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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
bondmanp
1,824 posts
 

IMHO, the biggest, and unique, advantage of the Vandy subs is that they feed off the same speaker taps as the main speakers.  This preserves the phase and Sonic characteristics of the main amp, making a seamless blend with the main speakers much easier.  Also, few other subs are designed for corner placement, which is where many people place their subwoofers.  And having adjustable Q is also a rare, and maybe unique, feature as well.

lewinskih01
909 posts
 

@bondmanp 

Not really. Rythmiks also have the connection to feed off the amp taps, have phase and Q adjustments. But having more variables, hence options, also introduces more uncertainties, which is why sub integration is such a difficult task especially if done without measurement equipment.

bondmanp
1,824 posts
 

@lewinskih01 Thanks.  I had no idea.  So, the Rythmic subs also have a fixed crossover of ?Hz?  Remember, the Vandy doesn't pass the amplified signal through it's own crossover, but requires both main speakers and Vandy sub speaker wires be connected to the speaker taps simultaneously.  If that is also the case with the Rythmic subs, I stand corrected.  All I can say is that I plopped my 2Wq subs in the front corners of my room, made a few adjustments to the Q and level controls, and got seamlessly integrated, deep, powerful and tuneful bass.  And that's with both my old Vandy 1Cs and my current Ohm Walsh 2000s.

lewinskih01
909 posts
 

I haven't used the Rythmiks in this fashion for several years, and I'm away from home for a couple weeks to check, but my recollection is they have the option to connect to the amp taps and have a knob to adjust the xo frequency so your loudspeakers run the full bandwidth and Rythmiks run from the bottom up to the set xo frequency. Another phase knob and PEQ adjustments.

Alternatively there is the option for the internal xo fixed at 80Hz. And lastly the option for line input, which is what I use in my active system but xo and phase correction are done upstream and not really what OP was asking about.

holmz's avatar
holmz
2,328 posts
 

@bondmanp 

Not really. Rythmiks also have the connection to feed off the amp taps, have phase and Q adjustments. But having more variables, hence options, also introduces more uncertainties, which is why sub integration is such a difficult task especially if done without measurement equipment

Ahh ^That^ is interesting.
The Vandy line is designed to be in phase all the way down… So I was concerned that some other sub could be way out of the “driver’s acoustic” phase.

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