Having heard both Qsub-15 and Qsub-18, I would say that how they outperform any other subs I have heard (to quote a few good ones, this includes Velodyne, Wilson sub, torus, and of course my Fathom JL audio) is:This is really great...so I have to now ask you some more question. Relative to those subs...what really happens when you put the Q15 in? Specifically:
- Scale...does your system's scale actually increase in macrodynamics (both mids/treble and bass?)
- Does the soundstage of the venue deepen or expand in terms of the sense of space?
- Do you find that the bass is far more nimble/quick and yet powerful?
- If so...did the active crossover change the performance of your mids/treble dramatically?
I know that subs do all of these things when set up well...what I am trying to understand is WHERE THE QSUB15 MADE THE MOST DIFFERENCES RELATIVE TO OTHER SUBS YOU HAVE TRIED. I AM TRULY CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HAVE AN EXCELLENT SUB (AS YOU SEEM TO HAVE TRIED IN THE PAST)...AND THEN GO UP TO THE LEVEL OF THE Q15.
Sorry to be so persistent, but I am a bass-freak (not loud, just exceptionally articulate, powerful)...and so it is exciting to ask questions of someone who has spend a few weeks in his own system with the QSub15. Thanks!!!
- much cleaner, detailed bass. People wrongly believe there is little micro-information in the bass. Hear a Qsub and you will change your mind.
- how loud they can play without any distortion. In particular, the Qsub-18 is crazy. As I already mentioned, not sure who needs it, one or 2 Qsub15 probably enough ;-)
- much much tighter bass. Membrane moves fast and stops fast.
- higher sense of "easiness"
- Sophistication and flexibility of their filter (for sure, some others have good interfaces for crossover definition, but not my Fathom).
It is the combination of all above that makes it possible to integrate them with very transparent and fast speakers like the Q-series.
Of course, you can pile up 6 fathoms and get the same SPL as with one Qsub, but you will never get the micro-informations and the tightness of the bass.
As I already posted on this forum, I am not so much of a sub guy... I think that a Q7 would for example easily outperfom the combination of a Q3 and one or 2 Qsubs... even if the comparison is not fair as it would still cost 2-3 times more... So as a way to build a "cheap" very large system, it is a very interesting idea. and for complete bass freaks, it can bring even large systems to the next level.
Btw, the improvement in imaging from using 2 Qsubs vs. only one is far from being insignificant.