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Vandersteen Sub woofers v Rythmik Subs

I really love the idea of the Vandersteen Subs where they are connected with the mains via extra speaker cable off right and left channels off the main amplifier, which is supposed to provide better bass transition from the mains while keeping the signature from the main amplifier. My question is with Vandersteen coming out with the SUB THREE and the price going significantly higher, I was wondering if there are other subs for less that you could integrate in the same way. (Most subs seem to rely on the line level input which is just a sub-woofer RCA going from the pre-amp to the amp on the sub). Can this same Vandersteen set-up be achieved with other subs?
I picked Rythmik since they are known (in the home theater community anyway) for being one of the best bang for the buck subs and the most "musical" of the bunch. (between Hsu, SVS, PSA).
And could I possibly achieve even greater sub-woofer nirvana since I could get an 18" for around $1500? Vandies only have 3 eight inchers.

I am a Vandersteen fanboy and I would like to support RV whenever I can, but don’t know much about my other sub-woofer options so looking for some feedback. Doesn’t even have to be related to Rythmik necessarily. If you know of other subs that can integrate the same way I want to know about it!

Thanks
bstatmeister
jackd
1,068 posts
 
With the Vandersteen method the high pass filter goes between the preamp and amp so the signal from the speaker terminals is already filtered.  Whether you run the Rythmik's from the preamp's outputs or the speaker terminals the signal is passing to the mains full range and you use the crossover in the subs to limit the signal it sees.  You can buy aftermarket in-line filters to mimic the Vandersteen effect if you choose. Harrison Labs FMOD's are the most common.  Never tried it that way so can't tell you how it would sound.  In both of my systems I am running the mains full range and crossing in the Rythmik subs at the bottom limits of their frequency range.  
enginedr1960
173 posts
 
I am the other distributed bass user that Noble mentioned . I use 4 REL Q201e subs in my room . The front subs are under the main speakers a set of Ohm Walsh 2.2000 sat. I use a high pass cap in my tube mono blocks to pass 50 hz and up . I take the sub signal from the amps and send them to a passive volume control to set the gain structure to my DSPeaker antimode 2.0. From the DSP witch functions as a crossover and room correction device  the DSP has 4 outs 2 XLR and 2 single ended . the front subs run passive and use a crown XLS 2502 amp  .The rear subs use the internal plate amps set to LFE witch bypasses the subs crossover network . With this setup I have full control of the bass volume and crossover through the DSPeaker while  using the high level signal .     
bondmanp
1,808 posts
 
@enginedr1960 - So, if I read your last post correctly, you compensate for roll-off below 50Hz with the passive pre? Does it have enough gain for this purpose? I guess that is possible if it is a transformer based volume control, but I thought passive volune controls were mostly attenuators. Or, perhaps the DSPeaker is where you get your subwoofer signal gain from? Please ’splain it to me.
sonicjoy
146 posts
 
One thing I have not seen mentioned yet is that the Vandersteen 2wq/M5hp system actually improves the sound of the main speakers by relieving them of the job of producing deep bass. The rest of the spectrum is cleaner sounding. It really makes a big difference. I run the Vandersteen 3a signature's with two (stereo) 2wq's and it is a very satisfying full range experience. 
bondmanp
1,808 posts
 
@sonicjoy - Yup, that was kind of a given as far as I was concerned.  Note only is it helpful for the main speakers, but lowers the burden on the amplifiers significantly.  All good reasons for a HPF for the mains.  That alone might steer me away from REL and Rythmic and towards Vandersteen.  That said, no crossover is 100% transparent.  The M5-HP is very good, but not as good as no crossover at all.  You have to way the pros and cons of adding another dividing network to your system.  For me, it is more than worth it for the incredible bass the 2Wqs put out.
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