Subwoofer hunt

FWIW, I own Rythmiks and believe they are very good. I used to have REL Storm, and don't regret the change one bit. Rythmiks are very tight and I have them in a sealed cabinet, plus their servo seems to work really well. They also are very flexible setup-wise.

Are JL Fantom better? Most likely, as you would expect given the price difference. But two Rythmiks is better than one JL in my opinion.

I tried them with the full range speakers running full range and the subs supplementing the low end, also crossing over the mains with the Rythmiks plate XO,  and currently with external digital crossovers and each step was an improvement.

The 12" is going to be enough. Yet I suggest going with the 15".

SVS and USU are "OK"... REL makes a far better sounding subwoofer for music.  Try and get it used.  For a home theater setup, the JL stuff is great.

Don't EVER hook up your main speakers THROUGH a subwoofer - the sound will suffer.... let the speakers roll off naturally.  Most of the filters in subwoofers are not that great to begin with and you are just adding another connection point and more speaker cables.

Good point af32. A good way to filter the very low bass from your main speakers without going through a x/o is with the simple installation of a capacitor (the value of which can be determined from the formula available all over the 'net) on the input jacks of your power amp. That creates a 1st order-6dB/octave filter below whatever frequency you choose. Your speakers will be cleaner with the 20-40Hz octave rolled off, and your amp will have more power available for them with that octave removed from it's signal. Perfectionists have been bi-amping the original Quads this way for decades.

When comparing subs, the total system cost is important.  For $4k do you get 1 sub, or a pair of subs and $1,500 worth of acoustic treatment and a high quality digital equalizer?

I've yet to see or hear a sub that is better in this regard than a Hsu.

For those looking for specmanship and independent reviews and I point you here:

http://www.data-bass.com/systems

For those looking to learn about subwoofer measurement and integration, I suggest the Room EQ Wizard forums will overwhelm you with information. :)  Good luck.

Best,


Erik