I tried it again last night and I still prefer the sound of the floorstanders alone. The bass integration was better. Maybe I need to check out the crossover settings as Kevlar mentioned. I set them all to 80 Hz.
I had problems with seamless integration too, before, when I set my crossover at 80 Hz for receiver
and used the 'subwoofer direct' setting (that is, bypass the subwoofer crossover and let the
receiver alone do the 'filtering'/bass management).
Trial and error and obsessive-compulsive adjustments later
finally led me to my
150 Hz(receiver)/110 Hz (subwoofer) settings. I realized after inserting my Avia DVD
(containing 20Hz-200 Hz frequency sweep tones) that there is so much overlap between my
B&W's and my Velo sub at 100Hz - 150 Hz range that SPL readings are 'bloated' at that range.
I had to employ a higher crossover setting for the receiver to minimize the 'bloat' at 100-150Hz.
I found out the ideal receiver crossover setting for my B&W's is 150Hz. Despite this receiver crossover
setting, my B&W main speakers still produce significant bass down to 120Hz which tapers off
to inaudibility at around 110 Hz. My Velodyne subwoofer meanwhile even at a subwoofer crossover
setting of 110Hz starts sounding off at 150 Hz which gradually increases to reference level at 110Hz.
From 110 Hz and below, the Velo maintains a more or less flat SPL output down to about 30 Hz.
It tapers off starting at 30 Hz down to total inaudibility at 20Hz.
Right now, I'm enjoying seamless integration with my B&W main floorstanding speakers
and my Velodyne CHT 15 sub. The 'small' settings for my floorstanding B&W speakers
actually resulted to 'dramatic' increase in clarity of the midrange and treble deliveries.
The redirection of bass frequencies to my Velodyne also improved bass articulation, delivery
and clarity of my audio system. (My B&W floorstanders can't produce bass as articulate
and as clean as my Velo can.) I'm getting the best sound possible with these crossover settings.
Also, I orient my Velo subwoofer such that it is placed at the right corner and at the
same distance from the back wall as are my main speakers. It is pointing diagonally across
the room. I realized, Velos are best positioned in the corner, beside the right speaker
and not pointing directly at the listening position. It is best angled about 45 degrees
from the corner and not pointing directly towards the listening position (which make it pinpointable).
This way, the bass seems to come out from the main speakers and fills out the entire room,
with the Velo virtually disappearing. (You wouldn't know that bass sounds came out of it.)
I tried before, pointing the Velo directly at my listening position but it always resulted
in uneven, pinpointable bass even at 80 Hz crossover settings. I also tried pointing my Velo
straight out from front to back but it resulted to the sub sounding separate from the main
speakers and bass seeming to originate from the right speaker only.
The experience made me realize that there is really a big difference between theory and practice.
THX and many audiophiles subscribe to a receiver crossover setting of NO HIGHER than 80 Hz
to assure non-pinpointable bass and a 'seamless' integration between bigger main speakers
and a sub.
However, this just doesn't work for me and it just doesn't bring out the best in my specific setup.
Here lies the difference between theory and practice. In theory, there is no difference between
theory and practice, but in practice, there is.
My advice? Use theory as a guide but in the end, let your ears decide.
- Kevlar