I'm confused (not for the first or last time ) about Qtc. Here are two conflicting quotes, but which is correct? Thanks for the help.
From Vandersteen:
" 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 energy in the most audible bass range. The trick has always been to try to find the subwoofer with the Q that best matched your listening room and personal tastes.
The 2Wq is the first subwoofer to feature adjustable Q.A bass contour control on the rear panel allows you to set the system Q anywhere from ..5 (Slightly overdamped, i.e.., tight jazz sound) to 1.2 (Significantly underdamped, i.e.., typical mass-market home theater sound)."
From GRollins:
"A point that tends to get lost in the shuffle is the Q of the (sub)woofer. Critically damped (i.e. .707) is a maximally flat Butterworth alignment. Bessel will give you .5, etc. The thing is that some people go for a .5 alignment because it 'gives you more bass.' Hmmm...well, yes...and no. It rolls off more slowly, but begins rolling off sooner (i.e. higher up). A properly designed .707 cabinet will roll off with a sharper slope (which some chose to interpret as 'less bass') but stays within a tighter range in the pass band and the rolloff begins at a lower frequency. Your choice. But there's a catch. Going for a Q of .5 to get 'more bass' means a compromise--the bass you get is less tight. You want really tight bass? Try a Q of 1 or more . Of course, now you've got a pronounced hump just before rolloff, but hey, you wanted tight bass.
The stereo gods giveth and the stereo gods taketh away."
From Vandersteen:
" 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 energy in the most audible bass range. The trick has always been to try to find the subwoofer with the Q that best matched your listening room and personal tastes.
The 2Wq is the first subwoofer to feature adjustable Q.A bass contour control on the rear panel allows you to set the system Q anywhere from ..5 (Slightly overdamped, i.e.., tight jazz sound) to 1.2 (Significantly underdamped, i.e.., typical mass-market home theater sound)."
From GRollins:
"A point that tends to get lost in the shuffle is the Q of the (sub)woofer. Critically damped (i.e. .707) is a maximally flat Butterworth alignment. Bessel will give you .5, etc. The thing is that some people go for a .5 alignment because it 'gives you more bass.' Hmmm...well, yes...and no. It rolls off more slowly, but begins rolling off sooner (i.e. higher up). A properly designed .707 cabinet will roll off with a sharper slope (which some chose to interpret as 'less bass') but stays within a tighter range in the pass band and the rolloff begins at a lower frequency. Your choice. But there's a catch. Going for a Q of .5 to get 'more bass' means a compromise--the bass you get is less tight. You want really tight bass? Try a Q of 1 or more . Of course, now you've got a pronounced hump just before rolloff, but hey, you wanted tight bass.
The stereo gods giveth and the stereo gods taketh away."