In audio we make a lot of assumptions. The main one being we know what something is supposed to sound like.
Well we don't.
If you've ever been to a live event, recorded it and tried to reproduce it in your room you know how far off it is.
To make matters even worse, we now take a recording, made by someone else, somewhere else, on their equipment and their preferences, and assume that we can reproduce it in "our" rooms on the combination of "our" equipment.
So in fact, the best we can do is become experienced at what many live events sound like, then assemble a system that either adds less, or allows us to "tailor" the sound produced to closely duplicate what we "think" is accurate.
So we have the variables of "front end source" components, interconnects, preamps, interconnects, amps, speaker cables and speakers. (not to mention the "room")
Generally we try to affect the sound the least, from begining to end, but we still have all those variables that can and do change the sound a bit.
After we have "deadened" the acoustic contributions that may be room related, the last line of defense, is the speaker.
The speaker is the device that has the "greatest" or ultimate affect on the sound as evidenced by using the same systems with two different speakers.
So what do we listen to?
In most cases, we select the speakers we think we like, then "try" to find electronics that will make them sound "right".
In the case of VMPS (IMO) we select a speaker, look for the components that add the absolute "least" to the signal, address our rooms and adjust the speakers to our preferences and perceptions of what sounds real.
The only way to do this is as Brian has implemented, with pots and putty.
Do the pots introduce "their" stuff to the sound too??? Of course they do, and as Al asks they could be replaced by a resistor.....IF..... you were never going to move the speakers from that room, it was always going to stay the same, and you would never change a major component in your system that would require more "fine" adjustment.
I think Brian hit the nail on the head when he said "most" speakers are "right" in a room and system maybe 2% of the time.
So that is the alternative.
Either hope that you can be a 2%er, or make occasional adjustments to your pots and putty.
I think the daunting thing is when people hear the words, "It made an entirely different speaker", or "it was unblelivable how much better it sounded", or "they sounded terrible until I got the putty right".
I certainly can see what is "perceived", but you have to know that all other speakers "are not" perfect or even close, and have NO adjustment other than placement. And also know that the fine tuning "DOES NOT" make it a totally different speaker. It makes it a "fine tuned" speaker.
Brian mentions that many times "speaker designers" voice their creations in their rooms (I bet you all thought they did it is some laboratory with an anechoic chamber) with their personal preferences.
There is no perfect "Speaker Design Room" since they will be placed in thousands of different rooms, of varying shapes and sizes.
And I might add that even these adjustments cannot solve "all" problems, they can only allow us to "tune" what we can.
So what does this mean?
It means that we, who have and enjoy VMPS Ribbons, can make adjustments. Will our speakrs sound better if we adjust them?
If we follow directions and "tweak" around a bit, "YES".
Will the difference be the difference between lousy or perfect? Probably not. It will just allow us to "fine tune" our instrument to a degree that pleases us within the framework of of electronic, and room limitations.
Is it hard to do? No... and no need to worry about getting it wrong since it can always be adjusted more as you learn what the adjustments sound like.
Let me tell you, My system sounds "much" better after 7:00 PM with the lights off, than it does at 12:00 noon, and that is probably because the power's cleaner, the air is denser, the lights are out for fewer distractions and less drain on my own electrical system.
So the point is, many things can affect how your system sounds and it is entirely subjective as to how you measure and explain those improvements.
If my system made a quantum leap in sonic purity every time I reported an "unbelievable" perceived improvement, I would be glued to my sweet seat and would never move. Most improvements after a certain level are subtle if noticable at all.
If you are a VMPS owner and you wonder why you are not hearing these reported improvements, I have to say that the Speaker is only the last link in the system and the room, and the way we listen, as well as our expectations, are all factored into the ultimate perceptions we form.
With a little time and tweaking, your VMPS can ultimatley provide you with some of the best sonics adventures available.
If you are considering VMPS, just know that the adjustment devices are not all that difficult and and if I can adjust them and get good results, then you can too, just don't expect TOO much.
They have limits within your system and set up.
Anyone who reads this board is probably an enthusiast, and most likely a budding if not full fledged audiophile. When you reach this level many decisions must be made and many times they are made on a purely subjective level.
Do you like it or don't you.
Personally, I like to make adjustments, but let me assure you, the alternative of not being able to adjust, would leave me feeling "stuck" with a sound that I couldn't change without much effort and cost.
So "pot and putty tuning" look pretty good to me. YMMV
