Just call me "Ribbons"

Marbles · « **on:** 21 Oct 2003, 02:36 pm »

Looks like in the next week or two I will be joining the "dark side".

I just bought some 40's off Agon that had every upgrade but veneer (including TRT's, XRT XO, Analysis Plus internal wire, pedestal bass and FST)

Can't wait to get these setup and playing.

If the seller does not have the owners manual (forgot to ask) is there any online info on how to properly set these up?

Thanks

"Ribbons"

meilankev · « **Reply #1 on:** 21 Oct 2003, 02:43 pm »

Marbons (or Ribbles),

Congrats on your purchase!!! On the VMPS site, there is a area called "Designer's Corner" (or something to that effect) that has a selection for "How to adjust bass damping for floorstanding VMPS speakers".

I found this somewhat helpful, but trial and error is the only way to go. Oh, and trust your ears. My "putty scraping" and "potentiometer adjustments" are quite different from what is prescribed.

Of course, not many folks are driving their RM40s with tubes full-range either.

Good luck!!

Kevin

MaxCast · « **Reply #2 on:** 21 Oct 2003, 02:52 pm »

Good job Marbles......new moniker...ribbonsonac???

Marbles · « **Reply #3 on:** 21 Oct 2003, 03:03 pm »

Thanks guys!

Kevin, that's what I was looking for.

"Ribbles"

Woodsea · « **Reply #4 on:** 21 Oct 2003, 03:23 pm »

Congrats,
After meeting you in Wayne's room at the last audiofest, I had a hunch it be just a matter of time before you saw the "light"
Think of the VMPS ribbon lines as earning your knighthood and getting your light saber

Tyson · « **Reply #5 on:** 21 Oct 2003, 03:36 pm »

So, what's gonna happen to all those marble 9.0's?

Marbles · « **Reply #6 on:** 21 Oct 2003, 03:55 pm »

Center channel is for sale and looks to be sold already.

The rest I will keep. I'll use 4 for surrounds, that will leave my front left and right as extra's. In the short range I will use one of those for a center channel as it has the upgraded Nitro cabling until I can afford an LCR, which might happen sooner than I expected.

Maybe down the road I will sell them, but for now they are too unique and too good to sell.

John Casler · « **Reply #7 on:** 21 Oct 2003, 04:59 pm »

Welcome to the club.

Once you get them in that room, let me know and we can get them dialed in.

Placement
Putty
Pots

The three P's are everything.

Get ready for a great SONIC adventure.

meilankev · « **Reply #8 on:** 21 Oct 2003, 08:05 pm »

Okay, Tyson and Marbles, I'll bite. What is a marble 9.0???

Kevin

Marbles · « **Reply #9 on:** 21 Oct 2003, 08:09 pm »

It's a speaker made by nOrh

It's what Tyson had and I still have.

A very nice two way with Scanspeak revelator drivers and a one piece cabinet sculpted from real marble.

It was also one of the reasons why I got the handle "marbles".

Since I'm changing main speakers I thought I would (in jest) make the heading to this thread "call me Ribbons" instead of Marbles.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #10 on:** 21 Oct 2003, 08:20 pm »

Wow! That's one of the prettiest ones I've seen yet! Man, I guess the Exodus is not complete...

Horsehead · « **Reply #11 on:** 21 Oct 2003, 09:06 pm »

What is the XRT crossover? The external crossover? You got a helluva deal on those Marbles. Congrats!

Marbles · « **Reply #12 on:** 21 Oct 2003, 09:09 pm »

Quote from: Horsehead

What is the XRT crossover? The external crossover? You got a helluva deal on those Marbles. Congrats!

That's what I took it to be.

Thanks..it was so good, I was not even in the market for speakers, but these were so inexpensive I could not pass them up.

I'm really looking forward to getting them...I've had the RM2 in my system briefly, and I had a chance to hear the 626R w/fst at the MAF, but I have never heard the RM40.

I'm going on the recomendation of someone who currently owns both the 9.0's and the RM40's. He thinks the RM40's are in another league when you are in the sweetspot. He does not have the FST, but has the TRT's.

Tyson · « **Reply #13 on:** 21 Oct 2003, 09:50 pm »

Dammit, you cannot have speakers as good as mine, I've got to upgrade to the friggin RM/X's now

John Casler · « **Reply #14 on:** 21 Oct 2003, 10:22 pm »

Quote from: Tyson

Dammit, you cannot have speakers as good as mine, I've got to upgrade to the friggin RM/X's now

"call me"

I can make it happen

Marbles · « **Reply #15 on:** 21 Oct 2003, 10:22 pm »

Tyson, you had better hurry. I just spoke to the seller and he will deliver them tomorrow late afternoon.

Marbles · « **Reply #16 on:** 23 Oct 2003, 03:29 pm »

Well the speakers arrived yesterday.

The bass was spot on with no need to adjust

That made the adjusting of the mids pretty easy. He had tube amps on them and had turned the mids down to 11:00. This made them too recessed for my taste, so up they went to 12:30. That is about right.

One FST was loose and not playing right and will make a trip to California.

After I bought them, but before delivery, the seller mentioned this to me, so it was not a complete shock.

Needless to say, I did not bother to adjust the tweeters, but the one sounded pretty close and was set about 12:45

Then I played with toe in. At first I had them pointing right at me, but that wasn't quite right. Then I tried toeing them out a bit from at me..nope not it either. Then I tried pointing them slightly in front of me...that's the one!!!

Anyway, the midrange is very clean and ruthless to upstream components, but the thing I like best about the speakers so far is the bass.

It has ample quantity and quality. I really liked the bass on my 9.0's but I have never heard better bass from a speaker as I did with the 40's.

It seems that the midrange gets all the attention in this speaker, and it is deserved, but the bass is special as well, maybe even more so.

Side notes, my wife hates them, the kids like them.
Side note 2: My daughter suggested I put the 9.0's on top of the 40's to really fill the room up with speakers

Side note 3: Once the bass and toe in are done, the midrange and tweeter adjustments seem really easy to make. Much simpler than I was expecting after reading all about it on the net.

Can't wait to get the FST back (BC is taking good care of me, THANKS Brian) to complete the setup.

JoshK · « **Reply #17 on:** 23 Oct 2003, 03:46 pm »

Dude, congrats! You wife hates the size or the sound?

Marbles · « **Reply #18 on:** 23 Oct 2003, 03:51 pm »

Quote from: JoshK

Dude, congrats! You wife hates the size or the sound?

The size. She never really heard them except a few minutes when I was trying to listen to them, and she was trying to tell me something about the kids

John Casler · « **Reply #19 on:** 23 Oct 2003, 04:12 pm »

Congrats, Get ready to re-visit most of your CD collection

Quote

It seems that the midrange gets all the attention in this speaker, and it is deserved, but the bass is special as well, maybe even more so.

I found the same thing when I "fired up" my 626Rs. While everyone was raving about the "detailed mids" and "crystal clear highs', I was hearing tight clean bass, 15+ hz below specs

Much of bass response is "room interaction" and if your lucky enough to have a room that responds well to the RM40s you are in Bass Heaven. Clean, Clear, Solid and Dry are all descriptions of what can be achieved.

Quote

Then I played with toe in. At first I had them pointing right at me, but that wasn't quite right. Then I tried toeing them out a bit from at me..nope not it either. Then I tried pointing them slightly in front of me...that's the one!!!

While I'm a "Gee these sound just like headphones" on axis listener, many prefer the "cross a foot or two" in front of you, that Brian so often suggests.

This "toe in" is especially effective as you move away from nearfield and into "farfeild" since it too yeilds less room interaction (read reflection).

It also broadens the sweet spot, not a concern for yours truly.

Quote

Side note 3: Once the bass and toe in are done, the midrange and tweeter adjustments seem really easy to make. Much simpler than I was expecting after reading all about it on the net.

While you can twist, and tweak "till the cows come home", too much is made of the "tuning" difficulties. It is not much more difficult than "placing any other speaker and adjusting the treble and bass knobs

Over the next several months you will no doubt "experiment" and find an even more "precise" adjustment, that will "dial it in" even more.

Just part of the fun of VMPS.