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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
mr_m
1,900 posts
 
"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.
ieales's avatar
ieales
1,201 posts
 
No need. I can do the math.
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,911 posts
 
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....
hifiman5's avatar
hifiman5
1,832 posts
 
@ieales   What cred. would you have to "correct" Mr. V.?  😯
noble100's avatar
noble100
2,419 posts
 
     When did Vandersteen start positioning, considering and pricing themselves as an ultra high-end company?  I've always considered Vandersteen as a solidly high-end manufacturer that offered very good quality speakers, subs and related crossovers at  more reasonable prices,especially considering  their proven history of high quality offerings.
     I was just checking out the new Sub Nine on their website.  I haven't heard them but from their description and look, they certainly seem like another fine Vandy product.  But I was a bit shocked by the $18,900 per pair suggested retail price.   The very fine Model Seven MKII are also very expensive at $62,000 per pair.They  are now even selling a pair of 600 W@ 4 ohms mono-block amps that have tubed input stages and bipolar transistor output stages (M7-HPA) for $57,200.
     So, if you want the best all Vandy system while optimizing in-room bass response, you'll need the Model Sevens, the matching mono M7 amps along with the extra pair of Sub Nines to optimize the bass response.  This will set you back $138,100 but you'll also get a pair of nice Audioquest  cables gratis.
     Undoubtedly an excellent audio system in almost anyone's estimation but not the better performance than expected for the price that I remember when I was speaker shopping in the early 1980's and auditioned the 4C. 
     I'm not sure if anyone on this thread is seriously considering the Sub Nines but I cannot understand why anyone would pay $18,900 for 2 subs when they could buy the Audio Kinesis  Swarm or Debra bass system with 4 subs that will likely provide better in-room bass response for $2,500 and save $16,400 in the process.  Yes, the Nines may produce more bass but I've never had an issue with the bass quantity ( or quality) with the Audio Kinesis.
     It's similar to what I recall from past Vandy products:; a product that offers better than expected performance  based on the reasonable price. . 
     Anyone know why Vandersteen decided to move away from these type of products, like their former 4C speakers, and toward the more expensive and esoteric?
Tim    
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