Do audiophiles hate large subwoofers?

@elizabeth

You are not wrong, but a well integrated mega-sub is glorious for music and movies. :)


I've had pant shaking special effects and sublime orchestral music in the same system.

Ivan, there is one sub that is usable up to 300Hz---the Rythmik Audio/GR Research OB/Dipole. You can check it out on the GR and Rythmik websites (though a result of the collaboration between GR’s Danny Richie and Rythmik’s Brian Ding, the sub is more Danny’s than Brian’s baby), as well as the GR AudioCircle Forum. A pair of 12" paper cone woofers mounted in an H-frame, with servo-feedback and dipole-cancellation compensation shelving circuits in the integral plate amp. A very unique sub, the only one of it’s kind!

I use Rythmik F15HP and E15HP.  They are sealed designs and are very musical. Great value in the subwoofer market. 

When I used Rel subs or other subs in my audio room, I ran my main speakers full range and used the subs to provide the low end. I also like using smaller/multiple driver subs

@bdp24 

Yes, thank you, I must confess I did think long and hard about Danny's servo subs. They were quite attractive to me.

I wound up going with going with Crown XTi 2 amps and a pair of Acoustic Elegance 18" Dipole woofers (on order) for the mains and a single 18" Infinite Baffle woofer to be mounted in the front wall behind the main speakers. The Crowns for their unlimited crossover, delay, EQ options (which buys me future integration with any conceivable change I might ever come up with in the future in the way of woofers, subs or placement), and the Acoustic Elegance woofers for their efficiency at lower frequencies and their unique "lambda motors"...very low impedance for an easy load for the amps.

But when I looked at Danny's Rythmik plate amp, according to its specs, while the upper crossover control went fairly high, the response of the amp itself was terminated in such a way that if I ever needed a relatively high crossover point like the one I was already contemplating, then the upper roll off in the response of the plate amp itself would leave me a slight "hole" in the crossover zone up toward the hand off point to the midrange...the very kind of response error in my setup (with smallish midrange drivers [MMTMM]) that I could ill afford to have. (I find myself currently and happily wedded to a version of Danny's superb "Wedgies" main speakers that are Well worth all this fussing over them!).

BTW, for my money, Erik nailed it when it comes to subs: integration is king!...and yes, it can be a tough thing to find.