Vandersteen Audio 2-W Brochure
THE VANDERSTEEN MODEL 2W SERIES SUBWOOFER SYSTEM
To accurately reproduce sound , an audio system must
cover the entire audible frequency range. It must reach the
highest harmonics and the lowest fundamentals. It must convey the delicacy of a brushed triangle as well as the a uthority
of timpani drums.
Size, price and design considerations often compromise
the deep bass response of ful l-range loudspea kers. They lack
the bass extension and intensity to correctly duplicate the low
frequencies that form the crit ical foundat ion of s ound. They
sacrifice deep bass detail in exchange for mid-bass or
midrange performance.
Vandersteen Model 2W series s ubwoofers augment the
deep bass response of your present s peakers. They provide
the power, dynamics and low freque ncy de tail re quire d for su-
The System
perlative reproduction of music a nd fil m. They a ssume the
responsibility for deep bass reproduction, i mproving the m idbass and midrange response of your system.
The 2W subwoofer series benefits from our years of experience designing and building loudspeake rs of unparalle led
value and performance. It couples advanced materials, construction and design with innovative technology in a system
that is always true to the emotion and content of the original
sonic source.
The 2W series is completely upgrada ble. As future improvements in technology and/or materia ls enha nce the
subwoofers’ capabilities, cost-effective updates will be available to upgrade existing uni ts to the la test components, pe rformance and specifications.
The subtlety of a plucked ba ss, the c om plex harmonics of
an organ and the incredible power of modern movie sound effects are all beyond the rea ch of m a ny speake r systems. Even
subwoofers rarely excel at all thre e, thei r designe rs choosing
to compromise one in exchange for proficiency at another.
Vandersteen Audio refused to compromise. The original
Model 2W spent five years in the prototype stage being
tested, evaluated, measured and revised before its introduction in 1984. Equal exhaustive at tention w as pa id to t he ne w
technology of the 2Wq and V 2W.
Vandersteen 2W series subwoofers use three active eightinch drivers rather than a single large woofer. The three eight
inch drivers equal the cone area of a fourteen inch woofer,
but with a much higher motor-to-cone-are a ra tio. The high
ratio improves pitch definition and insures stable frequency
and phase responses throughout and beyond the drivers’
operating range. This allows more c rossover design flexibility
since a steep-slope, high-order crossover is not necessary
when the drivers perform well several octaves past the crossover frequency.
The drivers are downward firing in a front slot-loaded
Feed-Forward Error Corre ction
Many subwoofers use a negative feedback or servo control type of error correcti on which s amples t he out put of the
subwoofer amplifier or the movement of the drive r and makes
comparisons to the original input. W hen a devi ation is
detected, a correction signal is generated to counter the error.
A shortcoming of these systems is that an error must actually
occur before the correction proce ss c an begin. The nega tive
feedback and non-linearities of the correction create their
own audible distortions that compromise the performanc e of
configuration to provide superb bass detail, impact and
dynamics while minimizing any potential midrange interference. Each of the drive rs uses a hea vy duty 1 1/2 inch, four
layer voice coil engineered to withstand high temperatures.
Each voice coil is within a massive 40 oz, high ga uss magne t
structure for increased control and efficiency. Critically
damped, long fiber cones with environmentally sta ble butyl
rubber surrounds are used for exc ellent ri gidity and linearity.
The drivers are connected to a built-in 300 watt amplifier
with advanced feed-forward error correction. This powerful
amplifier provides the benefits of bi-amplification to the system without the additional expense and complexity of an additional separate amplifier.
The cabinets of 2W series subw oofers are constructed of
MDF, (Medium Density Fiberboard), a wood product far
more dense and acoustically inert than particle board. FFT
analysis and listening tests refined bot h the shape of the
enclosure and the placement of the internal braces. The entire
structure is carefully designed to minimize c abinet re sonances that could affect the system’s performance.
the subwoofer. The 2W serie s us es Feed -forward E rror Correction, (FFEC), which eliminates errors before t hey be gin.
Extensive spectrum, FFT and dynamic anal ysis of t he 2W
detected the errors that would occur during normal use. The
inverse of these errors was then designed into the integral
amplifier to eliminate the errors before they could occur. Errors resulting from coupling, loading, drive r phase a nd frequency non-linearities and thermodynamic box loss are all
eliminated by FFEC.
Dedicated Models
Two versions of the 2W subwoofer are available, each engineered and optimized for specific situations. The 2Wq
receives its input from the power amplifier and is designed to
maintain maximum sonic continuity between the subwoofers
and main speakers in all music and home theater systems
where a crossover can be inserted between the
preamplifier/processor and the main power amplifier. The
V2W accepts line-level inputs exclusively and is designed for
home theater systems with integrated processor/amplifier
units where the bass is ha ndled by a l ine -level subw oofer
channel.
The 2W subwoofer series is compatible with a wide
range of main speakers from V andersteen a nd othe r m anufacturers. Large main speakers with accurate frequency and
phase response extending at lea st an oc ta ve be low the crossover point will provide optimum ble nding a nd line arity
through the crossover region. (Basic filter theory dictates t hat
the main speakers must have predi ctable response at l east an
octave below the crossover point to insure seamless blending
and linearity with the subwoofers.) Smaller, limited-range
main speakers will benefit from the 2W series’ superior pitch
definition and lack of midrange int erference which provi de
better integration and system coherence than is possible with
a conventional subwoofer.
THE 2Wq
Unique Adjusta ble Q
In subwoofer engineering terms, system Q is the product
of a complex mathematical equation derived from driver,
electrical and enclosure parameters. In practical terms, it relates to the character of the bass response. A low Q subwoofer sounds highly damped and very tight. A high Q
subwoofer produces a warm loose bass with more ene rgy in
the most audible bass range. The trick has always been to try
to find the subwoofer with the Q that best m a tched your l isten-
Operation And System I ntegration
Conventional powered subwoofers receive their input signal directly from their crossover before the main a mplifier.
The sonic signature of the main amplifier that is an important
part of the sound you hear from the full-range speakers is
missing from the subwoofer. This causes blending and integration problems as the sonic characteristics of the system are
different above and below the subwoofer crossover point.
This deterioration of system coherence is why c onventional
subwoofers have never been totally accepted as part of ultra
high-performance audio systems.
The 2Wq uses a unique, innovative connection method
that reduces the current demands on the main amplifier, but
leaves the main amplifier in the signal path to the subwoofer.
The system realizes the benefits of bi-amplification with absolute sonic continuity as the main amplifier’s characteristics
that are evident through the full-range speakers are maintained to the deepest bass, but with the power and control of
the 2Wq’s internal 300 watt a mplifier.
The crossover of the 2Wq is divided into separate low
pass and high pass sections. Like c onventional subw oofers,
the high-pass portion of the 2W q’s crossover is inserte d int o
the signal path just before the main power amplifier to rolloff the low frequency response of the main amplifier and
speakers. The critical difference is that the 2Wq does not take
its input from its crossover, but samples the output from the
Preamplifier/Processor
Crossover
Amplifier
Main
Speaker
2Wq
20 40 80 150 300 600
Main
Speaker
Hz
Full Range
Amplifier
(Input to 2Wq)
2Wq Amplifier
2Wq
Response
ing room and personal tastes.
The 2Wq is the first subwoofer to feature adj ustable Q. A
bass contour control on the rear panel allows you to set the
system Q anywhere from .5 (Slightly overdamped, ie. tight
jazz sound) to 1.2 (Significantly underdamped, ie. typical
mass-market home theater sound) Somewhere in this wide
range, you will find the perfect sonic complement for your
room and taste.
main amplifier that is driving the main speakers. To compensate for the low frequency roll-off induced by the crossover,
the response of the 2Wq’s am plifier is contoured t o restore
the low frequencies to the prope r level. The 2Wq’s input impedance is high enough that it ha s no effe ct on the output of
the main amplifier.
Since the high-pass portion of the c rossover is inserted
between the preamplifier and power amplifier, you must be
able to separate the preamplifier and power amplifier sections
of a receiver or integrated amp for it to be compatible with
the 2Wq. In all systems, the input impedance of the main
amplifier must be known in order to properly set the 2Wq’s
high-pass crossover. The low pass crossover is integrated
with the 2Wq’s amplifier and does not re quire a djustment.
Both sections of the crossover are t ransie nt pe rfect, 6dB pe r
octave designs.
A variable single-ended crossover is included with each
2Wq subwoofer. Optional fixed value crossovers are available both in single-ended a nd bal anced confi gurations t o
match any main amplifier.
The output level of the 2Wq can be adjusted to match
speakers with an efficiency rating of between 82dB and
100dB. Wires and banana plugs to connect the output of your
full-range amplifier to the input of t he 2W q a re i ncluded with
each subwoofer.
Mono Or Stereo Bas s
There are significant advantages to using two subwoofers. Modern so urc es such a s CDs, Lase r Disc s, DVD s
and Video Tapes maintain full ste reo sepa ration to below
20Hz. Summing the channels into a single subwoofer reduces
or cancels all the l ow frequenc y informati on cont aining phase
differences between the channels. Stereo subwoofers
reproduce all of the bass information complete with the phase
differences that help provide the im aging and l ocation c lues
we use to place people and things at distinct points in the
sound field. Stereo subwoofers also improve linearity on
mono as well as stereo sources by coupling the bass to the
room at two points and le nd the mselves to natural pla cement
near the corners where the low frequency room gain is often
desirable.
Ultimate Multi-Channel
A pair of 2Wq subwoofers is the premier configuration
for high-quality multi-channel systems where the processor
can be programed to redi rect the LFE i nformation t o the ma in
speakers. In addition to the be nefits of stereo bass, disabling
the processor’s LFE output often improves the system’s
midrange clarity and articulation. For the ultimate system,
additional 2Wqs can be added to the surround channels.
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