Merlin VSM-M and Bass

p you hear midbass hump in which the tsm of vsm? in the second sentence you mention the vsm twice.
thanks.
b

Hi David,
You must use the BAM to get get a proper integration of the sub to the VSM. The BAM offers a steep cut at 30 Hz which you will cross the sub into at 12 or 24 dB (your choice). The 12 dB peroctave slope will result in more overlap at the crossover point so the sound will be fuller in your large room. This may be preferable to you.
Without the BAM, there is no chance of summing the sub and VSM outputs correctly. Crossing the sub above 30 Hz will unweight the wonderful tonal balance of the VSM M so I do not recommend this either. Some experimentation will be necessary for you to dial this in but this is your easiest path and least expensive path.
In a purist sense, your wires (Beldon) and pre offer up a presentation that is somewhat stipped in the bass. This lack of fullness is more obvious because of the VSM's high degree of resolution. Going this route will cost more but will probably make you much more happy in the end. The speakers have a really big bass but you need the associated equipment to be tonally neutral enough to be able to perceive this.
Hope that I have helped.
Bobby@merlin

David informed me that he was just using the threaded point without the jam nut and the rest of the cone assembly. The lack of bass is understandable when you consider that the increased sheering potential virtually destroyed the dynamic coupling of the speaker to the floor. A properly designed speaker foot is rigid to pass built up energy from the speaker cabinet into the earth. With the point just screwed into the fastener on the bottom of the speaker, the energy could not pass through the spike as a drain. The build up of energy within the cabinet heightened the cabinet resonance and cancelled some of the bass energy. Just using the point with a jam nut is not enough because the resonant frequency of this combination is very high and you will hear this in the speaker's reproduction. The entire cone assembly must be used to damp the foot. This results in a single digit resonant frequency which is too low to hear. The result is a much fuller and relaxed presentation which David noted. Using the battery ops in the BAM will also provide the listener with a more relaxed and full presentation than the AC mode. This speaker's degree of resolution will show up seemingly insignificant issues and make them extremely audible. So, some of the procedures taken for granted with other speakers need to be paid attention to here. The more you do this, the better the end result.
One last thing, Tubegroover mentioned a sixth toe mod. This was done to David's speakers but for those of you that have not done it, the difference in bass quantity and impact is remarkable.
Bobby@merlin

Hi Tom,
The speakers will sound very full and natural even with the four feet used. The bass will not be quite as extended or as punchy but it will still sound wonderful and keep you happy knowing that your little one and the speakers will be more safe. By the way, are you on concrete or wooden flooring?
Regards,
Bobby

p, you must also make sure the speakers are level because if they are tilted back they can be made to sound overly full in the mid bass.
bobby

that is great news david.
have fun.
b

what bass are you trying to get out of them?
what is the set up like in the room?
distance apart and how far are you from the speakers?
proximity to walls?
b

is the room carpeted?
b

p, it sounds to me like the set ups you have heard the vsms in, have had some sort of bass reinforcement in the upper bass. if anything, the vsm is more linear than the tsm, has higher resolution and much less distortion. because the speaker can go lower it can combine with room nodes the create a false sense of mid bass boost. or...is it you do not like equalizers? :)
bobby

p, the bam causes no mid bass hump because its boost plateau is actually centered at 35 hz. the vsm response is actually + or - 2.25 db. the tsm is + or - 2.75 and because the qts of the morel woofer, its response is actually boosted by over 1 db in the range up to 180 hz. it is also playing below resonance of 52 so the im distortion is higher and impedance variations considerable because the driver in not kept in linear drive like the scan/bam. i am sure what you are hearing is a room mode. if the vsm's were set up by the 1/4's rule that would probably disappear.
bobby