Are REL the most Musical Subs?

@jheppe815 Exactly. Which is why the manufacturers continue making second rate subwoofers, they are less expensive and less complicated. My point is that many great systems are better off without subwoofers then employing them in this way which is why subs have such a poor reputation in some circles. You should do it right or not do it at all. Theater is a different subject. One issue you are not quite there on. To get realistic bass at levels that will not hurt your ears you have to apply EQ to boost bass such that from 50 down to 20Hz are boosted 10 dB. This is not due to any woofer defect, it is due to the sensitivity of your ears and cutaneous sensation to low bass. Making subwoofers that are +0, -3 dB from 100 down to 20 Hz is not difficult. Getting them +10 dB 50 down to 20Hz requires digital EQ. Without EQ capability there is one other way to do it, turn the gain up on the subwoofer amplifiers or down on the main speakers while rolling out of the subs 10 Hz earlier, as in sub crossover point 90Hz, main speakers 100Hz. 

@ditusa I sort of think fast is sillier than musical, but who am I to say:-)     https://imgur.com/gallery/building-resonance-free-subwoofers-dOTF3cS

@mijostyn - I fully agree with your statements on gain structure to get bass outputs at desired levels.  An outboard crossover with gain adjustments is a great piece of equipment to help with any type of subwoofer integration.

Back to the original question as to if REL (and other modern powered subs) are musical.  Back about 33 years ago, I tried to integrate subwoofers into my two-channel system.  I had the outboard crossover and separate power amp setup at my disposal.  I brought home at least 4 non powered subwoofers (all used gear that could be returned) from various local stereo shops.  I tried everything to gain "musical" low end extension and failed miserably at it.  All that was available back then was home theater type subs and all were very tubby and muddy.  Great for explosions on the Backdraft movie soundtrack but did not add anything audiophile like for music playback.  Even the salesmen back then kinda laughed at me as to what I was trying to accomplish.  Fast forward to now and I think these powered cabinets with DSP have come a long way in having the potential to add musical bass to two channel systems without the HT boom.

That said, I think many of these ~$500 - $1,000 subs have compromises due to R&D budget and material cost constraints to meet a price point.  "Fix it with DSP" is the remedy.  For many enthusiasts, that may O.K. and enjoyable.  No harm, no foul.  But, to some discerning ears, one can hear these compromises and to @mijostyn 's point, it may not be worth the effort. 

Is the money better spent on more full range speakers or increasing the budget for the upper-level offerings from these sub manufacturers...?

Well thank you for the input.  I’m leaving town for a few weeks and will be doing something here in a month or so

@mahler123 Hopefully, you're going somewhere fun. 🙂

I don't know what I'd pick for a subwoofer based on the varied responses in this post.  Sounds like you have time to do some more research.  Check out the various suggestions. 

After many months of doing similar research, I came to the conclusion that Rhythmik is the best bang for your buck sub.  Servo controlled.  Super low response into twenties or even the teens depending on room configuration.  I have two F12s in my studio and two LVX12s in my living room.  The F12s are in a 16.5 x 13 x 10 foot ceilings space.  The LVX12s are in the living room which is about 1000 Square feet as it connects to the kitchen and dining area.  

I have not felt the need to upgrade or add additional subs in either location.  They are both set to a reasonable gain and the LVX12s will shake my entire house at probably 60% of their potential output.  Also, they have sounded more "musical" than the RELs I've encountered at the local audio shop.  Which I assume has to do with their super low distortion, ability to handle sub 30 hz content with aplomb, the transient response, and the servo controlled mechanism doing it's duties to control clipping etc.

+1 for rhythmik here - they're like half or less the price of RELs for the same output and distortion from what I see on the charts... but I get that RELs have a reputation and have gorgeous enclosures