Legacy VS 12.2 User manual

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Registration
3. Owners Record
4. The Cabinetry / Our Commitment
Setup
5. Unpacking Your Speakers
6. Speaker Placement / Installation
8. Hook up Cables
10. Unit Connections
14. Fine Tuning
Technology
16. Designer’s Note
18. Specifications
19. Troubleshooting

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The model and serial numbers are located on the rear of the unit. Record
these numbers in the spaces provided below. Refer to them when calling
upon your dealer regarding this product.
Model No. _______________________________
Serial No. _______________________________
Date of purchase: _________________________
Thank you for selecting a Legacy Loudspeaker System. These hand-
crafted instruments will provide you with many years of listening
enjoyment. Please take a few moments to read this brief manual to insure
maximum benefit from your speaker system.

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Handcrafted
Beneath the surface of Marquis’s elegant exterior lies rigid MDF
construction. Interlocking joinery maximizes the strength of the cabinet
parts. Polyester fiberfill is selected for internal damping. A sharp rap on
the enclosure will leave you with little more than bruised knuckles.
Each cabinet is impeccably finished on all exposed surfaces with select
veneers. The exquisite finish is hand-rubbed several times to assure a
patina at home with the most elegant decor.
Our Commitment
A great deal of forethought, love and satisfaction is instilled in each piece
of Legacy workmanship. We take pride in getting to know many of our
customers on a first name basis.
Your purchase of this product is backed by the renowned “Legacy
Satisfaction Guarantee”.

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Your new subwoofer has been very carefully packaged to insure that it
travels to you safely. Each subwoofer is protected by a double-wall outer
carton with heavy V-board corner protectors. Molded foam end caps are
used to protect the elegant cabinetry, and a plastic liner is provided as
waterproofing. Please save this packing for future transportation. If cartons
become damaged or misplaced, new ones can be purchased from Legacy
Audio.

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Since the human ear is rather poor at localizing radiation frequencies
below 125 Hz, good results may be obtained in a variety of room
placements. Careful adjustment of the convenient front panel controls will
lead to seamless transition.
Low frequency reinforcement occurs whenever woofers are placed near
room boundaries. The distance from the walls, floor and ceiling
correspond to the wavelengths of the frequencies, which will reflect in
phase and thus reinforce bass output. Therefore, the actual dimensions of
your listening room play a definite role in what ultimately arrives at your
ear. In fact, rooms tend to have their own set of favored frequencies.
We can calculate what the most strongly reinforced frequencies in a room
will be by the formula shown below:
Resonant Frequency = (1130 ft/sec) / (ft. between boundaries x 2)
For example, a room with an 8 ft. ceiling height has a strong resonance at:
(1130 ft/sec.) / (8 ft. x 2) = 71 Hz.

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Now, while such reinforcement might actually be beneficial at very low
frequencies, excessive excitation can cause “overhang” or a droning effect
at mid-bass frequencies. A way to minimize excitation of these
resonances is to place your subwoofer asymmetrically relative to room
boundaries. For instance, if the subwoofer is 2 ft from one corner wall,
then place it 1.5 ft to 3 ft from the other.
Placing the subwoofer in a corner will reduce the radiation angle and thus
increase efficiency. It will also excite the maximum number of room modes
and decrease distortion.
A best case scenario is to actually use two subwoofers, one to each side
of the listener. The subs should be placed 90° out of phase with each
other. This improves spaciousness and bass uniformity, with a reduction in
room level peaks.

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The ideal conductor would have negligible resistance, inductance and
capacitance. The table below shows how a few actual speaker cables
measure up.
Cable Ωs/ft pF/ft µH/ft
12 ga. 0.0033 24 0.21
14 ga. 0.0048 17 0.13
16 ga. 0.0079 16 0.18
18 ga. 0.0128 28 0.21
Capacitance is considered insignificant in each cable because its effect is
well out of the audio bandwidth; inductance can be decreased (at the
expense of increased capacitance) by keeping the conductor pair closely
spaced.
How long would a cable have to be before inductance effects would
impinge on the audio spectrum? Approximately 300 feet of 12 gauge
would be required to establish a corner frequency of 20 kHz with an 8
Ohm loudspeaker. As you see, inductance is not a problem for most of us.

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What about phase shift due to frequency dependent travel times down the
speaker cable? Measurements show that 100 Hz waves will be delayed
about 20 billionths of a second behind 10 kHz waves when traveling to the
end of a 10 foot speaker cable. Since the cilia of the ear requires 25,000
times longer than this just to transmit phase information, phase shifting is
obviously not the primary concern when considering speaker cables.
What about resistance? Finally we are getting somewhere.
Resistance is the controlling factor of the amplifier/loudspeaker interface.
Excessive resistance can cause major shifts of speaker crossover
frequencies. The lower the impedance of the loudspeaker, the greater the
effects of series resistance. A 20 foot run of 18 gauge cable can cause up
to 10% deviations of crossover center frequencies. That same 20 feet can
un-damp your damping factor and reduce your systems’ output by one-
half decibel.
In summary, there are no perfect cables. The best way to approximate the
ideal would be to keep loudspeaker leads as short as is practical.

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Once you’ve found a place in your room, the next step is to connect the
VS 12.2 to your system. There are a variety of ways this can be
accomplished, all of which will be listed and explained.
Option 1: Connecting the VS 12.2 using the Low Level Inputs (from
preamp/processor).
NOTE: if using the low-level inputs, we suggest using the shortest run of
shielded cables possible. Longer lengths of RCA cable can result in
greater noise and attenuation of the signal. If using Left/Right output jacks
from the preamp, the internal circuit module of the Thumper will sum the
two channels together. When using the left and right low level inputs on
the subwoofer, the internal crossover of the subwoofer is being used.
The crossover frequency and level will be controlled by the appropriately
labeled controls on the front panel of the sub or the remote control.
Connect the preamp/processor’s “sub out” to the left channel RCA input
(beneath where it’s labeled “from preamp/processor.”) If your
receiver/processor has two subwoofer output jacks, you can connect
either one or both of these to the corresponding input jacks on the
subwoofer.

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Option 2: Connecting the VS 12.2 using a STEP One or Whisper
Environmental Processor.
If you are using a Legacy Audio StepOne or a Whisper controller in your
system:
Stereo Amplifying: In a stereo configuration, the output from the
preamplifier feeds the inputs of the StepOne/Whisper Processor and the
variable outputs of the StepOne/Whisper Processor feed into the stereo
amplifier. The fixed outputs of the StepOne/Whisper Processor can be
used to connect to the subwoofer. The fixed outputs allow the signal to
pass through without being effected by the StepOne/Whisper Processor’s
processor.
Biamping: If you are biamping your front channels, the variable output
from the StepOne/Whisper Processor will be used to feed the low
frequency amplifier input. The fixed outputs of the StepOne/Whisper
Processor would require a Y-adapter or signal splitter, such as a dual amp
balancer, to feed both the high frequency amplifier inputs and the
subwoofer inputs. We do not, however, recommend using a Y-adapter
coming off the variable outputs into the inputs of the subwoofer, as its
processing is not appropriate for the sub

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Option 3: Connecting the VS 12.2 using the High Level Inputs (from
amplifier).
A. If using the high level inputs , it is highly recommended that you
connect them in parallel with your main left and right loudspeakers.
B. One may decrease the low frequency demands from the main left and
right speakers by connecting them to the binding posts labeled High
Level Out. This will reduce the current flow below 100 Hz to the main
speakers. A more precise management is possible through some
surround processors.
NOTE:
1. DO NOT use the output from a bridged amplifier output as a high level
input to the subwoofer.
2. When using high level inputs from a stereo amplifier be sure that they
are polarized correctly with the power amplifier, (positive output to positive
input, negative output to negative input.) Failure to do so may result in
damage to your subwoofer, power amplifier and any associated
equipment connected to it.
3. Terminating your bare wire leads with banana plugs or gold spade lugs
is also recommended.

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Powering Up VS 12.2
1. Power Cable: The supplied power cable will plug into a socket on the
back terminal plate of the unit.
NOTE: Try to plug into the same AC circuit as the rest of your audio
system, as this will avoid hum from ground loops.
2. Power Switch: The power switch is on the rear panel. Three settings
are available, Off/Auto/On. In the Off mode, the amp is turned off. In the
Auto position, the amp will remain off until a signal is applied. After a long
period with no signal, the sub will return to its off state. The On position
will cause the amp to stay on all the time.
Protection
VS 12.2 features a special thermal reset to prevent damage to the internal
amplifier. This is invisible under normal operation, however should your
subwoofer be over-driven for long periods it will enter the “protect” mode
and turn itself off. Once the unit cools down normal operation is restored
by resetting the unit to Off, then back to Auto/On If you have any
questions about this please call us.

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Controls
Level: This will allow you to adjust the volume level played by the
subwoofer. It only controls the subwoofer level, not the level of any of the
other loudspeakers in the system, even if they’re hooked up in parallel.
This motorized control can also be operated with the included remote
control.
Frequency: This will allow you to adjust low frequency information
amplified and played by the subwoofer. The crossover frequency of the
VS 12.2 is 40 - 170 Hz. so the point you set it will be somewhere in
between. This feature is also operable from the remote.
Phase: Located on the back panel (fig. 1). This switch allows the user to
optimize the “phase” of the subwoofer output. This is important to properly
integrate with your main speakers.

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Adjustments
Be sure to sit in your normal listening area when making these final
adjustments.
1. Begin by setting both the rear panel Frequency and Level controls to
the 12 O’clock position.
2. Using pink noise, a warble tone centered between 50-80 Hz, or a
recording with rich bass content, have someone try the phase switch in
the 0° and 180° position. Select the position providing the strongest or
smoothest output.
3. Now adjust the Level to a setting that smoothly integrates with the rest
of your system.
4. Finally, fine-tune the crossover Frequency to prevent holes in the
spectrum or excessive overlap.

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• VS 12.2 is a carefully engineered subwoofer, capable of
integrating with the finest speakers.
• Unlike many woofers that suffer from overshoot, VS 12.2 applies a
special EMF countering circuit, which increases power handling
and radically reduces low frequency distortion.
• An enormous stacked magnet structure is custom fabricated to
provide excellent sensitivity. These units are bolted in compression
to secure nearly 20 lbs. of motor structure per driver.
• Asymmetric placement of pistons reduces mid-bass cancellation
by 9 dB.
• Dual custom woofers are concealed beneath VS 12.2’s stylish grill
to deliver awesome mid-bass punch, while the lowest frequencies
emerge tight and clean.
• A high current 400 watt amplifier maintains control of VS 12.2’s
twin 12” sub-bass pistons.

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• Rear panel controls allow you to adjust VS 12.2’s Level, and
Frequency controls. Tuning so simple, it can be done from the
comfort of the couch.
• VS 12.2 features automatic turn on/off when presented with an
audio signal.
• The high pass filter alleviates the deep bass demands from
compact satellite speakers, thus preventing low frequency strain
due to long excursion.

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System Type: Sealed enclosure.
Driver: Dual 12” Carbon reinforced pulp.
Alignment: 5th order.
Amplification: 400 watts.
Low Pass Crossover: 40 - 150 Hz.
Low Pass Filter Slope: 12 dB per octave.
Maximum SPL: 120 dB @ 40 Hz.
High Pass Crossover: 85 Hz @ 6 ohms.
High Pass Slope: 12 dB per octave.
Binding Posts: 2 RCA, 2 pair High Level binding posts
Phase Adjustment: 0, 180°
Frequency response: 10 - 150 Hz, 22 - 100 Hz +/- 3 dB.
Input Impedance: 10k ohms minimum (low level inputs).
Dimensions: 29 x 15 x 19.5
Weight: 135 lbs.

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1. If the subwoofer has a noticeably higher noise floor compared to your
other speakers, it is likely that the cable run between the preamp/processor
and subwoofer (or between the amplifier and subwoofer) is too long.
Typically, you want to use a length of less than3 meters if using the low
level inputs and a length of less than 15meters if using high level inputs.
2. If you are using the low level inputs and you notice a “hum” while all of
your other audio equipment is turned off, it is likely that the inputs to the
subwoofer are creating an “antenna effect” and picking up noise. The best
way to eliminate this problem is to turn off the subwoofer when you turn
off the rest of your equipment.
3. VS 12.2 features a special thermal reset to prevent damage to the internal
amplifier. This is invisible under normal operation; however should your
subwoofer be over driven for long periods it will turn off. Once unit cools
down normal operation is restored, by resetting the rear power switch to
Off, then back to Auto/On. If you have any questions about this, please
call us.

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Notes: