Short list of musical subwoofers
I plan to invest a "musical" subwoofer to augment the music listening experience of my current two-channel sound system. After a few digging over the acting forum and on-line reviews, it seems the following budgetary sealed (primarily) subwoofers are often mentioned and raved:
- Rythmic L12 (18Hz; sealed, servo controlled; 300 watts RMS; $609);
- RSL Speedwoofer 10S (24Hz; front ported; 350 watts; $428);
- Rel T5x (8 in; 32Hz@-6db; 125 watts; $680)
- SVS SB 1000 (24Hz, sealed; 300 watts; $450) or 2000 (19Hz; sealed; 500 watts; $600);
All above claim to have quick, accurate bass that is good for music listening. Rel, although not being able to extend to 20Hz, has been highly rated for easy integration into the sound system. I am not even sure if being able to get down low and/or the wattage of the active amp are critical to the musical application. My living room is about 25 ft wide and 20 ft deep. I do have limited budget but if others are warranted for a higher price tag in your opinion I am willing to bump up the budget. You inputs are highly appreciated.
I have only tried SVS subs so far, so I may not be of much help. However, Rythmik offers more adjustments, including the low pass frequency (LPF) slope and PEQ adjustments that others do not have. You may want to give it a try. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/rythmik-l12-subwoofer-review.12140/ |
Not the most popular, and probably the most expensive. The B&W DB series sub is some of the best. ticks ALL the boxes Plus they are controlled by an app and can adjust from your listening chair. The adjustment alone keeps me from buying anything else. IM sure B&/w db series flys under the radar because of the price, |
Not getting into my vast time and experience with subwoofer integration. I knew John Marovskis, and bought many of the two or 3 models he created, for me, and my clients. Fun driving from Brooklyn to the Bronx ( lol ), but was always great to see John. Sub integration is a lot harder and trickier to implement properly, simply because of these last bottom octaves, and the room characteristics. Today, I am happy to say, I am using ONE RSL 12S, located in between my Lascalas, and it has been the best integration, and most musically coherent match with my speakers / room I have experienced living in this place since 2014. I am running my Lascalas full range, as I feel they are spectacular the way they are now. A bonus with the Lascala, on top of the fact they just do it for me, is the freedom to use any amp out there, as I am an amp junkie, and do rotations often. Actually, this rotation is now false, as of late. I have gone from using my Luminous passive pre, to my Usher preamp, since I acquired my F4 from my friend rawsonte. This combination, is truly a " reach out and touch " listening experience. On several recordings, I am at the limit with the Usher's attenuator, but reaches levels that I enjoy. BTW, I never, ever was near max with the Luminous. Getting back to the RSL. My ears are delighted with the " utmost coherent blend " this connection gives me. Reading through this thread since it's inception, it is possible to achieve good to excellent results adding a sub or two. Enjoy ! MrD. |
