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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
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
13,022 posts
 
without digging around much on your specific power amp, you are likey to find the unbalanced input sounds better......there are extra parts ( phase inverter, etc) in the balanced path and we can pretty much assume your amp is not a balanced topology internally.....

but listen to both and decide......

you do need to be careful to not fry your sub amp......grounds and hots hyper critical.....

the fixed Vandy filters pale sonically to the M5 or the even better M7

street price xlr and se about the same, but imo xlr much more rare as people usually move in that direction....but not always......
bondmanp
1,824 posts
 

A word of caution - I cannot really understand what is being attempted here, but Vandersteen does caution against using XLR-single-ended converters with the M5-HP.  There are different types of converters.  The ones made by the Digital Amplifier Company are pricey, but there is more to them than I can easily undertand or explain.  They ain't cheap, either.


@tomic601 - M7???  I wasn't even aware there was such a thing.  Prolly more than I can afford anyway.  My M5-HPs are in Hanford being inspected/repaired.  Yes, I miss them, but they were behaving badly.

hifiman5's avatar
hifiman5
1,832 posts
 
@bondmanp  I believe Tomic 601 is referring to the M7 HPA power amps new to Vandersteen's line.
bstatmeister OP
537 posts
 
you do need to be careful to not fry your sub amp......grounds and hots hyper critical.....

What do you mean by this?
Also, just got my TS plugs last night, so itching to see if a simpler run from the pre-amp to the amp (although now unbalanced) improves sound quality.
I do have an open floor plan in my main listening area which is open to the kitchen/dining room, so I have to deal with blenders, running water, and screaming kids, so not conducive to critical listening (It's actually rare when I get the house to myself...grrrrr...) Hopefully I will be able to do some good tests in the next couple days, however.
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
13,022 posts
 
M7 high pass filter in cast box, with carbon fiber cover, guts are different, especially the battery config for DBS
they are around $2k at retail
i got them when I had 5a and went from a SE power amp to a balanced Ayre, so I cannot comment on sonic change with only the filter as a variable.
i do however trust that RV would not put out a dolled up sonic equivalent...
the change to Ayre and M7 was staggering...
i sold the M7 filters here on agon a few months ago, astute buyer...$1300, they have WEL pigtails....

bstat
the blender can be thought of as a diffuser of sorts i guess
hope you get some quiet time

download the sub manuals and you can read all the cautions on grounds and hots...

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