Subwoofer hunt

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

Rythmik's are very musical and integrate well with the mains but depending on your room size, may not have enough weight/ punch. I had the E15hp.
I currently use seaton Submersive hp+ master and slave sub. It's every bit as good as Rythmik sealed subs but a lot more potent in output, specially mid bass.

For more output than the E15HP (and F15HP, with a slightly larger enclosure) provides via it’s single 15" driver and 600w amp, Rythmik currently also offers the F25, with twin 15" drivers each driven by it’s own 400w amp. The E15, F15, and F25 are all sealed designs. There is also the FV15HP, with a single 15 and 600w amp in a ported enclosure.

In development now and available later in the year are two new models featuring the new Rythmik 18" driver, one with a single driver the other with two, both in ported enclosures. A sub with two ported 18" woofers---can you imagine the output capability?! And with Rythmik’s famed Direct Servo-Feedback sound quality. A game changer no doubt.

But Rythmik (in conjunction with GR Research) already offers a game-changing sub---the OB/Dipole Sub. Not as much output as a "normal" sub, but with a sound quality totally unlike any normal sub, regardless of price. Two (or three) 12" woofers mounted in an Open Baffle H-frame and operated in dipole fashion. This sub redefines the term "stops on a dime". THE sub for any planar loudspeaker (ESL. magnetic-planar, ribbon), or other high-resolution design. Absolutely without a trace of overhang/overshoot/resonance, and exciting fewer room modes (the front-to-back but not side-to-side room dimension), a major contributor to the "room boom" often experienced when a sub or two are added to a high-performance system. The only OB/Dipole Servo-Feedback Subwoofer in the world!