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Vandersteen Subs 2W, 2Wq, etc. as LFE

Okay, I think that the only Vandersteen sub that is made to take an LFE signal is the V2W. The others are made to meld into working with a standard pair speakers rather than use the LFE output. My question: is there any way for these other Vandy subs to be used for LFE purposes?

I ask for a few reasons. First and foremost, the 2W is generally the cheapest and most common used Vandersteen sub. I've got a Maggie 7-channel system, so it should meld well. However, I don't want the sub to just work as the low end for one pair of speakers. I'd like to either use this as the LFE sub or as a "speaker sub" for all the speakers by having the Lexicon sum the low-end of all seven Maggies and sending it to the Vandersteen. In either event, it would require sending a direct signal from the preamp, not the amp. But is there any way to do this with these Vandersteen subs?

Thanks,
Aaron
aewhistory

Showing 2 responses by bondmanp

bondmanp
1,829 posts
 
Aewhistory: You can use a 2W or 2Wq for LFE in addition to using it as a sub for the satelite speakers. The 2Wq adds an adjustable Q control, which may come in handy if you want big, booming, home theater-style bass instead of the tight, controlled and accurate bass the Vandy subs are known for. If you have one of these subs, tell your processor that the mains are large, the other speakers are small, and that there is NO subwoofer. This will send the bass from all channels and the LFE to the front two channels, where the Vandy crossover/resistor scheme will send all the bass to the 2W or 2Wq.

That said, the V2W was designed specifically to use the RCA subwoofer output of a pre-pro.

IMHO, these are all excellent subwoofers. I have been using a pair of 2Wqs to augment my front mains for several years, and i really love 'em. I use an old Def Tech sub for LFE and bass redirection from the center and surround channels. I guess it depends on how much you care about surround sound quality vs. 2-channel sound quality. Obviously, I care much more about 2-channel sound quality than surround sound quality. YMMV.
bondmanp
1,829 posts
 
I know that many people feel that a single Vandy sub must be placed in the center of the mains to avoid any localization of the upper bass. However, that was not my experience. I purchased my 2Wq subs one at a time. During the months that I had only one 2Wq, it was placed in one front corner of my room. I had no issues whatsoever with localization anywhere in the audio band that I could hear. YMMV, of course. Also, remember that Richard Vandersteen designed these subs specifically for corner placement, and recommends such placement whether using single or multiple Vandersteen subs.
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