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Vandersteeen 2wq (or any sub) in small room

Hi everyone,

I have an 11x16x8 room for music, with Vandersteen 2ce's and Aragon 8008BB amp. Tried all manner of placement, but still feel the bass is a bit thin (I realize that Vandersteens produce musical and accurate bass, but this is my perception). I have been reading about the merits of the 2wq sub in improving the Vandersteen sound, but these advocates usually have much larger rooms. Is using a sub in a small room a fool's errand? Would teh 2wq be a particularly finicky addition? Should I return to my efforts at room treatment with bass traps? Thank you. 

Paul.
paulburnett
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bondmanp
1,804 posts
 

My basement listening room is larger than the o.p.’s, but concerns about placement are, in this case, IMHO, unwarranted. The Vandersteen 2Wq is designed to sit in a corner, so the issues of boundary reinforcement are already baked into the cake. And, no surprise, my pair of 2Wq’s sound terrific in the front corners of my room. Also unwarranted, IMHO, are concerns about blending these with your mains. The unique hook-up scheme presents the mains and the 2Wq’s with identical output signals. So, if your mains reach down to 40Hz (and yours do), you are good to go.


I don’t know where you are located, but John Rutan of Audio Connections in Verona, NJ, is an expert in all things Vandersteen. Short of calling Richard himself (he’s not that hard to get on the phone), you could ask John Rutan your question.


Also, having upgraded from the in-line filter to the battery biased crossovers (MHP5 ?), I can tell you that it well worth the added expense and battery changes (they are soldered in, and should be changed every 10 years).  You will get added transparency.


Lastly, it is generally recommended to mass load the cabinets. In my basement, where looks takes a back seat to sonics, I use boxes of tiles and ammo on top of each 2Wq to mass load them.


But, hey, YMMV.

audioconnection
1,271 posts
 
(((@mb1audio02, neither question is relevant to the fact that first order filters make it easier to localize a sub than those with higher order filters.)))

 Time correct to what the Mic picks up, is how we hear
 and maintains fidelity to the original recorded venue.
 It all sums together when dialed in and Q ed to the room.

(((Richard talked me out of buying Vandy subs and I was not comfortable buying Vandy 3s based on hearing 2s.)))

He most likely did this because because you were majoring on the minors,stubborn etc instead of willing to experience the whole picture.

My first dose with a Pair of Vandersteen 2Wqs was with a pair of Vandersteen 3 series speakers, ARC gear listening playing a dense piece of Mozart.
 I sat there on the couch taking in the moment.
the fundamentals were all presented with their overtones and harmonics intact allowing listeners to experience the recordings natural clarity and spacial perspective. 
After this i said thank Jesus Im a Vandersteen/ARC dealer!
 JohnnyR
Audio Connection
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