Adding Sub to current system

By "eq" I mean an electronic equalizer, not moving things around (do you mean obtaining room equalization by moving the sub?), and my observation is based on the actual use of a REL sub...I assume you haven't heard Silverline Preludes or any other modern "array" type small speakers...properly loaded well designed small woofers (large magnets, metal cones, etc.) can make plenty of bass at very reasonable SPLs...and cleanly, but the addition of a sub increases the level of the lower octaves. Understand? If not, read the reviews, although I bought mine because I listened to them at a friend's, not because of John Atkinson's measurements. I've been a professional musician and sound technician for 40 years, and I play bass among other instruments...I've owned plenty of large woofer speakers (including Altec A7s) and small woofer speakers for both pro and home use...I suggest you invest in some sand so you can pound it.

Go for it...it will even improve the mids and highs as well.

I think we're done now, thank you everybody for your help!
Rpg

Wolf,

I like the Preludes, but I do think that you're overselling them a bit. I own a pair and agree that they will amaze you with their ability to reproduce rock music from such a tiny footprint, but...

The Preludes' have no output in the deep bass, at least in my room. I moved them briefly into my listening room (they're featherweight) to measure their on-axis response with my RTA system (studio EQ wizard, at that time), because I do this with all of the speakers that I own. (I'm building my knowledge base as best I can.)

The Preludes are very satisfying in their overall tonality and, particularly, bass response because they manage some very clever trade-offs to present a "sense" of deep bass where none is present. This goes well beyond the ol' mid-bass hump trick and is more a function of a smoothly falling FR from their low end peak (pretty sure it was low 50s in my room) right on thru the midrange, where things begin to reverse themselves. There is usable, tho rapidly declining output into the mid/high 40s - not half bad for a speaker this size.

I've never meausred for THD (don't have the capability) but I wouldn't want to see those results, either. These speakers still live in my gym where they are played loud enough to distract me from the fact that I'm on a treadmill. Distortion was quickly evident at the high spls I initially tried and I've backed off from LOUD to loud. Break-up can still be heard ocasionally when the program material gets challenging.

I bought them a while back, maybe in '07 - IIRC, so I'm doing my best to recall the details here, but I remember that this misbehavior at volume was also evident on the demo pair I auditioned (a local dealer had special ordered them for a customer who bailed on the purchase) and nearly dissuaded me from buying them. However, floor space is very tight in my gym and the Preludes proved the best compact option at my price point, so I made the trade-off, and I'm happy that I did. They still get "worked out" regularly (pun intended).

It's always possible that these speakers will behave differently in a different room, but IME...

The Prelude is a very good little speaker that provides really satisfying bass from a tiny footprint. They are a great value when you need the impact of a kick-drum, but I don't expect that at very high SPLs and I don't expect the lowest register of bass guitar/organ/tuned drum to have the same presence. IMHO, it's not reasonable to expect the Prelude to hang with a subwoofer and -in my room- it doesn't.

Marty