Vandy 2WQ bottoms out with movies

I'm not an expert by any means on this, but when you set the speakers on large, aren't you telling the bass management to send low bass to the fronts? So it would seem that your suspicion is correct (which you have confirmed, IMO, when you found that turning the LFE level up, makes the 2WQs sound louder. However, why not ask the folks at Bryston?

Setting the front speakers to "large" sends full-range bass. Many movies with low-frequency effects have them mixed into the fronts as well as (or even instead of) the .1 LFE channel.

I have a full Vandersteen HT setup, and tried using stereo 2WQs at one point. They are great subs for music, but I found the same thing that you did - they tend to bottom out with very intense movie sound effects. I removed them and use the fronts with a processor crossover setting that puts mid-bass into them, but shunts all of the really low stuff to the V2W sub, which handles movie LFE much better than the 2WQs did.

If you really want to keep the 2WQ for music, you might want to set a crossover point in your processor that keeps the really low stuff out of your fronts (assuming your processor has this capability).

So anyone take note, who was involved in the former post recently entitled, "anyone with high end home theater sans the subwoofer"!!!
In this, several people posted that you could indeed have a high end home theater, running your high end speakers(passive no less) full range, and forgo the subwoofer... Yeah, I think not!(talking stricktly of passiver towers)
There are easily some subwoofers, like above mentioned out there that can't even handle the most demanding bass info, let alone an inefficient set of full range speakers, running passively, full range!!
I've been hearing full range speakers bottom out on dd/dts material for years this way. So when someone say's their active powered subs are bottoming out on heavy bass tracks, I laugh to my self thinking about those that swear their full range audiophile speakers are just fine for doing a high end ht system on their own. Huh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sound like you need a more ample sub(s)???

Flrnlamb, I dont disagree with your opinion at all. I am just very surprised becuase if you know anything about the Vandy subs (2WQs or the V2W) they are quite highly touted. The V2W (meant for HT) handles things just fine.

What I found out though (and it doesnt make any sense to me) is that EVEN WITH my Bryston processor set to have a LFE sub, with my main speakers set to "large" due to using the 2WQs with the main speakers, and all others to "small" the sub level control on the Bryston controls the level of bass going to the large speakers!

That just doesnt seem right to me! I know that the sub level control is intended to control the LFE channel and redirect the "small" speaker info to it..but...?

I wish someone with a Bryston processor could tell me whether theirs does the same thing.

Swampwalker, my thought was that setting any of the speakers to "large" will send full range signals to them but NOT LFE and the bass below the cut off frequency of all of the "small" speakers.

My 1st HT was in 1993 with a Vandy 2W. IT DID NOT BOTTOM OUT. I am in my 2nd home theater now and have seperated HT from my 2 channel and the Vandy is with the 2 channel system I own. I have a Velodyne 10" sub in my ht and it works fine. For me boom is boom, and the Vandy is over qualified in HT.