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Electrostat Speakers with sub. Finally

I have a pair of acoustat model 3s and i love them. yes, the bass is somewhat weak as goes the common notion. but during my visit to optimal enchantment (see recent thread) to audition preamps the owner Randy suggested checking out the vandersteen 2wq sub ($1,300) which has it's own 300watt amp and these funky little extra crossovers that simply connect to the ends of your rca interconnects running from your pre into your amp. (he swears this is the best way to cross over). Well. WOW. this is what i've been looking for. at first i was playing some whimpy music and thought, i been robbed! i couldn't hear the sub at all (which is the point - that is until you need it). then as i started listening to different music, mainly some coltrane with lots of Paul Chambers freaking out, the bass came alive adn the whole midrange of the speaker opened up with clarity and detail and of course, the bass was slamming. did some hunting around on audioasylum after the fact just to verify and found people getting similar results.
worth a listen
kublakhan
16 responses Add your response
cornfedboy
1,645 posts
 
always glad to hear about someone else moving closer to "the absolute sound." this is what it's all about, isn't it? may your joy continue. you work hard at it, clearly have fun and are worthy of applause. bravo, kublakhan! -kelly
plato
1,543 posts
 
Kubla,

That's a nice set up and is hard to beat even by today's standards. I used to own tube, servo-amped Acoustat IIIs and used an Audio Pro B250 subwoofer to augment the low bass and it worked quite well. I also had the opportunity to audition the Vandersteen sub with the passive crossover you mention -- hooked up to a pair of Magnepan MG-12s and that combination was really quite impressive too. Enjoy!
gregm
3,395 posts
 
Good for you, Kubla! I never got to partner my tube active electrostats with a sub -- before I had to sell them. You succeded where I failed.

Best wishes for enjoyment, from afar!
eddie
29 posts
 
I'm using Acoustat 8's with a Velodyne ULD 15 MK II, and am getting results like you described; mids and highs to die for and plenty of bass slam. Long live electrostats!
kublakhan OP
717 posts
 
I love you guys
1953
140 posts
 
Group hug!
dacquistot3ddd
7 posts
 
:-)

I got a tear in my eye.
wirehead
140 posts
 
hanky?
shubertmaniac
350 posts
 
Good for you!!!! To get even more pleasure out of your
system, try an incredible amp like the Spectral DMA200.
Then try different speaker cables(believe me they work).
You might even be able to get away from a dynamic subwoofer.
Dave Lewis(address unknown these days) had a book on how
to make an electrostatic subwoofer. Now has anyone using
electrostats tried hooking up a second pair of Acoustats
with an electronic active crossover with a steep cutoff
curve so the second pair acts as a subwoofer. Or maybe
better still hook them up in parallel(series??) to increase bass response??? Someone in the early 70s had 5 pairs of
Advent speakers in parallel(series??). Boy did it give a great bass response for the times.
gregm
3,395 posts
 
Franz, 4Acoustat!! You're crazy! (I'm not. Pause to wash my hands... back again). Ziss iz not Vienna! Ve cannot hav zwei paire Akoustat -- ve vill neet four mono amplifierz mit activ krossover, ant, I tink, 80-110hz cut-off fur di sub. Extra teticated lines! Kables, deticatet lines...
Rezult, no vife. Alzo, Deutsche Bank on our (you know).
Avoit!!
If you try this out though, do give us a post.
Cheers
kublakhan OP
717 posts
 
what in god's name are you saying, man? are you suggesting 4 subs or have you taken the last remaining 12 valium i was hiding under my mattress for a special event. mom? is that you? if anyone can make heads or tails of this one let me know cause it sounds interesting. of course, perhaps I"M the one who took those last remaining 12 valium and the post makes sense to all.
little help here?
kitch29
316 posts
 
There's a pair, or was, of 2+2's here which I think is 2 1+1's conjoined (is that a word?) Supposed to have better bass but not as good imaging as the singles. I used to run 1+1's with a Bedini 25/25 which wasn't bad. But the best bass I ever heard from 'stats was the big LFT-6 or was it 8? Eminent Technology with Muse 150 monoblocks. They rocked.
gregm
3,395 posts
 
Sorry Kubla. BTW, I was too drunk to pinch your valiums (thought you kept them in yr fridge...). The story: FRANZ SHUBERTmaniac suggested adding an extra pair of Acoustats alongside the main pair, to act as subs. I think that two pairs (i.e. four, not two panels), would be needed. The bass that keeps the panels vibrating as of and below, say, 110hz, would damage them IMO. Hence, share the load between 4 panels. Accordingly, four monos would be required to drive them.
All of this would cost giga$$$, and since Schubert was Austrian and spoke German, I expected he would apply at Deutsche Bank to get the money.
The German phonetic spelling, came as a cosmetic addition.

Sorry, all!
Cheers.
kublakhan OP
717 posts
 
Gregm, bless you. i thought i had finally lost it. that was scary.
dangoldfarb
4 posts
 
I used to use a Vandersteen 2W sub until I hearda Bag End.
Now the Vandy sub sits in the closet.
The BagEnd is unbeatable in terms of tuneful, prodigious low bass.
Check it out if you can

dg
kublakhan OP
717 posts
 
*NOW* you tell me??!!
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