Vandersteen 2C contour controls +-

now I get why Richard is terse...
the pads on the back do NOTHINg to bass
they adjust by 3db the tweeter and mid
the most excellent manual explains this....

i used Cardas for years....take a bit to break in, take more than a bit for the dielectric to form and also be very careful not to put preload or said another way a kink in the natural bend radius of the cable...

also a careful read of the manual shows the coupler is a pretty low frequency animal...
so are you lacking low low bass or .?

@tomic601 

I was getting damn near full range with the current placement - so yeah - it went really deep with the ARC cables.

I've AB'd them 3-4 times now over a week and I definitely prefer the magic that happens with the Hexlink cables. They do show a lot of bass but they whiff on the deep deep stuff. And that "whiff" is very much what was happening when I first got the Vandersteens and didn't have the placement correct. I could hear them trying but didn't get the resonance.

I don't tune for tons of bass but if I have a system that is capable of it I should be able to make it happen when the recording offers it.

They currently are about 26" out from the rear wall and 31" from the side walls and 105" apart (measured from the center of the top cloth).

I'm going to:

A. Try them closer together with the ARC cables with the same distance from the rear wall to perhaps center the imaging and get better detail to my listening spot.

B. Try moving the speakers back into the corners a few inches with the Hexlink cables to try and get the bass back but keep the center sparkle that happens with those.

I'll you know what develops from that!

As you move them closer to the front wall, try unequal distances from the side walls (the centerline of your listening position will not be in the center of the room) by a few inches. This asymmetry will help even out problem bass modes.

Tom

FWIW, I've gotten the best sound from my 2Cs with these dimensions:

(All measurements from tweeters)
Distance from front wall-12.5"
Distance from left wall-30"
Distance from right wall-40"
Distance between speakers-84"
Distance to ears, (measured perpendicular to plane of speakers)-120"
All walls and ceiling have acoustic treatment

Tom