Deluca---The VOT cabinets were designed by John Hilliard with the idea of obtaining better time alingment and clearer midrange than was available from the folded basshorn of the Shearer Horn, at that time the best system. Thus the straight basshorn, allowing better upper bass and midrange, and the bass reflex augmentation of the horn. These systems do have a stepped response with the area below 100hz down several db in level. However the quality of the bass is very good. IME an 825 with a 416 (A-7) sounds very good on it's own but an 825 with a 515 needs a subwoofer. I have 825s with 515Bs (A-5) and augment them below 100hz with a pair of JBL 4648 bassbins. The upside of the A-5 is the absolutely finest, most glorious and lifelike upper bass and lower midrange I've ever heard and I've heard alot.
The bass drivers used in these VOT systems are still IMO the finest sounding woofers ever made. The only areas in which they are inferior to modern woofs is in power handling, personally I'll take better sound over higher power handling in a home system. :-)
The move to direct-radiating bassbins in theaters was driven by several things; the need for deeper bass, size and cost, and the misinformed personal prejudices against basshorns of the guy who was in charge of developing the THX theater standards.
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