Unbeknownst to most of you, I have become increasingly disenchanted with my 7's due to a distinct lack of bottom end dynamics and range. When I was at RMAF the past 2 days, I heard a number of speakers that seemed to best my 7's in dynamics and bass attack, which was very frustrating to me considering the level and quality of my supporting gear. I decided to investigate further......
A brief chronology:
1 yr ago, Albert came over and tuned my Velo DD-15 sub to my VR-7s. Great sound, as long as sub was played. Without sub, not so good.
Apx 5 months ago, added a 2nd VAC 300w amp. Even better sound, as long as sub was played. Without sub, a bit better but lacking low end. Frustration really began 5 months ago and intensified the past 2 days.
My "aha" moment came this afternoon - I checked the settings of the sub and discovered it was crossed over at 80hz. What this means is that the 7's were only going to 80hz, regardless of whether the sub was turned on or not!!! Since I now have plenty of power for the 7's, there is really no need for the sub, as I discovered by performing a number of tests (had to put the dogs outside for this). I would obviously much rather have the 4 VR-7 drivers handling 20-80hz range than a sub, so am now really first breaking in the woofers. I had thought that's what I had been doing when I added the 2nd amp, but see now that all I was really doing was driving the sub.
BOTTOM LINE - My 7's are now finally doing what they are supposed to do. Full range dynamics, bass attack, etc. have all returned and are coming solely from the 7's, with no sub. It was a very simple fix, once I really thought about it and did a little sleuthing. I was going to sell my 7's, but now that I've fixed the "user error", will probably keep them. I look forward to hearing how they sound "full range" with the VAC 300.1s over time. Initial results are quite positive, however I DID run across some very interesting JBL's at the show....
