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
" We are also talking a more wife friendly room (I too like a cleaner looking room now days).  Another problem never mentioned is when the subs have drivers pointing into the listening space or ports the sidebands as these have a negative impact on imaging and sound stage.  Again, this is something that is never discussed, but very real."

ctsooner,

     Sorry, I went on so long on my last post but forgot to address your final points concerning the WAF and imaging:

WAF- If you view my system photos you'll notice it still maintains a clean look in my 23 x16 ft. room that my wife and I also enjoy.  The 2 subs along the front 16 ft. wall are hidden from view by each of my large 6 x 2 ft.panel  mains.  Each sub along the 23 ft. long side walls are a bit more visible but, because the 10" drivers face the wall,all that's visible is the nicely finished wood  on the sides, top and backof each sub.  My wife says these look like art gallery pedestals and she usually has a vase of fresh flowers on one or both.

Imaging and sound stage illusion-  If you care to read about this I discussed it thoroughly in my post on 6/13 responding to bo1972,  The gist is that, IMO, both are only enhanced with the Audio Kinesis 4 sub configuration that is rated at -3db @ 20-100 Hz.

     The Vandersteen Sub Nine is rated identically as -3db @ 20-100 Hz.  I know the Audio Kinesis Swarm/Debra, and I believe the Vandy, are designed to be -3db to compensate for the typical bass room gain of +3db.

Tim
Bass room gain?? Bass is all over the map in any room but an anechoic. ±30db is not a typical.

A multi-sub system may smooth out level, but it will be a phase nightmare. Imagine a rectangular box filled with water. Drop in a pebble. The wave will bounce around dependent on wall reflectivity. Add additional pebbles and interference patterns develop in the primary wave.

Subs that connect to speaker terminals do not 'take on' the main amp character. They add their character to the main amp.

"Subs that connect to speaker terminals do not 'take on' the main amp character. They add their character to the main amp."

ieales,
Talk to Richard Vandersteen about that topic and he will 'educate' you.
Certainly the load the main amp sees can influence the sound
jn a properly designed system such as Vandersteen the transfer function of the main amp is preserved, the sub amp is optimized and power factor corrected to properly drive the sub and present a fairly benign load to the main amp
most people think the sonic virtues outweigh any small math issues....