Sub s for Dali Megaline system

Thanks Jim for reminding of something I forgot to mention. A filter in a sub which rolls off frequencies below a cut off value can be a very useful tool. The more octaves a driver has to cover the greater the inter modulation distortion of that driver. A number of well known subs have such a filter for this very reason. This will, of course, raise the measured f3 but will improve the accuracy of the driver. A perfect example of why f3 is a lousy criteria for judging music reproduction quality. If your are listening to H.T. then you may well want an earth shaker with a low f3 and very high output. These can be had very inexpensively. I never really understood why we never judge mains by their frequency response but we do with subs. If you listen to two channel music low e on bass is 41.5hz and a Boesendorfer grand gets you only to 27hz. Below this there is no natural music ( except pipe organ) and human hearing falls off at around 20hz. Yes fundamentals exist below this but all the subs mentioned have some significant output below 20hz. The Torus is a FANTASTIC sub for music. Not so great for H.T. imho. It has virtually no overhang to my ears and sounds highly damped which I think suits music but not explosions. Is it worth it ? Listen in your own home and hear for yourself. Be your own judge. - Jim

Aldavis

I know what you mean when you say it sound dampened. I am a dealer for Wilson benesch speakers and I have to say that because they are made from carbon fiber and there for very very fast the sound that you hear from the Torus is just that. Clean Clean and Fast Fast..

May the gods of music bless you. No doubt the other gods will curse you.
Jim

Uhmmmm. Thanks guys for all that input. Anyway, I've considered all the above and was about to pull the trigger on the...until mating a pair of the Scaena subs (single or dual 18") with the Megalines was suggested. Any thoughts?

By the way, my listening room is rather large--19' wide x 23' deep x 22' high ceilings, with dual hallways and a balcony leading to another large volume room behind the listening room.

Ray,

What are you trying to achieve?

1) Greater bass exention? (I'd think the Dalis go as low as almost any signal on any musical recording, although HT might be a different story. Not so?)

2) Greater clean spl potential throughout the bass region?

3) Smoother bass response?

For #1 (if needed) and #2, the big SVS and any 12" or larger from JL should do the trick, since these units have immense clean output capability. The biggest Rythmiks (with a less less clean spl potential way down low) are also worth checking out, especially if multiple units are being deployed (see below). Since each extra sub will increase your clean spl potential at any given frequency, using more subs allows a wider variety of model choice. That is, if 3 or 4 subs are used, you won't need the largest SVS or JL units - that would be overkill. Smaller models or the big Rythmiks should do the trick in this case.

For option #3, Digital Room Correction (Audyssey, TacT, Velodyne SMS, etc.) is one answer, provided that you're actively rolling off the low end of the Dalis. Multiple subs -optimally positioned - is another way to smooth bass response. You can always use both approaches - I do.

Good Luck

Marty