subwoofer suggestions

For use in a music system, there is almost no subwoofer that is a better value, or that offers more musical sound, than the Vandersteen 2Wq subwoofer. I have two of these, and they integrate so seamlessly with the rest of my system it's impossible to tell there are subs playing. You can usually buy used Vandy 2Wq subs for around $800.

About a month ago, I posted a long thread that contained the ratings of subwoofers taken from Widescreen Review magazine's reviews of some 50 subwoofers. I suggest you use the Audiogon search engine to look for this post in the archives.

You should also read the post below which discusses the relative merits of the 2W vs. 2Wq subwoofer.

You can buy a REL mail order. Doesn't have to be through a local dealer. It's also my recommendation to you. Search the archives. There's a lot of info that couldn't be summed up in a paragraph. leo.

i know you people on here get tired of my sub suggestions, but jbl pro just came out with an 18 inch sub with a built in amp , and vairible xover. all for under 1500 . this is the same sub you will find in the best millon dollar theaters. i have the 4719 jbl pro with two 18s in it. it has spin tingling bass. case in point i was at ces last year. in the dts room were 5 grand utopias with halcro amps. two vison one projectors stacked, with two jbl 18 inch subs. why did they choose that with that kind of gear i asked? the reply was we know what the jbls can do, and the best theaters use them. so take it as you will and good luck.

If you're concerned about losing money by buying a sub which you cannot demo and then not liking it then get a used REL. Almost cetainly you'll like it, and in the unlikely event you don't you can resell for the same price. I've also heard many people rave about ACI Titan 2 ... and ACI apparently has a good home demo policy. I have never heard the Vandersteen, but they seem to sell well used, so you could probably do the same as with the REL ... buy and try ... sell if you don't like it.