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?
128x128larry5729
Larry
@bdp24 has been giving you the best advice so far. Don't worry so much about what others like, buy what sounds good to you. Now having said that here is my opinion.

If you do not want to make another mistake do not buy the REL. Buy any other sealed subwoofer that has already been mentioned. I currently own a REL S5/SHO and I am looking to replace it, Probably with a Rythmik or a SVS. The back panels between the REL and the Rythmik are not that much different. They both have a low pass filter AKA a crossover. The Rythmik has  a phase control where the REL only has a polarity switch. The phase control helps with the intergration two or more subs but you can ignore it if it is too complex.  The Rythmik I believe also has a limiter which when engaged will help keep you form overdriving the speaker at high volumes.  They both have line in and speaker level inputs as well as LFE inputs. Rythmik also has an amp option that has an adjustable parametric equalizer (PEQ) to reuduce/eliminate possible excessive bass boom. They both also have a volume control so if there is too much bass you can turn them down.

The REL is more likely to be boomy because of its tuned enclosure and passive radiator.

The main thing is you need a sealed sub for music and a ported sub for HT. A larger sealed sub is a good compromise.
bdp24, thanks for your input.  I listened to a JL E12" series today.  I was not blown away.  They were not boomy which was good.  However, they cost a lot more than a pair if the Rythmik Signature 12".  Surprised you said your REL S5 is boomy and you plan to replace it with either Rythmik or SVS.  I would suggest you talk to Brian, owner of Rythmik.  He is by far the most knowledgeable person I have talked to thus far other than Jim Salk and Salk Audio.  I think I will buy a pair of the Rythmik Signature 12" after talking to both Jim Salk and with Brian at Rythmik.  That Direct Servo technology makes sense to me.  

bstatmeister, I think you need to listen to a pair of the SALK Song3 Encore's.  At $6,000/pair they sounded better than $30,000 speakers at the RMAF last October.  Problem is, they are sold direct and you might have to listen to them at an audio show.  They are simply amazing.  I promise you I do not work for SALK.  I am sure the dealers who belong to this group wish I would be quiet about how great the SALK speakers are.  However, because they are sold direct they can afford to use expensive drivers that really sound incredible.

Whoops Larry, you got me mixed up with somebody else; it wasn't I who said my REL S5 is boomy. I don't own one, and in fact have never heard one. If a REL sounds boomy in a room, the cause is more likely placement than the sub itself.

I actually have spoken with Brian Ding on several occasions, and you're right, a most knowledgeable fellow! Kinda hard to follow, both because of the accent, and because of my LACK of technical knowledge. He's WAY over my head. ;-)

At least in regards to Rythmik’s 18” models, they are extremely “musical” as shown in the measurements, they have little “overhang”, have low distortion, get loud (good for dynamics), etc.
I have F12 and F15 subs and the 15 is the better for pure depth. The F12 hits hard but not deep - it is very tight, though. Together they sound good for the cost.