Are the JL Fathom subs really that good....

And I meant to add, "Yes, JL Fathom subs are really that good." My local high end dealer carries Wilson, Magnepan, B&W, Vandersteen, Vienna, Wisdom, PSB, Meridian, and for subwoofers ... JL. They do the best electrnoics/room/cable/speaker matching I've ever heard from any store over the 40+ years I've been hearing demos. They could carry any brand sub they want but chose JL, and their setups have proved to me how seamlessly JLs can be blended and how they augment the soundstage and presentation to a higher level of musical involvement, dynamic range, imaging, detail, you name it.

If they'll blend like that with Wilson, Magnepan, Vienna, Wisdom, and Meridian, they'll probably blend with pretty much anything.

Chris, I don't know how big your room is, but at a distance of about 12 feet from the sub I can't tell where it is.

Too bad we're not all in the same neighborhood. Hearing each other's systems is great fun, and talking is better than posting.

Nvp, I agree time alignment is only one factor, and not always a big one.

Johnnyb53,
Well said...well said.

These things are pure magic, yes?

Larry

Johnnyb53, the speaker position in a room gives the most natural midrange will almost never yield also the best bass response. Whether or not one will obtain good results by placing the subwoofers close/next to the main speakers depends entirely on the room geometry - it is certainly not a given. Having the ability to place the midrange-high frequency source in the ideal place and the bass source in its (different) ideal place is the main advantage of using a subwoofer.

Irv, you may have hit on something. I am less than 12' from my speakers due to my smaller room so there is less chance for the sound to blend before I hear it. I wouldn't call my setup nearfield but it isn't "farfield" either. I thought that when I went to full range floorstanders the subs might be too much in the room but that is not the case with the proper (to my ears) adjustments.