The Rythmik is a great buy. I use two F15s fed by line level. Very musical.
Rythmik Vs REL Subwoofers - What to Buy?
I have an L Shaped living/dinning room. The living room measures 13.5'x18.5' and the dining room measures 10.5'x13.5". I have a pair of Paradigm Prestige 85F towers along the 13.5' wall hooked up to an ARCAM AVR550. They are currently placed 8' apart with a 72" stereo cabinet between them leaving 45' on both sides of the cabinet. This wall shares the outside 13.5' wall in the dinning room. There are two 3' walls that narrow the opening to the dining room.
I am trying to decide what subwoofers to add to my system. Three dealers suggested I add a pair of subwoofers rather than adding just one based on my room dimensions and room layout. I am trying to decide between adding a pair of Rythmik F12 Signature subwoofers or a pair of REL T/9i's or a pair of REL S3's and locate them next to the towers. However, because of limited space I may not be able to consider the S3 subwoofers, as they will crowd my towers more and it will most likely require moving my towers closer together from 8' apart to 7' apart. The dealers I have talked to suggested I locate the subwoofers in the corners.
I have an upright piano along the 18' wall to the right and I would prefier to use just one subwoofer located to the left of the piano located approximately 5' to 6' in front of the right front speaker. This would prevent cluttering the wall where my towers are located and it would make our room look better. If I locate just one subwoofer next to the piano, the speaker would point directly into the opening of the dining room.
Could you please advise as to whether to go with a Rythmik or a REL subwoofer? I like the idea of the Rythmik Direct Servo technology. The amplifier in the subwoofer has the ability to boost lower bass frequencies at lower listening volumes to prevent fall off. However, would they sound too boomy? I talked to a highly regarded speaker manufacturer and he told me if I went with the T/9i's, they rated them to go down to 28 Hz at -6 db. He told me based on this, they would actually be lucky to play down to 35 Hz. He went on to say this is woofer rather than subwoofer territory. I have listened to both the REL T/9i and the REL S3 and I was not able to hear a significant difference in bass extension when they were played with a pair Bowers & Wilkins 702's. However, I liked the way they blended in with the main speakers. They were seamless and I swore all of the sound was coming out of the towers. The problem is there are many recordings that contain bass frequencies of 24 Hz and possibly lower and if I go with the REL's I would not be able to hear anything lower than 35 Hz. The Rythmik Signature F12's play down to 14 Hz. The speaker manufacture I talked to makes custom Rythmik subwoofers and he told me the Rythmik subs are the most musical subwoofers he has ever heard. Rythmik sells only direct and it would be helpful to be able to hear one before making my decision.
I listen to 70% music and 30% HT and my first priority is music.
If you were in my shoes, what would you recommend I do?
I am trying to decide what subwoofers to add to my system. Three dealers suggested I add a pair of subwoofers rather than adding just one based on my room dimensions and room layout. I am trying to decide between adding a pair of Rythmik F12 Signature subwoofers or a pair of REL T/9i's or a pair of REL S3's and locate them next to the towers. However, because of limited space I may not be able to consider the S3 subwoofers, as they will crowd my towers more and it will most likely require moving my towers closer together from 8' apart to 7' apart. The dealers I have talked to suggested I locate the subwoofers in the corners.
I have an upright piano along the 18' wall to the right and I would prefier to use just one subwoofer located to the left of the piano located approximately 5' to 6' in front of the right front speaker. This would prevent cluttering the wall where my towers are located and it would make our room look better. If I locate just one subwoofer next to the piano, the speaker would point directly into the opening of the dining room.
Could you please advise as to whether to go with a Rythmik or a REL subwoofer? I like the idea of the Rythmik Direct Servo technology. The amplifier in the subwoofer has the ability to boost lower bass frequencies at lower listening volumes to prevent fall off. However, would they sound too boomy? I talked to a highly regarded speaker manufacturer and he told me if I went with the T/9i's, they rated them to go down to 28 Hz at -6 db. He told me based on this, they would actually be lucky to play down to 35 Hz. He went on to say this is woofer rather than subwoofer territory. I have listened to both the REL T/9i and the REL S3 and I was not able to hear a significant difference in bass extension when they were played with a pair Bowers & Wilkins 702's. However, I liked the way they blended in with the main speakers. They were seamless and I swore all of the sound was coming out of the towers. The problem is there are many recordings that contain bass frequencies of 24 Hz and possibly lower and if I go with the REL's I would not be able to hear anything lower than 35 Hz. The Rythmik Signature F12's play down to 14 Hz. The speaker manufacture I talked to makes custom Rythmik subwoofers and he told me the Rythmik subs are the most musical subwoofers he has ever heard. Rythmik sells only direct and it would be helpful to be able to hear one before making my decision.
I listen to 70% music and 30% HT and my first priority is music.
If you were in my shoes, what would you recommend I do?
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- 40 posts total
Two REL subs is the way to go if music is your priority. I see that you’re still on fence with which sub best suites your needs 😊 Why not find a dealer that will allow you to audition REL subs or buy direct from REL and take advantage of their generous in-home audition program. https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/can-anyone-hear-the-difference-when-you-add-rel-subwoofers-wh... |
I talked to RIA, the owner of Rythmik, and I was completely lien away with his knowledge. He is also an electrical engineer and he was able to talk on a technical level just like Jim Salk can. Jim Salk feels the Rythmik subs are extremely musical. He also assured me they were extremely musical and work seamlessly with the mains. He also told me the REL T/9i’s would be lucky to get down below 35 Hz. This would prevent me from being able to hear frequencies lower than 35 Hz if those frequencies were recorded. He also told me the REL’s work more like woofers than subwoofers. The biggest fear is being driven out of the room. Y too much bass. All I want is to hear the full range of frequencies as possible. Musicality is everything. Eventually, I hope to own a pair of Salk Song3 Encore’s. They blew everything away at the RMAF last October below $6,000/pair. |
- 40 posts total