Vandersteens and subwoofers other than the 2Wq?

A 2WQ does sound quite good with optimal placement. However, the Vandersteen's 6db/octave crossovers do not allow it to disappear into the soundstage as well as the steeper (and lower) crossovers of the Rels and ACI (Titan II LE and Force). This is especially noticeable when the subwoofer cannot be most optimally situated.

As well as allowing the more flexible placement options that my room requires, my ACI Titan II LE also seems to go louder and deeper than the Vandersteen 2WQ, and (IMHO) it is also a fine-looking piece of furniture (it functions as an attractive end table in my living room).

Setup is also quite flexible in that it can be run Rel-style (with the main speakers running full-range and the subwoofer crossed over below that) or quasi-Vandersteen style, using ACI's 12 db/octave highpass filters between the preamplifier and the amplifier that drives the mains.

I've used both methods to seamlessly integrate my Vandersteen 1C's with my Titan II LE. Each method has its advantages in theory and in practice, but recently I'm gravitating toward the highpass filter method, because it usually sounds a bit less congested and clearer in the lows and mids. It also provides me with extra peace of mind when I play the occaisional explosive movie.

Given my strong Vandersteen orientation, I probably would have looked no further than a 2WQ, if I had been able to get it to work okay in my room. I am very glad that I checked out ACI.

Maxgain, you are quite correct about the phase benefits of first-order crossovers. It is one of the prime factors in the "Vandersteen magic" that I dearly love. But not all of us can optimally position our speakers for their best performance. I have doorways, heat ducts, windows, WAF, and other restrictions to contend with that compromise almost everything.

The fact is that the Vandersteen 2WQ did not work nearly as well as the Titan II LE in my room with the placement restrictions that I have. That gradual crossover slope allowed more bass frequencies in the directional range to emanate from the 2WQ, which made it stand out more sonicly for me than the Titan II LE (I must place the subwoofer in front and to the right of my 1C's). Both the 2WQ and Titan II LE would certainly perform better if I could place them somewhere between my main speakers or in a front corner, but, alas, I cannot.

Maxgain, I don't understand why you continue to doubt the veracity of what I say. I speak on this topic from my direct experience and have done the research on the Vandersteen line, mining the superb resources on the Vandersteen site and the many helpful posts by Sdcampbell and others here and on other audio sites.

Judit, I would be able to relieve more of the bass congestion and open up the mids of my 1C's while running them full-range, if I were able to position them further into the room. They are currently a little over 2 feet from the back wall; when I've moved them much further into the room, I've jeopardized the WAF (and the 1C's spikes in carpet do make them exceedingly difficult to continually move back and forth, plus I must readjust the Vandystands' alignment each time I reposition the speakers on my uneven floor). I think that the 65 Hz highpass filters do help me place my 1C's closer to the wall.

I agree, concerning the Vandersteen 2WQ, when the circumstances allow for proper set up that the woofer calls NO attention to itself. I first heard a 2WQ set up quite optimally in a friend's system. His huge Kendalls integrate flawlessly with his single 2WQ (crossed over at 75 Hz., BTW) that is clearly visible to the eyes in the left front corner of his dedicated listening room yet is sonicly invisible in operation.

The 2WQ's crossover design *was* a hindrance to its performance *in my setup* *in my room* (while the 1C's which also use a first-order crossover are quite flexible in the same specific context: apples and oranges). Apparently, with an ACI or a Rel subwoofer, one may trade off some forms of distortion for others, but what's most important is what combination of components sounds better overall, given one's very specific circumstances.

He started with the variable crossover that came with the 2WQ and from there, after consulting our local Vandersteen dealer, determined the proper value for the higher quality fixed Vandersteen crossover for which he paid an additional charge. 75 Hz. is my best recollection.