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Rythmik or REL Subs to pair with Totem Element Metal V2?

I'm looking at one REL S/810 or two Rythmic F12SE subs as that works out to be about $3k total which is my budget.

What I'm looking for is more low-end growl, weight, and visceral punch - in proper proportion.   I want a bass guitar to sound like a real bass guitar and I want to fill in the bottom end.   The Totems are awesome from about 60Hz up, but they just don't move the air at the lowest end.

My current rig is:

Xfinity Modem ->AQ Vodka-> LHY SW8 switch ->AQ Vodka-> NAD M33 ->Cardas Cygnus Biwire-> Totem Element Metal V2.   Power cables are AntiCables L3, AC filtering is a Panamax 5300.

My room is 32' wide, 17' deep with the speakers along the long wall. with the front baffles about 18" out from the wall.   Some spousal-approved room treatments are in use.   Also, and importantly, I'm in a high-rise condo, so I don't want to be inadvertently massaging my neighbors with pounding bass.

Any recommendations or thoughts?

noodlyarm
coralkong's avatar
coralkong
664 posts
 

Nice! Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

noodlyarm OP
103 posts
 

I just wanted to close the loop and report on what I did….  Ok, I went with the dual Rythmik E15HP2 subs.   Adjustments and controls galore.   I can’t imagine being unable to pair these with about anything.   Following the Rythmik guide, I had these setup and plating within minutes with my Totem Element Metal V2 mains.

After a week of continuous low-volume playing, I retweaked them and got them pretty dialed in.   Then I enabled Dirac Live and did my in room analysis.   From top to bottom my in-room measurements were remarkably flat.   Just a. minor dip below 30Hz and another dip at around 14,000Hz.   The high frequency dip didn’t bother me (probably above my hearing range anyway).   Regardless, I fixed that right away with Dirac, then turned off Dirac and made the low frequency adjustments on the sub itself.   Perfect!

Just a note here, that to my ears, the trick was to keep the volume on the subs low enough that they compliment the Totems.   I don’t want to hear the subs, I just want to hear the music.

The Totems are great speakers and punch well above their MSRP.   They go down to 30Hz in my room where they fall off a cliff.   No sweat, I set the crossovers to 40Hz and let the subs pickup the bottom registers.

The imaging improved, the fullness of the music improved and most notably the micro-details really improved.   That growl and percussive nature of bass guitar is really present, and I like that.   

All in, I’m very satisfied with my Rythmik and Totems.

The rest of my system is a NAD M33, LHY SW8, Cardas cables, Morrow cables, Anitcables, and Audioquest.

jdal
159 posts
 

I'm glad to read they worked out for you. I also have Totem Metal V2's and sent Rythmik and email a few days ago and they recommended the same E15HP2 subs. My dedicated room is smaller at 13' X 21', and I have them placed further into the room at 4'. I thought that the 12" subs might be better in my room.

noodlyarm OP
103 posts
 

I can only surmise, that the 12's should work fine, but they won't dig as deep with effortless authority like the 15's do (or at least they are spec'd to do).    A slammer room will constrain the bass you can get no matter the speakers, so you are to be commended for thinking about that.

 

I'd like to know how that turns out for you.   Good luck and great listening!

jeenam
131 posts
 

Former Rel owner here. Rythmik all the way. There's not really too much room for innovation in the subwoofer realm it seems. Rel just keeps on dressing up their subs in fancier lipstick and makeup year after year and using it as a reason to charge more.

They've lost the plot basically. Rythmik focuses on making subs that sound good. Plain and simple.

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