[John Casler]

Below are guides, procedures and instructions for various VMPS models, as well as GENERAL set up hints.

Please scroll down to find your model and the HOW TOO for you

[John Casler]

Hi All you New (and Old) VMPS'ers

Below we have basic information, and "portions" of informative posts that might be useful in setting up and tuning your VMPS speakers.  Please look all the way through this information to get the best results

Congratulations on owning what I think are the most accurate and best sounding speakers on the Planet.

NOW WHAT???

Let me try and offer a "step by step" approach to what to do now.

1) Carefully unpack your speakers, taking care to:
   
    a) not damage the grills or finish during the excitement of the unpacking process
    b) save all cartons and packing material in a safe place
   

2) Maneuver the speakers into their basic listening positions

    a) this should form a triangular set up based on generally known speaker placement
     b) angle the speakers to converge (crossfire) at a point 1.5 to 2 feet in front of your normal listening position

Those with RM30 and RM/x speakers that have "side firing" woofers may wish to try both "in firing" and "out firing" options to see which yeilds the most accurate and pleasing bass response.

3) If you have the 626R standmount Monitor place it on a stand that puts the top 1/2 of the neopanel at ear level.

4) If you have any of the floorstanding speakers, make sure your listening height (ear level) is either at the top half of the neopanel with the tweeter "above the ear", or the bottom half of the panel above the tweeter, with the tweeter "below the ear".

addendum: For those speakers with the FST tweeter, the tweeter can be slightly higher or lower, than above due to increased vertical dispersion.  This has prompted the "Tall Boy" set up.  This entails raising the speaker as much as 8" (depending on listening height)

Those with the RM/x speaker have an additional adjustment.  The FST  means "Free Swinging Tweeter", which allows adjustment of the vertical firing angle of the FST pod.

This requires loosening the bolts used to secure the pod so that it can be adjusted.  Adjust this height to your preferences or measured accuracy if you so desire.  Then resecure the pod by tightening the bolts.

5) Remove the cellophane protective shield from the FST tweeter


6) Check the L-Pad adjustments at the rear of the speaker and gently adjust them to the 12:30 - 1:00 position with a small "bladed" screwdriver if they are not already preset from the factory.  The LEFT Shaft is for the NEOPANEL Midrange, and the RIGHT Shaft is for the RIBBON Tweeter.

Additional adjustment should take place after 100-200 hours of 75db or greater SPL, and then "ONLY" if the sound seems too edgy or splashy.

To accelerate the break in of the tweeter and midrange, they can be set to 3:00 or greater, and run at 85db (at the listening position) with pink noise or Pink Floyd


7) If your model has a Passive Radiator, it will arrive "overly damped".  Please remove a "large" pea sized amount of putty from each radiator

Unless the bass is extremely "wooly", additional adjustment should take place after 100-200 hours of 75db or greater SPL, and then "ONLY", if the bass is not tight, dry and detailed.

It is suggested for the maximum in detail that the speakers are run with the grills off for serious listening.

9) Making sure that there is no music playing, (CD in stop/Tone arm in the up position) take care that the volume control is at its lowest setting, and your amp is turned off, you can plug or secure your speaker cables into/onto the rear binding posts.

For those models with 2 pairs of binding posts, the "upper posts" are to the bass drivers, and "lower posts" are to the Neopanels and Tweeter.

10) Models with two sets of binding posts will require "jumpers" for full range operation.  This is simply a short length of speaker wire (preferably of the same type/quality you run to your amp) that "connects" the two pairs of posts.  Caution should be used to make sure and connect red to red, and black to black.

11) After the speaker connections have been made, again make sure the Volume level is at its lowest setting, amp is turned on, select the correct "input" (CD/Phono/Tuner/etc) adjust volume to suit, and enjoy your speakers.

Do be aware that depending on your use, and listening habits (SPL's, type of music, etc) the drivers may take quite some time to fully break/burn in.  I have noticed steady improvements over 30, 60, and even 90 days.

These improvements will come as a "blending" of the ranges of each driver, with a "smoothing" and richness to the midrange.  Bass too will deepen while Highs will remain extended but will become more "clear" and pristine and any glassiness will dissapear.

FROM a post/thread  on Putty Pinching 8/06/06

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=30236.0

The Fine Art of Pinching Putty - The Why, the How, and the Method

Years and years of putty pinching have given me many insights as to what results to expect.

As most of you know Big B, now does most of the "pre-Pinching" for you so likely you'll be called on to do very little.

What does putty pinching do? 

It adds mass to the Passive radiator to cause it to "cooperate" with the other active bass drivers, in such a way as to "react" to them at a lower frequency, and different phase.

This reaction to the active drivers extends bass response in frequencies lower than the actives, because the Passive Radiator moves slower, and in a different phase.

If the putty is exactly right, this reaction will "seamlessly" add the lower bass extension.

If it is too light or too heavy, it will create cancellation and distortion.

If I have one caution, it would be to tell everyone not to "keep removing" putty.

I would guess that a great percentage of VMPS speakers and subs have "too little" putty damping them.

This causes the PR to react too fast, and will not create the lowest of bass performance.  If the PR reacts too fast it will put out too high a frequency, (closer to the active driver) and this will not give you a clean, well phased frequency, and sound.

So the point is, DO NOT be afraid to "add" putty.

The goal is to adjust the mass to the amount needed to cause the PR to fall within the reactive frequencies and phase.

The sound of too little putty is a bass that doesn't sound low enough, and is a little woolly.  This is caused by the PR moving too fast, and too close to the phase of the active.  It might be described as "lean, yet fuzzy"

The sound of too much putty is the same, except, it will sound deeper and "woolly" or slightly boomy and too full.

I suggested to some to try various positions and orientations of the PR on their subs.  I also suggested that they might "remove" the bass plate, and allow the woofer to "fire" out into the room.

What I might have neglected to mention, was that in doing so, you reduce the impedance or pressurization that the PR sees, and you must "add" putty to make up for this.

So just a little bit more info, on the fine art of "tuning" your speakers, and what you might need to understand in doing so.

Oh and in case you missed it, those with the RM series speaker (RM1/RM2/RM30/RM40 and RM/x) you can "reverse" your passive radiator slot, and cause it to fire rearwards rather than forward, as an experiment to see if that orientation might offer a more pleasing and enjoyable bass performance "in your room".

Have fun,

And

"Stay Tuned" (in all the best ways possible) 
 
 

And what kind of putty is it?  I remember reading 'mortite' -- is this correct?  What should I buy at the hardware store if I need some more?

Rope Mortite is the best.

Here are B's suggestions, should you wish to "de-putty" and begin "fresh".

RM30 = 5" each PR
RM1 = 8"
RM2 = 6"
RM40 = 6"
RM/x = 6"
 
Dedicated and Smaller = 7"
Original and 215 sub = 8"
LARGER Sub = 8"
 
 
 

[John Casler]

SETUP FOR VMPS V60 LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEM

1.   Uncrating.  The V60 ships in three crates, one each for the “Wings” and one containing the two bases.  You will need two persons to handle the assembly of the wings and base sections.  Once you have unwrapped all three parts of the shipment install the wooden pegs (6 per side) into the Wing  so that they protrude about 1”.  Make sure when installing the Wing on the base that you do not put weight on the pegs, as you can split open the Wing if you do.  Using two persons lift the Wing onto the base, lining the pegs up with the holes in the base section.  Do not use glue.  The two sections make a tight fit.

2.   Locate the small gauge twisted pair of wire from the tweeter.  Locate the binding posts marked “Tweeter” on the top of the base and unscrew the red binding post nut.  Slide the red (+) ring terminal over the post and tighten the nut.  Similarly remove the black Tweeter BP nut and slide the black (-) ring terminal over the post and tighten the nut.  Make a tight connection.

3.   Locate the thicker twisted pair of wire from the mid panels and attach them to the MIDRANGE binding posts on the base, red to red, and black to black.  You can tighten the nuts with a ½” nut driver if desired, however be careful not to overtighten or you can snap the post off. 

4.   Remove the waveguide (slotted grill)and take off the film or tape covering the tweeter.  Replace waveguide.

5.   Locate the crossover box.  You will note three twisted pairs coming from it.  Attach the thick wires to the BASS input on the base of the speaker, using the same technique as above of removing the BP nuts, sliding the ring terminals onto the posts red to red and black to black, then tightening the BP nuts.  Similarly attach the MIDRANGE wire (skinnier twisted pair) to the MIDRANGE inputs, and the treble wire (thinnest twisted pair) to the TREBLE inputs.

6.   Set the level controls on the crossover box at “0” or NORMAL for the mids and 1 o’clock (just past “0”) for the treble as a starting position.  You may adjust these for taste later.

7.   If you are using a single amp to drive the V60, leave the jumper wires on the inputs in place.  You can attach the speaker wire to either input.  The BASS input for biamping is on the right when seen from behind the speaker, MID/TREBLE is on the left. Remove jumper wires when biamping.

8.   Slide the speaker into the desired room position.  Toe them in slightly towards the listening position.  The foam damper in the back of the wing should be placed to start about flush with, or an inch or so inwards of, the back or widest part of the “V”.  You can experiment with damper placement.  Usually in a reflective room the starting placement will be optimum, in an absorptive environment you may even remove the damper.

9.   If you have a single subwoofer, hook up the amplifier to it with a section of speaker wire about 5ft long.  Connect the output from your preamp or source to the L or R inputs on the back of the amp.  Do not use the single mono input (LFE), as it bypasses the crossover.  For full output from the amp drive both L and R inputs with a signal.  You can use a Y-connector to do so if you have two subs, or connect both LF output channels to the L and R amp inputs of a single sub.

10.   Set the “Crossover” frequency on the amp to 71Hz.  You can change this a few Hz in either direction, listening for maximum clarity.  Set the Level control at about 12 noon to start and adjust it  up and down for maximum bass clarity and extension. 

11.   The amp is equipped with a single band parametric EQ which you can use to defeat the most prominent room mode.  We suggest using this EQ to damp out the floor-to-ceiling room mode which you can calculate by dividing 565 by the height of your ceiling in feet.  For example, if your ceiling is 8 ft tall, the setting of the EQ frequency should be 70.6 Hz.  Use a .25 BANDWIDTH and reduce level to taste, usually 4 to 5 dB.

12.   If you are using a single sub with the V60 place it somewhere between the two main sections for best balance.  You may adjust the bass damping of the VSS and VLA subs by removing small amounts of putty from the center of the bottom-firing PR; instructions for “Putty Pinching” are on our Forum at www.audiocircle.com.

13.   You can experiment with all the level control and amplifier settings to suit your room and equipment.  This will take a few hours to a few weeks.  It’s fun and educational, so don’t be afraid to try different settings to decide which work best with your gear and listening environment.

14.   You may place spikes under the base of the main speakers if desired; however this will necessitate a change in crossover frequency and bass level which is hard to predict.  We recommend spikes 1”H or lower.

15.   Play the system at a VERY LOW level and make sure that you have connected everything properly.  The bass section only plays to 70Hz but you should hear only bass from these drivers.  To check your connections, disconnect one of the bass wires to the base of the system so that you hear only mid and trebles.  Then turn the Midrange control all the way down.  You should only hear treble.  If the tweeter appears to be reproducing frequencies lower than 5kHz you have have incorrect connections.  The diaphragm will stretch or tear if the tweeter is fed midrange or bass frequencies, so go slowly.  Once you have assured yourself the tweeter is playing only treble frequencies, turn the midrange back up to the “0” or normal setting and increase volume to the desired level.

16.   Operation with both Waveguides attached gives the smoothest sound and 180 degree dispersion.  Operation without the Waveguides gives the brightest and most forward sound with narrow dispersion.  You can try one Waveguide on and one off for a combination of dispersion and treble sparkle. 

 

[John Casler]

For those of you getting CDWG's for your RM 30's, and anyone else interested in brightening up trebles, these are the instructions for Dehorning Your Tweeter:

1. Pull of gray foam masks on either side of tweeter.  You can remove glue residue with WD 40.
2. Unscrew the four Philips woodscrews holding the tweeter to the front baffle.  Lift tweeter out without disturbing the blue and green wires.
3. Using a metric hexwrench (of the kind found in hardware store sets) take off the four hex screws holding the faceplate on.  Be sure to remove any tape cover over the tweeter first (as found on new tweeters) so you don't create a vacuum which will stretch the diaphragm.
4. Use a piece of tape to cover the diaphragm.
5. Using 2" brass brackets attach one end of one bracket to the upper right screw hole where the faceplate had been attached.  Use one of the hex screws to fasten the bracket to the tweeter.  Similarly attach another bracket to the lower left screw hole of the tweeter.  Do not tighten the hex screws yet.
6. Center the magnet structure in the cutout, swing the free end of each bracket until it contacts the edge of the tweeter cutout, and attach it to the front baffle with one of the Philips woodscrews.  Repeat with the free end of the second bracket.
7. Now making sure that the tweeter is centered in its cutout, tighten the two hex screws tolding the brackets to the tweeter body.
8. Cover the tweeter with the supplied Dynamat masks which will make the tweeter airtight again.  Center the rectangular hole in the mask, peel off the backing of the Dynamat, and press tightly against tweeter and baffle cutout.

The above steps will cause tweeter response to rise above around 10kHz at 6 dB/oct.  The CDWG applies a complementary 6 dB/oct roll off, resulting in flat trebles with the CDWG attached.

Now take off the tape covering the tweeter.

A kit containing four brackets and two Dynamat masks for this procedure can be purchased from the factory for $16 ppd.

Even if you don't have the CDWG you may enjoy the brighter trebles that are a consequence of dehorning, particularly on pop/rock material.

[John Casler]

For some time now, Brian has been VITRIFYING most of the Passive Radiators for the VMPS Speakers.  The exception to this is the Poly PRs used in the RM30's.

Fo those of you who have PR's (Paper) that were purchased before this, you can "self-vitrify" your PR's simply and easily.

Here is what you need:
Elmer's Yellow Carpenter's Glue (not the standard white stuff). 

SOFT pliable paint brush (to paint the PR with glue)

Philips Screwdriver (to remove and reinstall PR)

The process is simple:

Step One: Remove PR
Step Two: Paint "BOTH" sides with a thin coat of glue being careful NOT to damage the PR (paint the paper cone material only)
Step Three: Let the glue completely dry
Step Four: Re-install the PRs
Step Five: Remove a fingernail full of putty or two to compensate for the small additional mass of the glue solids on the cone
Step Six:Enjoy! your cleaner and more detailed low bass. aa

Here are a couple pics I found that a customer posted

JUST GLUED




DRIED

[Brian Cheney]

You will also want to remove a fingernail full of putty or two to compensate for the small additional mass of the glue solids on the cone.

[John Casler]

You will also want to remove a fingernail full of putty or two to compensate for the small additional mass of the glue solids on the cone.

I'll make that step 5

[John Casler]

When switching to the new MidWoofer in the Field you need to add a supplied cap.

This cap is soldered "in parallel" with the caps in the "LARGE" cap bundle.

The RED wire is soldered to the "output" side.

This is the side leading to the drivers, and away from the binding posts.

[John Casler]

The OXO has been a big hit and few VMPS speakers (mains) are ordered without it as a selected option.

The new D-OXO is  also becoming quite popular and is selected as often as the Analog OXO now.

Too that end, I thought it might be wise to post a couple of the set up options complete with a Diagram (please excuse my artistic ineptitude) of the signal path options.


Below are two possible Set up options on the D-OXO

[John Casler]

Set Up Option ONE:

The Diagram below represents one of the two basic methods of amploying the D-OXO (Digital X-Over) in the VMPS speakers.

Option One is the more direct "digital" path, avoiding an extra "Analog to Digital" conversion as the audio signal enters the D-OXO.

As you can see it also requires a "digital swticher" if you have more than one digital source, and a 6 channel PreAmp as the fully processed analog signal exits the D-OXO.

I consider this the "more pure" path, but the path less traveled by most due to the departure from "standard" audio protocol pathways that typically involve the: Source>Preamp>D-OXO>Multiple AMPS>Speaker circuit.

This involves the following:

Source>Digital Switcher>D-OXO>6 channel Preamp>Multiple Amps>Speakers.

[John Casler]

Set up Option TWO:

This would be the most popular option simply because most already have a Preamp as a volume control and source switcher.

However, it does involve an extra "conversion" step when the analog signal leaves the Preamp and enters the D-OXO, it must be converted from "analog" to "digital" so all the crossover magic can be performed.

All reports from this setup path are stellar, even with the extra conversion.

[John Casler]

Since the VMPS FST tweeter has an almost identical body and structure, the ribbon replacment instructons are the same.

These instructions are taken from the Arum Cantus form:

Ribbon Replacement Instructions

Tools: Hex Keys of proper size to unscrew face plate
2 pieces of scotch tape


Please check the tweeter to be repaired first, before disassembly if you need to see how it is assembled.

STEPS:

1. Remove face plate

2. Remove tape which cover the holding blocks, and clean up the surface of two conductive plates.
Prepare 2 new pieces of tape whose size is the same as former one (Plain scotch tape is OK).

3. Remove ribbon holding blocks on the two conductive plates, and remember which goes where, they
are not interchangeable.

4. Remove the two plastic wedge pieces (this part is used for G2, G3 and G3i-130).

5. Remove old ribbon and clean all areas.

6. Take one end of new ribbon, shiny side facing down, and insert in the groove of conductive plates,
so the first ribbon corrugation is hanging in the gap.

7. Carefully center the ribbon in the gap and place the first holding block over it. Apply strong pressure
on the block with a finger (double check to insure the ribbon is still centered in the gap), put a piece of scotch tape over the excess ribbon on the conductive plates.

8. Once the ribbon is held by the tape firmly, with a pencil, punch a hole in the ribbon through the screw
hole of the holding block and then screw the block tightly. (The premise is that the ribbon must be still centered in the gap).

9. Stretch the ribbon slowly in the gap lining up the last corrugation with the end piece, center the ribbon, place the second block and apply strong pressure on the block with a finger, put a piece of scotch tape over the excess ribbon on the conductive plates.

10. Punch a hole through the ribbon and screw the holding block tightly. (The premise is that the ribbon
must be still centered in the gap).

11. Screw the face plate.

Notes:

Magnets are extremely strong and will pull any tool through the front grill if you are not
careful.

Don’t blow air into the ribbon, it will destroy it. NEVER, EVER CLEAN OR DUST THE TWEETER WITH A VACUMN CLEANER!!!

Ribbon should not not touch the edges of the gap anywhere along the whole length.

Remember how tight the screws were initially and match when you rebuild it.

[dave101260]

Is there a procedure for the VMPS Mini Tower 2a speakers?

Also, how much putty should I start with?

The putty on mine was dry and brittle.

Thanks
Dave Terry

[John Casler]

Is there a procedure for the VMPS Mini Tower 2a speakers?

Also, how much putty should I start with?

The putty on mine was dry and brittle.

Thanks
Dave Terry

Hi Dave,

Yet another post I missed (I must be slipping)

Those speakers are before my time, so maybe you will need to PM Brian about the amount of putty needed on that one.

I think you might have at least 3 pots to adjust and if the putty is solidified you should probably start fresh

[John Casler]

Neither of these speakers offers the method or hardware to mount them on the wall since most with speakers this size and weight will place them on shelves or stands.

However, some may still wish to "wall mount" and that then can present a challenge due to their size and weight.

It is suggested you look at the following mounting hardware which offers a rather solid and inexpensive means for wall mounting of either.

It is called: Hangman ASM6-2-B Speaker Hanging Kit

It retails for $9.99 per pair

It can be purchased from Parts Express HERE

And looks like this:

[hifi111]

John,

I need a digital x-over for my RM 40's .Can you advise me what direction to find one?

Thanks
Thomas

[John Casler]

John,

I need a digital x-over for my RM 40's .Can you advise me what direction to find one?

Thanks
Thomas

Hi Thomas,

Crazy that I didn't see this, and never got notified of it via the AC e-mails.  If you are still in need, contact me, I have a Technician (Kat Krossovers) who can provide the DOXO set up exactly and correctly for your speakers.

[stehno]

Primary for John Casler.

John, last summer I received a beautiful and extremely musical pair of RM40's.  In fact, they are more musical than I could have expected.  Brian Cheney seemed to be a gifted speaker designer.

The only thing that seems to be lacking is bass response in the very lowest regions.  Supposedly the RM40's are good down to 24Hz but I suspect I'm getting a pretty good drop off below 30Hz.  Until that point everything is good.  However, I suspect I can do far better with the RM40's.

Below is my listening room layout.  It truly is a shoebox design and that's not helping.  I've experienced truly phenomenal and musical bass in other rooms with other speakers (often taking 9 months to locate a "best" placement).

I'm sure I can go the subwoofer route and can probably do fairly well there, but a subwoofer can come with its own baggage and because of what I do with amplification for the RM40's there is a risk that the there could be a reasonable disconnect / disjointed sound between the bass in the RM40's and the bass of a sub.

Bottom line is I'm pretty confident I can eventually some day or year get the RM40's to go down to maybe 24 or 25Hz in which case that would suffice.

I'm just wondering if you might have some suggestions for initial placement to maybe save me 6 or 8 months of monkeying with speaker positioning?

Any suggestions are much appreciated,

[Stimpy]

Hi stehno,

Firstly, I hope anyone can play along?   

Next, the obvious, have you tuned the passive radiators?  If not, that would have a huge impact on bass response. 
I 'belive' that Brian would start on the right passive first, get that speaker's bass dialed in, then proceed to the left speaker.

Also, with the speakers 6.5' out from the rear wall, you're not getting much in the way of boundary reinforcement.  I'd try moving
the speakers back a few inches at a time, until the bass perks up.

Finally, maybe try a bit more toe-in on the speakers.  While that won't most likely help your bass issue,
it should help imaging focus, if you reposition your speakers.  And while I don't own VMPS RM speakers,
my Monsoon towers use the same planar mids, and they require more than 5° of toe-in.  In fact, I use app.
15° of toe-in on my Monsoons.

Otherwise, I wish that I had your problem!  And good luck!

[John Casler]

Hi Stenho,

Well I have good and bad news.

Good news, is that your RM-40s will likely play to the mid 20's like you have been told

Bad news, is that if you're lucky there may be a spot in you room, and a speaker placement that will allow you to hear and feel it

The most difficult thing in audio is getting good bass response in the middle of a room (especially a small room) because THAT is where all the bass waves direct and reflected crash into each other and create peaks and troughs.

First, as far as toe in, my preference is "DIRECT".  That is, sit in your chair and converge the speaker so you can't see "sides" of the cabinet, only the front baffle.

Second, Open any and all windows and doors so that as much bass energy will LEAVE the room, rather than be reflected back.

Third, get a light chair that you can easily move forward and backwards, and move forward in 3-6" movements and listen to the same bass passage.  There will hopefully be a bass sweet spot.  Now you can also move the chair backwards all the way to the rear wall if going forward doesn't help, but when you get to the rear wall you'll be sitting in standing waves from the corners and it will likely be deep, but muddy.

Fourth, if this doesn't produce a good result you may have to start moving the RM-40s themselves (also forward and backward) to see if you can get that spot.

All this is assuming you don't have a software and Sound Pressure Meter that will take much of the guess work, and just plain WORK, out of it.