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Rythmik subwoofers?

Hi all.
I have been looking for a small sealed subwoofer to add to my Harbeth P3ESR in a 20x15 size room. In my price range of about 5 to 6 hundred dollars and the usual suspects SVS,HSU,etc,etc. I came across this Rythmik sub. Anyone familiar with this brand. It is only sold direct. This is the model I have been looking at!
Thanks

Musical sub on a budget

Looking for an affordable musical that can be also used for moderate home theatre use? L12 uses our proprietary servo design to gain low frequency clarity and articulation. For home theatre use, L12 has a HT playback mode with rumble filter to limit less audible sub-sonic contents. While many of our competitors limit their best technology (such as servo) to their top level models, we wanted to make Direct Servo affordable, so we've held nothing back. As a result, you get the tight and music bass you wouldn't normally expect from a subwoofer at this price range. L12 is likely the least expensive servo subwoofer on the market.

Direct Servo Technology

You may have heard about other servo subwoofers which are generally well regarded for their accuracy. It is a well established technology, most often based around an accelerometer which measures cone movement. Our Direct Servo technology has significant advantages over other servo technologies. We use a sensing servo coil which acts like a microphone which compares the original signal to what the subwoofer is actually reproducing. The signal is then corrected instantly to compensate for any differences. Once you understand the concept, you may wonder like we do why anyone would make a subwoofer any other way.

Some of the benefits of Direct Servo include:

  • Reduction of the effects of thermal compression are eliminated under normal operation
  • Higher efficiency allowing output which would normally require a more powerful amplifier
  • Deep bass extension can be achieved using a low mass driver with superior transient response
  • Mechanical and thermal memory effects are reduced, further improving transient response
  • Much greater damping control over the cone
  • Dramatic reduction of the re-radiation of bass from inside the box

Read more about Direct Servo in our technology section.

View animation demonstrating how Direct Servo works 

This budget level sub delivers the same articulate and tuneful bass that our subs are known for and yet provides enough HT bass thanks to its sealed design. The combination of servo and a sealed enclosure is what makes this sub deliver on both quality and quantity in bass.

The quickguide for L12 can be found here. This model has a 120-240v switchable power. Price includes shipping to 48 US continental states only. Shipping to other region or country should inquire us for actual cost. Introductory discount is $30 for black oak finish, shown in the shopping cart. Shipping and duty to Canada is an additional $90.

For overseas customer, L12 is small enough to ship via postal service. Please use contact page for a postal shipping quote.

 DescriptionPrice  L12 sealed sub black oak with 300WRMS Ucd Hypex amp$569 L12 sealed sub black matte with 300WRMS Ucd Hypex amp (back order)$569 Shipping and duty of L12 to Canada$90 Postal Parcel shipping to Alaska$120 Standard Postal shipping to Hawaii$60 Postal air priority shipping to Hawaii$85

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128x128yogiboy
giantsalami's avatar
giantsalami
222 posts
 
I just had a conversation with Fritz, of Fritz speakers, looking for information on his floor standing models. After explaining my system, he recommended the Rythmic sub.A great guy to talk to. I call trying to buy his speakers and he is trying to tell me to try a sub woofer with my monitors and then goes on in detail on why the Rythmic is so good, wich is what that article says. Good luck, and if you do purchase one, I would love to hear your thoughts.
marktunis's avatar
marktunis
7 posts
 
I built  2  12' down firing subs according to their plans, best I have heard
strateahed
303 posts
 
I too have spoken with Fritz a couple of times. Met him at the first California Audio Show. He's one of the most straightforward folks you'll meet in this hobby ... knowledgeable, generous, and friendly. Dave Fabrikant of Ascend Acoustics partners with Rythmik subs, selling them with his direct-to-consumer line. I also dealt with him via phone and email when I got a pair of his speakers quite a few years ago (they're still in service at my younger daughter's home). At the time of my original purchase, Dave favored (partnered) with Hsu Research; and that's what I got. BTW, once it was dialed in, the Hsu was quite good in combo with the Ascends.

Jim Salk (Salk Sound) is using the same Rythmik Servo technology in his top of the line Exotica 3 floor standers. He felt that those hypex amps powered his speakers in a way that provided the best in fast, deep bass ... going down to 20hz. Check out some of the reviews and comments over on audio circle. Based on that, and checking some of the same info noted by Yogiboy, I plan to get the F12 as my next purchase.

Finally, if you go with Ascend - since they distribute for Rythmik - there's a 45-day satisfaction guarantee, which is 15 more days than they used to offer. I have firsthand experience with that, taking delivery of a pair of the low-end, entry-level speaker line for a bedroom system I was putting together. Following my audition (about 3 weeks, if I remember), Dave took them back and gave me a full no-hassle refund. None of that 10-20% "restocking fee" BS!

Good luck and Happy Listening

 
  
soix
9,456 posts
 
I have an SVS SB2000. Although I have a dedicated listening room I’ve only yet used it in my HT setup. I can tell you that my room is a bit larger than yours, and on movies with the relevant bass this thing literally shakes my whole first floor seemingly without strain. On paper the L12 looks like it could be as potent, although its amp is 300 Watts vs. 500 for the SB2000. The L12 counters with greater hookup flexibility and more sound adjustments and is $140 cheaper. The L12 looks like a great sub and hard to see how you’d be disappointed, especially given the consistently positive feedback Rythmik subs get here on A’gon. I will say that SVS offers free shipping both ways during the 45-day trial period, so literally no risk to try. Really can’t see you being unhappy either way.

Last thought is that if a used Vandersteen 2Wq came up for sale in your price range that would probably be my first choice.  Hope this helps and best of luck. 
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 

Another professional user of Rythmik subs is Sterling Sound, the great audiophile mastering house in NYC. They have three pair of F15's in their monitoring systems.

Planar and mini-monitor speaker lovers have long had to accept the rolled-off bottom end of their speakers, and the difficulty in successfully adding subs to them. Maggies are one such speaker of course, and the bass they do have is excellent in quality. Subs good enough to blend seamlessly with them are few, and Rythmik is one such sub. The number of Maggie and mini-monitor users happy with the mating of their speakers and Rythmik's has been slowly growing, all by word-of-mouth.

Subs have traditionally been considered almost impossible to be added to the highest-quality speakers for music reproduction, but there are now a handful, many listed by the above posters. I have had a few myself, from the legendary KEF B-139 woofer (used by Dave Wilson in his WAMM model in the 70's-80's) in a folded transmission line enclosure, HSU sonotube 10", and Infinity RS-1b servo-feedback towers with six 8" woofers each. I now own pairs of both Rythmik F15HP's, and the very, very special Rythmik/GR Research OB/Dipole subs (a pair of 12" woofers mounted in Open Baffle H-frames)---producers of the highest quality bass I have yet to hear, regardless of price.

By the way, don't be "fooled" by the fact that the Rythmik L12 has an "only" 300 watt amp versus the SVS SB2000's 500 watts. Just as with any speaker, the SPL produced by a sub is determined not just by the wattage of the amp, but also by the sensitivity/efficiency of the driver(s) the amp is powering. Rythmik's woofers, due in part to their relatively low (for a woofer) mass, are more sensitive than the woofers used in most other subs. Remember, if the Rythmik L12's woofer is only 3dB more sensitive than that used in the SVS SB2000's, the Rythmik will actually have effectively more power than the SVS. I don't know that such is the case, I am just making the theoretical argument.

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