Little help with REL subwoofers, please?

@northman 

Those days are not gone, just ...evolved. I saw Smashing Pumpkins at the Garden several months ago. Not only was it thunderous ( I had ear protection in) but the light show was INSANE. I have never seen anything that bright. Good to have Jimmy Chamberlin back. 

You still live in the Boston area?

The reason to use subwoofers particularly Dead Heads is to be able to create that concert feeling at less than ear shattering levels. They allow you to EQ the bass without affecting the main speakers. To do this a two way crossover is mandatory. Digital bass management is the best thing that has come along for subs since their introduction back in the late 70s. There are units from MiniDSP and dBx that are relatively inexpensive. A great inexpensive way to get into subs is to buy  Dayton Kits from Parts Express. Dayton makes great sub drivers. Their kits perform as well or better than 90% of the subwoofers out there. They won't be as fancy looking, but what is the mission?

@mijostyn 

Right on! Great to hear about the Smashing Pumpkins show, and good call on the ear protection. I looked into custom ear protection about a year ago but never followed up.

I no longer live in Boston but have moved on up ... to the west side ... and I now live in Vermont. I think I've only been to the "new" Garden once, to see the Stones on their 50th Anniversary tour, back when they were youngsters. I haven't forsaken music, though. After Jerry died, I eventually found my way to Phish (which is easy to do in VT) and have seen them many times at MSG. And I'll be back in Boston in a month for a classical concert at Jordan Hall. So the music never stopped...

I'm interested in dsp, but every time I look into it, I get overwhelmed. I do enjoy a project, though, and maybe it's time to take a harder look. I'm drawn to the miniDSP gear.

Tzero subs are not going to be able to output the lowest octave very loudly. As a former owner of multiple Rel subs (Storm III, R205, T5 and T7), I recommend looking into Rythmik subs. They will output down to 20Hz and they will integrate very well. Rythmik offers amplifiers with speaker level inputs so you can connect their subs the same way Rel recommends. This will allow you to preserve the tone of the amplifier that is driving your Maggies. Rythmik recommends using the line level RCA or balanced XLR, which is how most owners connect their subs. I opted for speaker level input to a Rythmik F12 due to gain mismatching with my 2-ch amp.

I’m still a fan of Rel, but Rythmik subs are a much better value at this point IMHO. You can purchase a used F12G for around the same price as a used T9i. The F12G will smoke the T9i in regards to output level, and it will do so cleanly down to 20Hz. An even better value would be their L12 sub. The difference between the F12 and L12 is minimal according to user reports.

FWIW, Running Magnepan 1.7i with two REL T/7i

Small treated room (11x14).

I'm happy with the results, and I do enjoy classical music and classical organ, I played the organ (Wurlitzer) until it wouldn't fit in the house.  Should have bought the Hammond...

How about RELs S series?