Vandersteen Audio 2Ce Signature II Operation Manual
Congratulations on your purchase of the Vandersteen Model 2Ce Signature II. With proper care your new speaker system will provide many years of
trouble free, high quality musical enjoyment.
We recommend that you read this entire manual prior to connecting or using your Model 2Ce Signature Loudspeakers.
Vandersteen Audio
The Vandersteen Audio
Model 2Ce Signature II is a floorstanding, dynamic loudspeaker developed and refined by twenty years
of advanced research into loudspeaker design. The engineering,
construction and materials of the
Model 2Ce Signature II far exceed
conventional industry standards and
have resulted in a level of musical
performance unmatched by larger
and more costly designs.
The Model 2Ce Signature II
is a worthy addition to any high
quality music system. The innovative first order crossover supports biwiring or vertical bi-amplification.
Superb dynamic and transient response guarantees superior performance from records, tapes, CDs and
video sources. Custom engineered
drivers, built exclusively for Vandersteen Audio, are mounted in special
baffles designed to maximize each
drivers accuracy and musicality. An
aesthetically pleasing appearance,
incorporating an acoustically transparent grille and an audibly vented
top, allows the Model 2Ce Signature
II to compliment the décor of your
home.
The Vandersteen Audio
Model 2Ce Signature II is designed
and built in the United States of
America.
MODEL 2Ce
SIGNATURE II
LOUDSPEAKER
OPERATIONS
MANUAL
CONNECTIONS 2
OVERVIEW 2
MONO-WIRE 2
ENHANCED MONO
BI-
WIRE 3
VERTICAL BI
BI-WIRE THEORY 4
BI-AMP
THEORY 4
SPEAKER SETUP
SPEAKER PLACEMENT 5
ODD DIMENSIONS 5
THIRD DIMENSIONS 7
ACOUSTIC CENTER 7
TOE-IN 7
ACOUSTIC TREATMENTS 7
L
ISTENING HEIGHT 8
-W
IRE 3
-
AMP 3
5
CONTENTS
CONTOUR CONTROLS 8
SET-UP HINTS 9
ASSOCIATED EQUIP.
AMPLIFIER REQUIREMENTS 9
COMPONETS 9
CABLES 9
SPEAKER CARE
MAINTENANCE 10
S
ERVICE
PACKING INSTRUCTIONS 10
SPEAKER INFO.
REFERENCE INFORMATION 11
2Ce SIGNATURE SPECIFICATIONS 11
WARRANTY
9
10
10
11
12
1
CONNECTIONS
As part of the upgrades an improvements that elevate the
performance of the 2Ce Signature II above the Model 2Ce,
the banana jack inputs are replaced with a four terminal barrier strip. This requires different cable terminations and connection methods than those detailed in the 2Ce manual.
Please follow the appropriate instructions below when
connecting your 2Ce Signature II Loudspeakers.
With all the connection methods, the input
screws should be snug, but should not b e over
TRUE BI-WIRE CONNECTIONS
True bi-wiring is recommended for all systems using a
single stereo amplifier or two mono amplifiers. Four identical runs of equal length cable are required. (Two per
speaker).
1. Crimp and solder spade lugs to the speaker ends of the
cables being used to connect the 2Ce Signatures II.
2. Choose one of the cables as high-frequency cable. Con-
nect this cable to the two terminals on the right carefully
observing proper polarity.
3. Connect the remaining cable to the two left terminals
carefully observing proper polarity.
4. Connect both cables in proper polarity to the same set of
outputs on your amplifier. If possible, use only one
spade lug to connect both cables to each terminal on the
amplifier as shown in the amplifier connection.
With all the connection methods, bare wires
should never come into contact with the aluminum plate while the amplifier in on. Amplifier
damage could result.
Carefully verify cable pol arity at both speaker
and amplifier before using the bi-wire or vertical bi-amp connection methods.
True
Bi - Wire
INTERNAL BI-WIRE CONNECTIONS
If your domestic situation dictates the use of a single cable per speaker, you should use a multiple-conductor singlesheath cable to internally bi-wire the speakers. Some of
these cables use different types of wire for the upper and
lower ranges of the speaker and may affect the blend between the woofer and midrange drivers. They should only
be used after you audition them in your system and verify
that they do not affect the woofer to midrange blending and
that you like their sonic characteristics.
1. Crimp and solder spade lugs to the speaker ends of the
cable from the amplifier.
2. Connect one positive and one negative wire to the high-
frequency terminals on the right carefully observing
proper polarity.
3. Connect the remaining positive and negative wires to
the low-frequency terminals on the left carefully observing proper polarity.
4. Connect the wires in proper polarity to the same set of
outputs on your amplifier. If possible, use only one
spade lug to connect both positive wires and one spade
lug to connect both negative wires to the amplifier as
shown in the diagram.
Amplifier
Terminal
Internal
Bi - Wire
Amplifier
Terminal
2
ENHANCED MONO-WIRE CONNECTION
Mono-wiring should only be used with the 2Ce Signature
II as a temporary connection method. The speakers should
be bi-wired as soon as possible.
1. Cut two sections of insulated wire about 2½ inches
long to make two jumper wires. Crimp and solder
spade lugs to all four ends of the two jumper wires.
2. Connect one end of a jumper wire under the high -
frequency negative terminal screw and one end of the
other jumper wire under the high-frequency positive
terminal screw.
3. Crimp and solder spade lugs to the speaker ends of
the cable from the amplifier.
4. Connect the negative side of the speaker cable and the
jumpper cable from the high-frequency negative
terminal screw under the low-frequency negative
terminal screw.
5. Connect the posite side of the speaker cable and the
jumper cable from the high-frequency positive
terminal screw under the low-frequency positive
terminal screw.
6. Connect the speaker cables to your amplifier. Verify
proper polarity.
The performance of the Model 2Ce Signature
is compromised by a mono-wire connection.
For optimum performance you should bi-wire
the speakers.
MONO-WIRE
VERTICAL BI - AMP CONNECTIONS
Caution: Some solid state amplifiers are not stable driving a capacitive load. Listen for high frequency oscillation
(brightness) and higher amplifier operating temperature.
We only recommend bi-amplification when every component in the system is the best available and there is no
other path to improving the system, otherwise, you are better off investing in the best single amplifier within your
budget rather than dividing your budget between two less
expensive, inferior sounding amplifiers.
Vertical Bi-amplification uses a stereo amplifier to drive
each speaker. Four identical runs of equal length speaker
cables are required (Two per speaker).
1. Connect two cables to each speaker as described in
steps 1-3 of the true bi-wire section on the previous
page.
2. Designate one stereo amplifier as the left channel am-
plifier and the other identical stereo amplifier as the
right channel amplifier.
3. Connect the preamp’s left channel output to both inputs
of the left amplifier using two sets of preamplifier outputs and two cables or one cable and a high quality single female to dual male “Y” connector. Use the same
method to connect the preamplifier's right channel output to both inputs of the right amplifier.
4. Connect the low-frequency cable from the left speaker
to one channel of the left amplifier. Connect the highfrequency cable from the left speaker to the other channel of the same amplifier. Verify proper polarity.
5. Repeat step 4 for the right speaker and the right ampli-
fier.
VERTICAL
BI - A MP
Amplifier
Left Channel
Outputs
Amplifier
Terminal
Right Channel
Outputs
3
WE RECOMEND
A. All speaker cables in bi-wired or bi-amped systems
should be the same type and length. While certain different cables may work well together, identical cables
on both inputs insures perfect blending.
B. If your amplifier has “A” and “B” outputs, use the “A”
outputs for both cables in bi-wired systems. The two
sets of outputs may not be electrically identical.
BI-WIRING THEORY AND PRACTICE
The effects of bi-wiring are not subtle. The improvements are large enough that a bi-wire set of moderately
priced cable will usually sound better than a single run of far
more expensive cable.
All the cables in a bi-wire set must be the same. There is
often great temptation to use a wire known for good bass
response on the woofer inputs and a different wire known
for good treble response on the midrange/tweeter inputs.
This will cause the different sonic characteristics of the two
wires in the middle frequencies to interfere with the proper
blending of the woofer and midrange driver through the
600Hz crossover point. The consistency of the sound will be
severely affected as the different sounding woofer and midrange drivers conflict with each other in the frequency range
where our ears are most sensitive to sonic anomalies. The
disappointing result is a vague image, a lack of transparency
through the midrange and lower treble and loss of detail and
clarity.
Some of the benefits of bi-wiring seem to come from the
physical separation of the high current bass and low current
C. If your amplifier has multiple impedance taps, try the 4
ohm and 8 ohm taps to see which sounds better. (They
will sound different). The 2Ce Signature II is an easy
load so there is no danger of damaging your amplifier
or the speakers by using either set of taps. In bi-wired
and bi-amped systems, both cables must be connected
to the same rated taps on the amplifier.
midrange/tweeter wires. Cables that combine the wires in
one sheath do not offer the full advantages of bi-wiring.
The cables should all be the same length. This is not due
to the time that the signal takes to travel through a cable, but
rather that two different lengths of the same cable will sound
different. If the cables connecting one speaker are a different length than the cables connecting the other speaker, the
resulting difference in sound between the two speakers will
compromise the imaging and coherence of the system. If
different lengths of cable are used for the bass and midrange/
tweeter inputs of the speakers, the effects will be similar to
those experienced when using two different cables as described above.
Since short runs of speaker cable sound better than long
runs, consider placing your electronics between the speakers
rather than off to one side. If for convenience or aesthetic
considerations, the electronics must be located a considerable distance from the speakers, it is usually preferable to
place the amplifier between the speakers and use long interconnect cables and short speaker wire.
BI-AMPLIFICATION THEORY AND PRACTICE
When you vertically bi-amplify with two identical amplifiers, almost every aspect of the Model 2Ce Signature II ’s
performance is enhanced compared to bi-wiring with just
one of the amplifiers. In most cases however, bi-wiring
with a single, twice-as-expensive, better sounding amplifier
will offer greater performance improvements for the same
investment.
With the separate inputs for the midrange/tweeter and
woofer on the 2Ce Signature II’s, you may be tempted to biamplify the speakers using a powerful amplifier or an amplifier known for superb bass performance on the woofer input
and a smaller amplifier or an amplifier renowned for middle
and high frequency performance on the midrange/tweeter
input. But rather than improving the sound of your system
with the addition of a second amplifier, you will have taken
a significant step backwards in coherence, accuracy and musical realism.
The reasons for this sonic penalty are simple. One of the
strongest aspects of the Model 2Ce Signature’s performance
is the seamless transition between the drivers. Whether the
music is in a range being reproduced by the woofer, by the
midrange, or equally by both drivers, there is no audible
change to the characteristics of the instruments or voices.
But, when the midrange driver is being driven by a different
amplifier than the woofer, (and in these cases by amplifiers
not chosen for the similarity in their sounds, but rather for
the difference in their sounds), the blending between the
drivers is compromised and the sonic consistency of the
speaker is inhibited.
Even if the levels of the two amplifiers are matched for
one volume level, the amplifiers will still exhibit different
dynamic characteristics, different imaging characteristics,
different degrees of detail and instrument texture and different tonal balances. With the crossover between the woofer
and midrange occurring in a range where the ear is very sensitive to any sonic changes, these differences will create considerable sonic confusion through the important midrange.
The only way to properly bi-amplify the Model 2Ce Signature II is passively with two identical amplifiers in a vertical configuration. (one stereo amplifier per channel) An
electronic crossover cannot be used since the crossover in
the Model 2Ce Signature II is not bypassed. The result
would be two crossovers in series creating severe phase
shift. The use of two different amplifiers or an electronic
crossover will negatively affect the sound of the speakers
and reduce their overall performance level.
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