Subwoofer Choice

bound4th, considering cost and flexibility you've made a smart choice.

In my multi subwoofer experience finding your rooms bass modes by placing your uncalibrated sub in the listening position, playing a low frequency tone recording while walking your room and mapping the bass mode areas is extremely beneficial and need only be done once.

By positioning each sub in or about the two most prominent but asymmetrical modes has a huge advantage for the subs to load the room and needing the lest amount of processing and gain.

Let your ears and your personal taste guide your setup as there are no rules. The term flat response is not a goal it's simply a yield sign.

SVS is said to have excellent customer support and suggestions for setting up your presets. Welcome to the deep end. 

avatar: Gene Czerwinski

bound4h,

It seems to me while reading comments about subwoofers that a lot of cases describe a poor setup rather than a specific model. I have two Rythmic subs and I think they are great. I think that a good setup has a greater effect on sound quality than a specific model.

By the way, why do you think Michi is an overkill for your Silver 50's?

First I'll admit I only have ownership experience (lots of listening time) with REL.  I'm sure other manufacturers also make fine low frequency speakers.  

I have the Sopra 2

I had an old REL, a later model Strata I believe.  For its time it had a marvelous tonality and seemed like good control.  Then last year I bought an S/510 and discovered that the technology has moved forward.  

You'll find the S/510 is a tight, fast acting low frequency speaker.  It delivers the texture of the instrument, the skin of a kettle drum, brass of a pipe organ, metallicity of a an electric bass and woodiness or a stand up bass with a palpable realism that brings the lowest register we hear to life.  I would have purchased the 812, the Carbon Fiber or maybe even the 212, but I'm space constrained and so I went with the 510.  I can assure you I do not regret the choice for a moment.

If you have the room, go bigger.  if budget is the constraint then two 510's would be preferable to one larger unit.  However, if you can afford the Sopra 3, and whatever else is in the kit, then I suspect you can reach a pair of the larger subs.  What about a pair of the 212's?  I'm seriously lusting after that config.

Also, don't be so concerned about roll off.  You can adjust the the gain and crossover and can quite easily end up with too much low drive at the very lowest end, as I suspect can happen with all quality subs.  I have mine dialed in to very nicely support that lowest end of the Sopras while delivering texture and the right amount of presence.

As an aside, when I replaced my older REL I immediately discovered new texture to almost all of my music.  I listened like that for most of a year, the older REL sitting in a corner, waiting to be sold.  Then one day it dawned on me that I was being stupid and should hook it up!  So now I have the older Strata crossover set to it lowest setting.  It really only comes to life at the bottom end but gives an extra drive down there.  It especially helps with the bass presence in live recordings of bands like Phish, Grateful Dead/Dead and Company, String Cheese, .Moe, Goose etc.  It's not the perfect set up, but it makes us pretty happy!

I find the REL works quite well with FOCAL.  Look at your space and budget.  Any of the models will work.

I submit the room and what speakers you have are just important as the subwoofer manufacturer. That being said, I prefer REL Reference subwoofers. I've found that sealed subwoofers work better in my room. REL reference subwoofers are the only subwoofers that completely disappear in my room/ system. 

In my view, Rhythmiks are just as good, cost less, and have variable phase which is critical for integrating subs with room, speakers, and one another.