Vandersteen 2WQ

Originally, I added a pair of 2Wqs to my Vandy 1Cs. When I upgraded to Ohm Walsh 2000s a few years back, they blended every bit as well as the 1Cs. I think Vandersteen is telling the truth: If your mains will go down to 40Hz, and you hook the 2Wq up as per the owner's manual, the blend should be seemless. I plunked mine down in the front corners of room, and I get deep, tuneful, controlled, high-impact bass that is anything but one-note. Last year, I upgraded to the MHP-5 battery biased crossovers, and got further improvements in the sound both above and below the crossover range. I think the 2Wq is one of the best bargains in subwoofers.

Timo62 - Because the amp in the 2Wq rolls in, 1st order, below 80Hz, reaching full output at 40Hz and below, and the high pass filter rolls off below 80Hz, first order, your mains should be able to output smoothly down to about 40Hz or below. If not, you might get a dip in power response in that 40Hz zone. But if you speak with Richard Vandersteen, there may be a work around, but I don't know. I think the M5-HP battery powered crossovers are hinged at 100Hz instead of 80Hz, as they were designed for the Model 5 rather than the 2Wq. Richard Vandersteen told me how to set the dip switches inside the M5-HPs so that the hinge point of the roll-off would be 80Hz, as required by the amp in the 2Wq for flat response.

Bob - My 2Wqs are in the corners, behind and outside the speakers, about 2.5 feet away. Before I had two, I had one, in one corner. I never had a localization issue with this setup. YMMV, I guess.

Halcro - The in-line filters are 1st order, "elbowed" at 80Hz, so they are only down 6dB per octave, meaning 40Hz. That's still a significant amount of signal for the main amplifier(s). FWIW, the Vandersteen in-line crossovers are good, but not totally transparent. A great upgrade is to the M5-HP crossovers, which, IME, are more transparent, and provided subtle, but easily heard, improvements in soundstage openness, imaging, and transient reproduction.

+1 John! I can attest that what JohnnyR @ Audioconnection is saying is spot on, IME. I am now borrowing a different amplifier for my rig, and with the Ohm Walsh 2000s, I am once again getting a seemless blend between subs and mains. Yet, and this is key, the connection scheme of the 2Wqs allows me to hear quite clearly the differences between my amp and the borrowed amps. I can hear the differences in the frequencies covered by the 2Wqs as well as the frequencies covered by my Ohms. The 2Wq is a pretty unique product, and a heckuva value, IMHO.