Honest Experience on Effects of Subwoofer Please

ryder, whatever jon_5912 is referring to as "upper bass" there have been a few subwoofers available for almost two decades that have the ability to adjust and remotely control parameters in the 100Hz or higher region. The open skinny string G2 on my Double Bass is tuned to 98Hz which is similar to the middle frequencies of a typical drum kit. 

It sounds like for the past 18 or so years you've been using a sub equipped with basic crossover, phase, and volume set-it and forget-it? To enjoy recordings up through the 60's as well as modern recordings were many producers are steeped in compression I find requires an interactive subwoofer system. Audio fun! 

+1 mijostyn & b_limo... I'm quite confident you would experience that appreciable difference using remote controlled processing subwoofer/s that offered listening position remote control of their parameters and customizable presets.

You mention proper setup. If that's your subwoofer shown just inside your left speaker in your system photos (which could very well be controlled by a processing sub). I'm equally confident that may not be the optimum subwoofer location. Your sub placed on your listening position and playing a low frequency test tone then a stroll around your room should reveal your rooms loudest modes (sub locations). Map them out. All the best.

I appreciate all the useful advice and opinions. I’ll just keep this short and avoid being long-winded.

I have been reading a lot. I understand all subs SVS, REL, Rythmik, Arendal etc. have their own pros and cons and fans, and it’s all good. It is highly likely I’ll end up with a REL S series. Although other subwoofers may offer better performance for the money, the real deal breaker with these subs for me, is aesthetics. I find the looks of most subs to be undesirable. The REL looks classier and more elegant with a clean shape, curved edges and gloss finish.

I also understand two subs work better than one but due to the current space and budget, I can only do one.

M-db, current placement of the sub may not be optimal but that’s the location where the sub produces the best result with the most even and non-boomy bass. Corner placement close to wall boundaries produced the worst result.

The only thing I don’t like about the REL is the price, particularly the current price increase of the S-series without any changes to the models.

Subs are easy for me to set up (sorry mijostyn) as they're a relatively simple thing. You turn 'em on and listen...mine have phase switches that need to be heeded and some may find that daunting but really...you simply listen. Adjust the levels, again...simple. I have decades of experience in studios and live concerts as a musician and live sound mixer, and am baffled by how baffled some are with this stuff, and the noted complexity some need to yammer about doesn't help anybody.

I have a small room, with a line array of Rel s-510’s.  The overall improvement is off the charts:  soundstage, mids, hi’s are all much improved, not to mention of course, the low end.  I started with one, then a second, then two more, and finally, a third pair.  The improvement at each step was immediately noticeable, and not incremental.  Individual instruments have more weight and solidity and the music has a live concert-like low end foundation.  My two cents!

One of the best features of the Rythmik Audio line of subs is the phase control included in their plate amps. It is not a phase "switch" (either zero degrees or 180 degrees), but a continuously-variable phase/delay control knob, adjustable from zero degrees/zero delay to 180 degrees/16ms delay, and anywhere in between.

First find a reasonably good sub location with relatively low mode problems (both nulls or peaks), then use the Rythmik phase control to maximize the phase relationship between sub(s) and loudspeakers. Everyone talks about the long wavelengths of bass tones making phase relationships below, say, 100Hz, mute is ignoring the fact that if the outputs of sub and loudspeaker don’t create a combined flat response at the cross-over frequency (if they are not in phase), there will be a hole in the frequency response created. Loudspeaker designers have to do the exact same thing in the blending of tweeters with midrange/woofer drivers.