Vandersteen high-pass filter with other Subs

Judit, are you talking about the sound of just the two speakers by themselves or when used with the REL's? Are they placed in the same spots when you make this judgment? I am sure I am not telling you anything you don't already know but the 805 and the 3 ARE VERY different speakers. You don't even need a high pass filter with the 805 as they are already rolled off 6db at 42HZ! Nice first order slope built right into the design! The Vandersteen goes much lower. Down only 3db at 26Hz. Still sounds like a set up issue to me!

Maxgain,
I am talking about a direct swap comparison of the 805s with the Vandersteens without the REL inserted at all. I have run both speakers with chesky set up disc to optimize placement and room treatment. The muddiness in the Vandersteen mids is audible on human voice as well. However, remember I am running 10 year old Vandersteen 3s. Vandersteen claims significant changes with the 3Asigs, we shall see. I will let you know how this upgrade changes things, if you are interested.

The 805s have their own specific limitations as well - the roll off in the bass does not trouble me much at all. I am surprised by the quality of these small monitors. However, the tweeter is harsh and with some material - a problem that the Vandersteen's do not have.

Thanks for your interest - I learn quite a bit from discussions like these.

Judit, Have you gotten your Vandersteens back from the upgrade? I am wondering what you thing of the changes. I ssume that their will be some run break-in time that will be required. Be very careful in setting the rear tilt on Vandersteens, as this can account for what you describe as well as room interactions.

I am not familiar with the Chesky set up disc and wonder if you can tell me a bit about it? I know that some people rely on computer programs to position their speakers which in my opinion is flawed, compared to setting them up by ear.

You may find it interesting to read Richard Hardesty's issue #2 of the "Audio Perfectionist Journal", which can be downloaded from his web site for free. www.audioperfectionist.com

Maxgain,

My Vandersteens are not back yet from the 3asig upgrade. I am curious as well. Thanks for reminding me about tilt.

I find the set up disk useful for two things: (1) I am able to quickly assess maximum separation by moving my speakers apart until the central image begins to break up.
(2) They have a listening position called "beyond" the left and right speaker. The narrator's voice actually shows up to the left of the left speaker then to the right of the right speaker. I often find that these image positions are the ones that are most affected by room interaction. One side will image "beyond" while the other doesn't. I invariable find the source with the result that sound stage width is as good as it gets.