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Phasing the Vandersteen 2Wq

I thought I had this all figured out until I bought a pair of single ended Vandersteen Model 5 battery biased crossovers. These are the ticket in my opinion.
My question is this, in the setup instructions, the phasing should be set for highest ouput at the crossover point at 80hz. I can see where this would keep the transition phase correct. However, this does not yield near the amount of deeper bass as having the phase reversed relative to the above.
When set for highest output at 80hz, using a Stereophile test disc and a Radio Shack meter, the frequency relative to 1000hz is about 0db(great!) But, the lower registers drop off to about 4db down at 40hz. If you reverse the phase to the subs, you get a small suck out of about 2db at 80hz and the bass comes up to + or - 1.5db from 60hz down(also excellent)
Now, most people would say go with the most bass BUT with the subs in phase with the speakers, the mids sound better. Reverse the phase and the mids sound slightly leaner but you have a better bottom end.
I can compensate for this by increasing the sub gain and deep bass returns. However, it sounds a little out of phase and slower relative to the speaker.
So looking at this from a phase perspective, which would you deem correct?
By the way, I use 3A Signatures and the meter is calibrated.
bigtee

Showing 1 response by sdcampbell

sdcampbell
2,136 posts
 
When I set up my stereo pair of 2Wq's (with my Vandy 3A Sig's), I tried them both in-phase and reversed-phase, and the outcome was similar to what you describe. I subsequently got the Rives Audio test CD (which has test bands that are corrected to work with the Radio Shack SPL meter), and tested the subs' frequency response while making small placement adjustments (as Plato describes). After several hours of moving the subs a few inches nearer or further away from the side and rear walls, and driving the subs in-phase, I eventually got a much flatter frequency response. The Vandy subs, in my experience, take a good deal of experimenting to find the best placement, but then reward you with full, fairly flat response.

The frequency response of the Vandy 2Wq sub also depends on the "Q" setting that you choose. The maximum "Q" setting (lowest number on the dial) gives you the flattest response, while the higher settings have a pronounced "hump" in the frequency response. When adjusting your sub(s) your subs, I advise you to begin with them in-phase and the "Q" setting at its lowest number.
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