sub for $3500 or less

That's my point...use an SMS-1 with any sub you get. It will add 3x to its value and performance in your system.
Ted

Trying to optimize deep bass in the 15hz-30hz region without a frequency analyzer and digital EQ such as found in the Velodyne is like piloting a submarine without sonar. Without such tools you can spend months playing around with subwoofer setup and still be uncertain where you're at. The system allows phase shifts in 15 degree increments, the parametric EQ has ample headroom to allow notches to be stacked up high to eliminate bulges/depressions in frequency response, the servo control can be adjusted to loosen or tighten the bass for HT or 2 CH mode, cross-over & rolloff is adjustable in fine increments, and you can see it all on your TV or PC plotted in a graphical frequency sweep. Without these kind of tools it won't be easy to harness those long 20' to 50' wavelengths in the deep bass region...

Dave

I bought 2 Revel B15 subs. I am very happy with them. I started with one and then added another. One is not bad but two are much better. They are hard to tune. I always tune a little bit less than what I think it should be. Then I wait and listen for a few days. It is very easy to add too much sub. I think you will find the sub adds another dimension to the sound. It really is needed in home theater.

the piega mk11 will be here next wednesday... it should come with the software and tuning capabilities that the velo has...i would think a sub with a msrp of $5000 has the tuning abilities that dd series has...the velo subs must be very good, no doubt in my mind, but at the same time, piega is no slouch...the gent who is selling it has heard only one that was better and that was the watch dog- that's a good comparison in my book...i've had no regrets with my system so far...brent

"i would think a sub with a msrp of $5000 has the tuning abilities that dd series has..."

The Piega sub won't begin to approach the tuning abilities of the DD series. Either you didn't do your homework or you didn't understand what you were reading. I hate to be so blunt, but the Velodyne is light years ahead of the Piega in terms of "room tuning". That's not to say the Piega will not be a good sub and that you might not enjoy it, but it will never approach a "room tuned" sub.

And I am not sure why you even came in here and asked for advice. It seems you already had your mind made up when you made your first post on 6/27. You asked for advice and then report on 6/29, two days later, that you were buying a Piega sub from the same guy who sold you your other equipment. Why bother wasting people's time here. Next time just listen to the guy who is **trying to sell you something** to begin with.