Frank -
Jim, can you comment on what the basic sonic differences are between the new Veracity HT2s (ported model) and the Veracity QW design?
That is a difficult question to answer since I never had an opportunity to A/B the two designs. However, I can offer a few observations.
First the QW's will have a slightly (very slightly) more extended bottom end since they feature a transmission line cabinet. Most speaker cabinets are designed to be as inert as possible, adding nothing to the sound reproduced by the drivers. With a TL cabinet, on the other hand, the cabinet is designed to become part of the the speaker system and contributes to a more extended bottom end than the drivers could normally produce in any other type of cabinet.
The HT2's will have slightly less distortion in the midrange and will handle higher SPL's since there are two W18 midwoofers sharing the load. They are also about 4db more sensitive than the QW's (it would be about 6db but the HT2's use the standard version of the W18 while the QW's use the higher sensitivity W18EX).
In terms of the tweeters, the LCY tweeter in the HT2's is down 3db at 60,000Hz, while the G2 in the QW's is down 3db at 40,000 Hz. While this may at first seem significant, in terms of performance in the audible range there is very little difference. The LCY tweeter was chosen for the HT2's, in large part, because it allowed closer spacing of the W18's than the G2 would have.
Since both speakers utilize the W18 midwoofer, midrange performance is quite similar on the design axis. The QW's are slightly more consistent with regard to frequency response above and below the level of the tweeter. This is a function of the HT2's MTM design.
In an MTM design, when you move above and below the level of the tweeter, the distance between each of the midwoofers and your ears is no longer exactly the same. This results in a certain amount of comb filtering since the phase relationship between the drivers is no longer exact. This is not a major issue, mind you, as evidenced by the many great speaker designs utilizing the D'Appolito MTM driver configuration. But I thought it was worth mentioning.
The QW's are an 8 ohm nominal design, while the HT2's are a 4 ohm nominal design.
As I mentioned above, I have not had a chance to A/B the two designs. But the QW's have always struck me as being a little more relaxed in the midrange due to the TL cabinet. The HT2's, on the other hand, seem just a little more forward in the midrange in comparison. But these observations are purely from memory.
Both speakers image extremely well, are extremely transparent and highly detailed. Dennis Murphy did an incredible job designing the crossovers for these speakers and, in my opinion, they are both world-class in every respect.
I hope this helps.
- Jim