe-in. The amount of toe-in is partly a…

Checkpoint SA-S P-770 laser alignment tool Description

Sidebar: Description

Checkpoint SA-S P-770: Laser setup tool for positioning loudspeakers.
Price: $139 (770 SA-S), $169 (P-770 SA-S).
Manufacturer: Checkpoint Laser Tools, 3112 Kashiwa Street, Torrance, CA 90505-4011. Tel: (310) 891-1550. Fax: (310) 891-1551. Web: www.checkpoint3d.com.

Avantgarde Acoustic Uno Series Two loudspeaker

You've probably seen the ad in Stereophile: a very personal account by Avantgarde-USA president Jim Smith, describing how, during a 30-year career in high-end audio, he had become increasingly disappointed with conventional loudspeakers' ability to communicate the emotional impact of live music, and how he found the answer with the Avantgarde horn loudspeakers. It's advertising copy in the best I-liked-it-so-much-I-bought-the-company tradition—with the exception that Smith did not actually buy Avantgarde Acoustic, but did become their North American distributor.

Stereophile's policy is…

Avantgarde Acoustic Uno Series Two loudspeaker Page 2

The Avantgarde Uno is technically a hybrid: a sealed-box cone subwoofer supplements the horn-loaded midrange and tweeter modules. The midrange driver is a 4" unit with a 2.5" dome, covering the range from 220Hz to 3500Hz, and was developed especially for the Uno. In the original Uno, the tweeter's sensitivity was lower than that of the midrange, which required a network to lower the midrange sensitivity by 1.5dB.

The Uno Series Two has a new tweeter that matches the midrange in sensitivity, so that the midrange is now driven directly by the amplifier, with no electrical crossover. The…

Avantgarde Acoustic Uno Series Two loudspeaker Page 3

I initially set up the Unos in the living room, just to give them some playing time until the arrival of Jim Smith, who had offered to come by for a visit to help carry the speakers upstairs to my listening room and check that they were working properly. The Uno is heavy (the subwoofer alone weighs 100 lbs) and awkward to get ahold of, so taking them up the narrow set of stairs to my listening room involved a certain amount of weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth.

Once in the listening room, they were placed in what is my more-or-less-standard position, along the long side of my 16'…

Avantgarde Acoustic Uno Series Two loudspeaker Page 4

A friend who admits to preferring levels considerably lower than the typical audiophile—and who promptly asked me to reduce the volume from the blow-the-man-down demo level—said that he was most impressed by how the Uno maintained a dynamic feel even while playing at a "background" level. At every level, the ebb and flow of musical expression—ie, microdynamics—was communicated with a precision that went beyond any other speaker I've had in my listening room.

Dynamics are all well and good, but a loudspeaker can't be described as a high-fidelity device unless it's able to produce an…