[John Casler]

If my current budget is limited to either 2 VSS's or one VLA, which way would be better?  I don't have a huge room ~(20x20x7).  My initial thought is that in short term, 2 VSS's are probably better. In long term getting one VLA probably makes more sense as I can get another VLA as my budget allows in the future.  Your comments are much appreciated.

-Mike

Hi Mike,

Yes, you nailed it.

2 VSS will also give you better coverage, as well as stereo bass (since they will be handling frequencies up to 70 (and beyond since, as you know, no Low Pass Filter is a brick wall)

That said, the Dynamic Resources of TWIN VLA take the whole system into another league.

Anyone who has ever heard "Bass Columns" knows what I'm talking about.

As a poor man's option, you could "stack" 3 LARGERs on each side aa

I have a single pair of LARGERS on stands roughly about the height of 3 stacked, and having the sense of Bass emanating from that height is quite impressive.  Actually it is not that you get a sense of height (since the bass is mostly non-directional) but a sense of SIZE. 

It doubles or quadruples the sonic impression of SIZE and Depth.

[MikeyMouse]

Hi John,

Thanks for the input.  I am just curious how well the subs work when they are stacked.  Don't these subs have a bottom passive driver which requires the floor to reinforce the bass?

-Mike

[John Casler]

Hi John,

Thanks for the input.  I am just curious how well the subs work when they are stacked.  Don't these subs have a bottom passive driver which requires the floor to reinforce the bass?

-Mike

Hi Mike,

All the subs have a "plate" that can be attached to the slot so they can be used vertically as well as horizontally.

The sub is tuned with the "Resistance/impedance" of this enclosure to the opening of the slot size.  Proper tuning also takes into account the mass of the PR cone and the damping putty mass.

Placing the sub on its side reduces the effective mass of the cone slightly so more putty is needed.

Removing the bottom plate and firing the PR int to the open air also slightly reduces the resistance which must be made up by adding putty.

The most "efficient" use of the sub is to place it on the floor as per Brian's design,  This takes advantage of "boundary reinforcement" with the floor.

Raising it off the floor will reduce the advantages of that "reinforcement", but can offer gains in other areas.

Additionally if the method you use of raising the sub is "solid in the front" (the old beard idea) so as to direct the wave to the floor (rather than loosing it under the cabinet) not much will be lost and there can be some gains.

It is a trade off of slightly reduced efficiency/gain to the other benefits of room interaction.

With Multiple subs, the trade off off efficiency is of a lesser concern, and allows some fun experiments.

[MikeyMouse]

Hi John,

Thanks again for the explanation.  Do we have any performance numbers (max output level and distortion) for the VSSs and the VLAs?

-Mike

[John Casler]

Hi John,

Thanks again for the explanation.  Do we have any performance numbers (max output level and distortion) for the VSSs and the VLAs?

-Mike

I doubt B, has run any definitive numbers on the VSS or the VLA, (not even sure if the VLA have been built yet) but from what I heard in Las Vegas you can take the VSS "to da bank".