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What 4 subwoofers to buy?

I am using a pair of Klipsch Cornwalls from 1984 and a pair of Klipsch Heresys stacked on top of the Cornwalls. I recently bought a Klipsch R-115SW subwoofer and could not get any satisfaction from it. Too many room placement issues. So I kicked the subwoofer out of my listening room, being that I get better results all around without it.But I still desire an upgrade on bass performance and would not complain if overall speaker performance was increased. I have been reading alot  lately about the DBA thing, and without even trying it, I am positive that it will be the best thing for me. But I have come to a brick wall sort of speak in my search for which subwoofers to buy. I am not rich, so buying 4 of Rels best is out of the question. I know that Miller Carbon is always saying that quantity over shoots quality, but when I use manufacturer subwoofer mating tools, the results always comes back with their most expensive subwoofer for my system. One of my main concern is will 4 lower end subs be an enhancement to my system? I was going to buy 4 SVS SB1000s because they are very good priced for the quality and they also have the high level speaker input which I will need for hooking up to my vintage integrated amp. But as I was researching all of their other models, I noticed that only their 1000s had these hookups? I emailed them and asked why their other upper models did not have high level speaker inputs? They said that none of their customers have expressed the need for them? I am not sure how to understand that? Maybe most of their customers main interest is in home theater and not 2 channel stereo? I do not know? This is where I have come to a stand still in buying my 4 subs. Will 4 lower end subs work for enhancing my system or do I need to go higher up in the chain as far as quality is concerned? Any ideas, knowledge, experience and or opinions will be greatly valued. Thank you.
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audiorusty
273 posts
 
With a four sub DBA or even a three sub DBA for that matter any decent sub will work. What type of music you listen to and how loud you like it as well as room size will dictate which models would best suit your needs. Any company that manufactures subs should have an in house tech that can help select the correct model for your system, if they don't, I would not buy from that manufacturer. 

My personal experience is with SVS, Rythmik and REL and there are many other companies out there such as AudioKinesis and HSU that I have heard good things about from many other sub users.

One extra plug for Rythmik, they offer a couple of different amp options along with their standard option and one of those options has the speaker level input so you can get that input on any of their subs.
piaudiol
73 posts
 
I loved Duke's "eight subs are grounds for divorce."  I'm an open baffle bass guy, so GR Research subs are the deal for me.  2 of them would be great.  The Audio Kinesis Swarm is awesome but considerably above your budget.  Brian Ding's Rythmik subs are fast and articulate.  He developed the sensing coil woofer control that is also used in the GR open baffles.
audiokinesis
2,738 posts
 
I agree with the suggestions of Rhythmik... excellent subs in my limited experience. 

Duke
brotw
103 posts
 
The GR open baffle sub designs are intriguing. The uncolored sound without the box, quick settling time, and the way it loads the room may be the better option but more expensive. I always see GR OB subs flanking the OB main speakers, not in a DBA, but why not in a DBA? The Rythmik G22 dual opposed sub is also tempting, has the least boxy sound (for a box).

The bass array concept makes sense to me as room correction really improves the perceived tightness in bass. Best to start with a smooth room response before calibration.

I've got a Parasound P5 on the way for some bass management, mainly for the high pass to relieve my tube amp from sub 50Hz duty, and reduce all those midrange smearing vibratiions in the lively Tekton DI cabinets.

Integrating a sub without both a low pass and high pass crossover seems tricky. I'll soon find out what a difference a high pass makes.


big_greg
6,640 posts
 
Rythmik and SVS are both great.  I have a mix of them in my 4 sub setup.  Power Sound Audio also makes good subs.  Buying internet direct will in most cases get you more bang for your buck.  I think Rythmik is the only one that will give you the connection options you want.  I don't see where you ever mentioned the room size?  Based on your thoughts about getting 4 SB 1000's, is $2000 your budget limit or can you spend more?  If you don't have a gigantic room and aren't concerned with pressurizing it, 4 smaller subs could work just fine.  You gain a lot of headroom by using multiple subs, meaning that each individual sub doesn't have to work as hard as only one or two would have to in order to produce the same SPL levels.
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