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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
bstatmeister OP
537 posts
 
so got rid of the Samson S-convert and now running strictly unbalanced with my TS connectors, I must say the biggest difference has been the decrease in background noise. On LPs the back ground hiss is barely noticeable and have to get right up to the speaker to hear it - and this is at a decent volume to boot. I did not get a proper sense of differences in sound stage since I have been unable to position speakers for prime listening at this point. But I have been very pleased with the results so far and only wish I would have done this years ago.

Because of this it will help me implement the 2wq subs in a cheaper manner (starting with the WX-2 variable cross-over to figure out the best setting for my amp, then purchasing the fixed cross-overs based off those results) - Although I do wish I could get the HP-5's, it's not realistic for me at this point financially.

Now if I can just find a good deal on a 2wq or two starting on July 1st...
(Financially this would be the optimal time)
mr_m
1,900 posts
 
The HP-5's are really the way to go. If you buy them new, make sure you give them ample break-in time. When I first got mine, new out of the box, they sounded only marginally better than the X-2's. But after 4 to 6 weeks, WOW, did the sound ever open up! It caught me by surprise when I started to notice it. At first I wasn't sure what I had done to improve the system so greatly. But then I remembered. I tried the X-2's again and the sound just closed in. The bloom was gone, air around the instruments and vocals almost totally dis-appeared. I was in a financially constrained condition also, but eventually was able to spring for the new HP-5's. If you ever find a used pair with good batteries, go for it! And good luck!
bstatmeister OP
537 posts
 
As far as what impedance to match the cross-overs at - I noticed that my amp has an impedance of 10k ohm for balanced connections. Does this mean that I should match up the WX-2 to 10K? I have heard that people often find that they get better results if they go one step lower. so in this case I would go to 7500K? Does the WX-2 go this low?

mr_m
1,900 posts
 
The WX-2 seems to be designed for single ended (RCA) only. In that configuration, you can select the 10k input impedance to start with and listen. It does have one lower position below 10k and that is 5k which is pretty much the limits for the WX-2. Make sure of your amps input impedance, because if you go accidentally to low, you can over tax the amp modules in the 2Wq sub. I had this conversation with Richard Vandersteen and got  quite the scolding for suggesting going to low on the impedance selection. He said his warranty would not cover this type of damage to the amp modules, so use caution and a low volume level to start with.
gdnrbob
4,444 posts
 
I, too, have an issue with my McCormack DNA-1 monoblocks, in that they have pretty low impedance-like yours.
Using balanced, I can only get to 22Kohms. And, I think going lower would be beneficial. So, either I go to unbalanced or have SMc Audio redo their work. I am leaving it for a time when I can reconfigure my wiring.
Until then, I still have the Atma MA-1's and Ayre MXR's, so I am in no hurry. (It's nice to have options).
Bob
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