Sub for 2 channel music only setup

I will put in my vote for 2 JL audio F113 for 2ch--they are fast enough to blend with my stats and are very musical for subs. best of the subs I have ever used in my 2ch system..

A vote for the Vandersteen 2Wq. I have a pair of these, and the bass goes lower than I can hear (or than my room can carry - verified with a SPL meter). If your mains go down reliably to about 40Hz, they integrate extremely well, are designed for corner placement (and actually work well in the corners of my room), and, best of all, do not make their presence known unless there is deep bass in the source material. They are quite tuneful and quick, as well. The adjustable Q allows you to dial in the kind of bass you want, from very tight and fast, to a bit slower and bloomier. I bought two of them used here on Audiogon, and paid less than $800 each. You will have to buy the in-line crossovers from a Vandy dealer (~$125/pr). The temporary x-over that comes with the 2Wq is not tranparent enough (nor is it meant to be) to use on a permanent basis.

I have no experience with REL, but there are similarities in the x-over approach of REL and Vandersteen. However, with REL, you lose the benefits of the Vandersteen's LF roll-off that benefits both your main speakers and amplifier.

I know I will upgrade my speakers, but the 2Wq subs are in my rig to stay!

Dlcockrum
Yes I use the hi level input with a custom made connector and the same for the power cord. The only stock cable I do use came with my Shunyata hydra 6 power conditioner. My power cables are either FMS or Shunyata. Do not get me wrong I feel Rel is a very good sub, just for 2 channel I think it is not fast enough and it go's too low. I myself do not like my chair vibrating while I listen to music. For movies that another matter and if my room could support the space for 3 subs in the front I would have kept the other Rel.

Thanks for the reply, Hevac1. During the inital period with my Stadium III, I also noticed a very slight fatness (not sure that I would describe it as slowness exactly). Adding the supplied spikes improved this considerably. It makes me wonder why REL discourages the use of them in the manual. Setting the crossover at the lowest setting (22hz) and increasing the gain setting helped also (my main speakers do 25hz at minus 6db).

I find that the main benefit of the REL in my system is not primarily the bass extension, but the substantial improvement in the dimensionality of images, layering of the soundstage, and bloom of instrumental timbres, especially piano. I think this is a product of the REL "loading the room" with sub-bass frequencies. This would seem to require that it emits frequencies so low they are felt but not heard, which is what seems to bug you about the Stadium III. Does the Aerial SW-12 equal the REL in this respect?