Vandersteen AUDIO/VIDEO

The next time you’re in a movie theater, shut your eyes and just listen to the movie. Listen carefully to the voices, music and sound effects with the same critical ear you would use to judge a stereo system. Without the big im- pressive picture commanding most of your attention and manipulating your emotions, it is easy to hear how sub- standard the sound truly is. Then try several different seats throughout the theater; you will find that they all have about the same poor sound.

In a theater, it is more important that every viewer be able to understand the dialog, hear the music and experi- ence the sound effects than it is for the dialog, music and sound effects to sound real. Theater systems are engi- neered so that the kid in the front row right under the screen and the guy way back in the rear corner hear ade- quate sound even if it is detrimental to the sound in the central part of the theater. The sonic performance for the best seats is compromised to improve the performance for the worst seats. Engineering for this extreme level of con- sistency, guarantees consistent mediocrity. Luckily, it is not a mediocrity we have to live with in our home sys- tems.

During the development of the VCC-5 we had the enlightening opportunity to use and evaluate numerous theater, home theater and audio/video systems with a wide assortment of equipment and configurations. We found that certain audio/video systems had better clarity, greater intelligibility and a faithfulness to the original sonic truth that other systems could not match. Based upon these superior systems, we developed some recommendations on building an audio/video system that would allow you, your family and your friends to experience videos, laser discs, DVDs, CDs, records and even broadcast television with maximum sonic realism.

START WITH A GOOD MUSIC SYSTEM

An accurate, detailed two speaker music system is the perfect basis for a high-fidelity audio/video system. Speakers and electronics that sound real on music will also sound real on voices and other film sounds. Films contain many sounds of real life that we hear everyday so we instinctively use those familiar sounds to evaluate the visual realism. If your system cannot realistically repro- duce familiar sounds as well as familiar sights, you will never be fully drawn into the emotional experience of a film.

Whether you build your audio/video system from scratch or as an extension of an existing music system, the performance of the core components—the front left and right speakers, the preamplifier and the main front ampli- fier—will define the ultimate capabilities of the entire system. The core components are where an investment in better speakers or a superior preamplifier or power ampli- fier will significantly improve the performance of your system on both film and music.

ADD SUBWOOFERS

Once you have the core components, the next step in building an audio/video system is the addition of subwoofers. While subwoofers are optional in a music system, they are an integral and required part of an audio/video system. Movie makers take considerable artistic license with the low fre- quencies to create incredible sound effects that could never occur in the real world. Even with full-range main speakers and a powerful main amplifier, the high-intensity low fre- quency sound effects in modern movies can only be fully ex- perienced with subwoofers and can actually damage a system without subwoofers.

To insure proper blending with subwoofers, filter theory dictates that the main speakers must have predictable re- sponse at least an octave below the crossover point. For an 80Hz subwoofer crossover point, the main speakers must have predictable response to 40Hz or lower. This is why it is impossible to successfully mate subwoofers with mini- speakers—the small speakers simply cannot reach the re- quired full octave below any reasonable subwoofer crossover point. Mated with full-range speakers however, powered sub- woofers reduce the demands on the main amplifier as well as the speakers so that the system's treble and midrange are im- proved along with the bass.

There are significant advantages to using two subwoofers in an audio/video system rather than a single unit. Summing the channels into a single subwoofer alters or cancels all the low frequency information containing phase differences be- tween the channels. Stereo subwoofers reproduce all of the bass information complete with the phase differences. Multi- channel processors sound better with the LFE (Low Fre- quency Effects) information redirected to the front left and right channels where stereo subwoofers are located. Stereo subwoofers are also more linear than a single unit since they introduce the bass into the room at two different places and lend themselves to natural placement in the corners where the low frequency room gain is desirable on spectacular film sound effects.

Whether you use one or two, the Vandersteen 2Wq pow- ered subwoofer is an extraordinary performer in a high- fidelity home theater system where it has the power, cone area and frequency extension for you to fully experience the most intense low-frequency film sound effects. The high mo- tor-to-cone-area ratio of the 2Wq’s three 8 inch drivers re- duces distortion and provides a more seamless transition to the main speakers than is possible with a larger driver. The 2Wq features adjustable Q so the bass can be optimized for a music or home theater system and tailored to match your room and personal taste. In a system where the LFE output features and configuration options are desirable, a V2W can be added.

FROM STEREO TO SURROUND AND BACK AGAIN

Now that the core system and subwoofers are in place, it is time to provide surround sound capabilities to the system. In a system built around a preamplifier and power amplifier,

Vandersteen Audio

VCC-5 Operation Manual