Vandersteen 3x Owners: More Bass?

The "subs" are part of the 5As, integrated within the 5A cabinet and with their own 400Watt amplifiers (for the subwoofer frequencies) per speaker.

I have no interest in HT, only 2-channel acoustic music (jazz, folk, classical). I own the Vandersteen 3A Sigs with VPI TT, ARC CD3, CAT SL1 Ultimate, and Pass Aleph 2 Monoblocks. I was curious as to whether the (2)2Wq would improve the overall sound, as well as the bass. Some postings suggests that the Pass Aleph 2 are a bit lacking a bass slam. I thought the 2Wqs with their 300 Watt Amps would make up for this perceived lack of bass slam - but would they introduce other problems: additional wire, filters, integration etc. Frankly my system sounds good to me, but it is hard to know what you might be missing till you hear a system that has better performance for comparison. I would be interested in any ideas for improving the system as a whole, including the "front end" -but I suspect this is not my problem area, but I'm interested in other opinions.

The room is 30' Long x 14' Wide. The walls are irregular shaped solid stone. The floor is carpeted concrete. THe ceiling is exposed wood beams (about 9'). The speakers are 10' from back wall, 3 1.2" from side walls, and 9 feet from listening position. I think I have followed most of the recommended practices for avoid major positionj problems. I like to have the main speakers as far out from the rear wall for best imaging and apparent depth.

What electronics are you using with the 5As? I heard them at the dealer with ARC REF2 and some solid state amp (Plinius?). They sounded excellent. It does raise the issue of buying 2Wqs now, or save for a year or two forthe 5As. Word of mouth has it there is a 10% imprvment over the 3a + 2Wq combo for over twice the price, but of course in sector of diminishing who would not pursue that extra 10% - frankly, 10% better sounds like alot of improvement at this level.

Zargon, thanks for the input. The 5A path seems right. One thing I like about Vandesteen is he has a design philosphy that he can articulate (on speaker boxes, on subwoofer integration, on multiple drivers covering the same frequency. on time and phase etc). Not only articulate, but one that has been consistent for 20+ years. Also a reason I like CAT equipment.

It sounds as if the 5As have some type of equalization programming to improve the bass/room interface. In some of the material I have read, the argument for using of subwoofers on corners for best room/bass acoustical interface seemed to make sense (the ideal location for mids and highs is not the same as the best location for producing bass). Also the the idea that having the subwoofers in a separate box would improve the on the deleterious effects of low frequency interference with the mid range and tweeter - I assume that some of the additional cost of the 5As is dealing with implementing a mechanical engineering solution to this problem.

The strength of those principles suggests that much of what went into the 5As (besides better drivers? crossovers? and fine cabinetry?)are electrical and mechanical solutions to inherent problems resulting from all the drivers being in one box. It sounds as if Richard succeeded admirably while producing a speaker aesthetically better suited for most rooms. I would think if the 5As sound better that the 3A/2w approach it would be due to better parts and tolerances, as "natural" principles seem to favor the use of dual separate subwoofers as a solution to some typical speaker design problems and compromises.

Well it certainly seems like you have a very satisfying system. Has the search stopped? or are you contemplating your next move? Any thoughts on interconnects, speaker cabling, or power conditioners within the context of your system?

I had a 20 Amp Dedicated Circuit installed, but unfortunatley it was done at the same time I brought in the CAT and ARC CD3 - so of course it sounded better than before. I asked ARC about power conditioners and I get the impression they use Richard Grey for shows. I would imagine power requirements at shows are not great given the day time hours and the electrical use in typical hotels. My take on dedicated circuits is they can't hurt. On Power conditoners it seems CAT and PASS both feel they provide no benefit, at least with there equipment and design approach. It is the typical reply I here when asking electrical engineering types. I think when the equipment is well engineered, when the components work synergistically, when the room acoustics, speaker position, and seating position have been optimized, that some of these "tweaks" might make a difference - if not just on an emotional level.

Do I see a REF 2 calling?