[tg3]

I purchased Devin’s (dkmooers) Super Vs and finally got them to my place last Wed. I'll use this thread to post questions and impressions.

First, I'd like to thank Devin for building me the Super Vs and breaking them in. Saved me a lot of trouble. 

First impression -- wow, these sound really nice! I had no idea dipole bass could go so deep. I'll post more observations after I get them dialed in. The Super Vs replaced an X-Statik/X-Voce set, which I really liked.

Here is quick pic of the current system.



The center is a Selah Audio Sardonyx. There is an Edgar Seismic Horn in the left corner, now surplus along with an Velodyne SMS-1 and two Adire Audio 15" Tumults. Any of this surplus gear of interest to anyone in the PNW? Shoot me a message.

The rest of the gear is solidly mid-fi. Outlaw 975 pre/pro, Outlaw 750 5-channel 165W amp. OPPO BDP-93 BR player for CDs. Most my stereo listening is CDs ripped lossless into iTunes, streamed to an AppleTV over a wired network.

First problem. Nasty hum coming through the upper speaker, most likely from the Outlaw amp. I obviously need a good two channel amplifier for the Super Vs. Recommendations welcome. I am leaning towards Hugh Dean's NAKSA 80.

Questions.

1. What setting do you use for the delay/phase control, and how did you get there?

2. What on earth does the extension filter do? What settings do you use?

All comments appreciated!

[HAL]

These are the servo amp settings that Danny sent when I got the show pair of Super V's.

[Danny Richie]

And the extension filter basically allows you to chose how low you want it to play. I like the 14Hz extension and low damping. That lets it reach way down low.

[Early B.]

These are the servo amp settings that Danny sent when I got the show pair of Super V's.

Danny -- do you recommend these same settings for the OB servo subs? I want to make sure I have my sub dialed in correctly.

[bdp24]

Play a CD or LP of acoustic instruments that you are very familiar with (perhaps a stand-up bass, the lower registers of a piano, floor tom and bass drum, etc.) with every combination of settings. The three frequencies allow you to tell the amp where you want the "elbow" of the low-frequency roll-off to be---the lower the number, the lower the frequency of the elbow. The high, medium, and low damping knob lets you tell the amp how tight (high damping) or loose (low damping) you want the bass to sound. It's sort of counter-intuitive---low damping results in looser bass, high damping in tighter. Take notes on how the instruments sound at each setting. Do it a few times until it becomes clear to you what the differences are. Don't be afraid to trust your own ears, they work. Maybe they just need some exercise! Do it when you're alone, so you don't have to expose your uncertainty to anyone else, especially other audiophiles! Don't worry about the controls being set "correctly"---there is no correct (all right, there actually is, but don't worry about it yet ), there is only what sounds best to you, on your system, in your room, with your music. And you might find that what sounds best to you changes over time, or even with different types of recordings or music. The controls don't HAVE to stay at any one setting. That adjustability is one of the great things that your choice of GR/Rythmik subs bought you. To experiment with the controls costs you nothing except time, and I bet you'll find it time well spent. Man, this sounds like ad copy.

[Danny Richie]

Danny -- do you recommend these same settings for the OB servo subs? I want to make sure I have my sub dialed in correctly.

You phase control is the most important and it varies with each application. Distance is a factor and so is the internal crossover used in the speakers you are matching.

You can always let them overlap each other and then work with the phase control to see which setting is loudest and which setting is not.

[Danny Richie]

Play a CD or LP of acoustic instruments that you are very familiar with (perhaps a stand-up bass, the lower registers of a piano, floor tom and bass drum, etc.) with every combination of settings. The three frequencies allow you to tell the amp where you want the "elbow" of the low-frequency roll-off to be---the lower the number, the lower the frequency of the elbow. The high, medium, and low damping knob lets you tell the amp how tight (high damping) or loose (low damping) you want the bass to sound. It's sort of counter-intuitive---low damping results in looser bass, high damping in tighter. Take notes on how the instruments sound at each setting. Do it a few times until it becomes clear to you what the differences are. Don't be afraid to trust your own ears, they work. Maybe they just need some exercise! Do it when you're alone, so you don't have to expose your uncertainty to anyone else, especially other audiophiles! Don't worry about the controls being set "correctly"---there is no correct, there is only what sounds best to you, on your system, in your room, with your music. And you might find that what sounds best to you changes over time, or even with different types of recordings or music. The controls don't HAVE to stay at any one setting. That adjustability is one of the great things that your choice of GR/Rythmik subs bought you. To experiment with the controls costs you nothing except time, and I bet you'll find it time well spent. Man, this sounds like ad copy.

Solid information.

[tg3]

And the extension filter basically allows you to chose how low you want it to play. I like the 14Hz extension and low damping. That lets it reach way down low.

Yes. That's definitely better.

[Architect7]

Nice score!  For the hum, maybe try a line conditioner?  I have bad wiring in my house and an APC H15 cleaned up a lot of issues, especially coomon 60hz hum and some DC interference caused by some appliances.  Also try swapping interconnects, you might have a bad shield.  I have some very nice Esoteric A7 and EA7 cables with directional grounds we could try.  The EA7's cleaned up the last of my interference issues.

I am local to you and considering SW12-16-FR subs though I have yet to hear them in person, planning any demos?  I will bring the beer! And PM'ing you regarding the Tumults, I could probably make a home for them in my garage system

[MarvinTheMartian]

The dreaded HUMMMMM ...
You have made two big changes to your system ...
The increased sensitivity with the Super V coaxial top end and the extra bass amps connected to the mains power.
To debug ...
A) disconnect the TV cable connector. ... high sensitivity speakers amplify everything especially HUMM
B) disconnect every component that you do not absolutely need to hear glorious stereo sound ... K.I.S.S
C) connect ALL power plugs to a common outlet, even if you have to temporarily use a cheap power bar ... Home hydro power circuits have multiple ground paths to earth ... connect to more than one earth and you have HUMMMM....

Bin there done that ... Every single time I move... Shawn

[Speedskater]

Marvin nailed it exactly!

Start super simple. (disconnect all power & interconnects)
First step is amp & speaker.
Then using one power bar/power strip/distribution block connect one component at a time.

Leave fancy stuff like power conditioners and special cables till last.

[tg3]

Thanks for the hum advice. Let's take peek behind the entertainment center. 



That's 1 power conditioner and 2 power strips spread over 2 outlets. And a few cables. I'm sure I'll get this fixed in no time...