[SCM]

Greetings..this is what I have.
Maganepan 1.6 speakers in a 18'x14'x9' ceiling listening room. I listen to Vinyl 90% of the time (with cd`s used only for background music on occasion).
But I do like to boost things up now and then with your typical rock/fusion jazz.

I want a sub that I can use my Behringer EP1500 amp with (260w@8ohm-400w@4ohm).
What do I need to bring it all together equipment wise?

Currently using a PS Audio HCA-2 amp with a McIntosh MC-20 preamp.
I`m not ashamed to ask that the prices stay on the lower side of things either, so please keep that in mind.
Any help would be nice.

Thanks

[John Casler]

Greetings..this is what I have.
Maganepan 1.6 speakers in a 18'x14'x9' ceiling listening room. I listen to Vinyl 90% of the time (with cd`s used only for background music on occasion).
But I do like to boost things up now and then with your typical rock/fusion jazz.

I want a sub that I can use my Behringer EP1500 amp with (260w@8ohm-400w@4ohm).
What do I need to bring it all together equipment wise?

Currently using a PS Audio HCA-2 amp with a McIntosh MC-20 preamp.
I`m not ashamed to ask that the prices stay on the lower side of things either, so please keep that in mind.
Any help would be nice.

Thanks

Well you came to the right place.  Few subs will mate with the Maggies as well as the VMPS (in fact I don't think any will)

The reason is that most subs have rather high distortion, large excursion, and won't play high in the frequency ranges.

VMPS subs do not have 4" excursion of the active drivers, have distortion (when properly tuned) in the area of 2.5% and will play cleanly up to 200 to 250Hz.

The power you have is plenty, but you will need a good crossover, unless you are playing through a Preamp/prepro with Bass Management.

The key issues are heeping the sub in "perfect phase" with your Mains, which is best acheived by placing the acoustic centers in an ITU (equidistant from listener) configuration.

Second most important issue is "integration/overlap" between the mains and the sub.

This is where a good crossover comes in.  I like the NHT-X2

The smallest amount of overlap (shared frequncies) the better.

I suggest a pair of flanking subs to your mains or a single "center placed" sub for best results.

Third issue is room dimensions and frequncy interaction/cancellation/fortification.  This may call for placing the sub out of the acoustic plane so a phase control will be nessessary, should that be nessessary.

Don't be afraid to "experiment".  Recently I suggested a client try placing a single LARGER behind his chair firing "away" from him which gave him incredible clean bass, at the listening position.

There are also decisions to be made about running mains "full range" or running them through the x-over and restricting their LF.  Try both.

[SCM]

Thank you sir for responding.
Which SUB would fit this room without overpowering it?. It wouldn`t seem like the biggest one would be appropriate or would it?
Bass definition and musicality above all are important.
Can you recommend some tried and true components that absolutely will work with these 1.6`s?

I don`t mean to put you on the spot, it`s just that it`s not feasable for me to audition numerous components before purchase.
That`s where the experts come in. I`ll have to trust that they know what will work.

Any other suggestions? and where in South Florida can I find VMPS products?

Thanks again,
                    Steve   

[John Casler]

Thank you sir for responding.
Which SUB would fit this room without overpowering it?. It wouldn't`t seem like the biggest one would be appropriate or would it?
Bass definition and musicality above all are important.
Can you recommend some tried and true components that absolutely will work with these 1.6`s?

I don`t mean to put you on the spot, it`s just that it`s not feasable for me to audition numerous components before purchase.
That`s where the experts come in. I`ll have to trust that they know what will work.

Any other suggestions? and where in South Florida can I find VMPS products?

Thanks again,
                    Steve   

Hi Steve,

There is no such thing as too much sub, (I have 4 LARGERs in my room) since the idea is to create realistic bass.

The "blend" of the sub is created by the gain control on your sub system, so it can't overpower, unless you turn the gain up too much.

The size does two things:

1) Allows the sub to play loudly, with greater dynamics when called for

2) Allows the sub to play deeper or lower frequencies

Smaller subs simple can't play as loud or LOW, so the best advice is go as big as you can afford.

I can't report how the 1.6 would blend from personal experience, since I haven't hear that system, but as stated earlier, the VMPS subs are designed to work with "planars" since the VMPS mains use planar and ribbon drivers themselves.

The blend and integration will depend on how well  your room supports bass frequencies, the x-over you use, the placement of the sub, and the quality of the electronics you use.

The additional "plus" is the you have the ability to "tune" the VMPS subs, by adjusting the damping of the system.  This involves adding or subtracting (pinching) small amounts of putty that is in the center of the passive radiator.

If you want Bass detail and definition, you will find no better sub under $10K.  In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find "any" sub that covers all the bases (basses ) as well that doesn't have at least 2 x the distortion.

We have no dealers in S. FLA at this time, but maybe an owner might be in your area (we'll see if anyone sees this) who could let you take a listen.

And all subs are shipped "factory direct" straight from Brian, in Northern, CA