Thinking I need a Sub...


I have some Nola Boxers that sound awesome but some of my favorite music has some fairly deep synthesized bass. At times, I hear the driver distorting and 'doubling over' is that the term?

So, my local high-end shop sells REL subs and I like the idea. I've been thinking of the T-7 or the R-218...

Advise would be great. I have McIntosh MC-60 amps and an Audio Research LS-3...and use an NAD CD player.

Aaron
neo-luddite
I look forward to reading if the OP is able to successfully integrate the sub into his system/room and get a better sound. Its obviously possible to do. I just suspect its going to take a fair amount of tweaking, which some audiophiles enjoy.
But for me, I think that its easier to go to a speaker that is designed to be more full range instead of trying to integrate a sub... if the those speakers are well-designed of course.

Either approach has its positives and negatives. Interesting thread.
There is an interesting characteristic noticed by many sub owners (substers? subheads? sub-humans?) where the sub seems to "charge" the room...the low frequency "ambience" supplied by a sub gets the room warmed up in a sense, and even with music not necessarily bass heavy there appears to be a more "live" sound. I can verify this by simply turning my sub off...all music appears to be more sterile and far less warm without the sub. Also note that full range main speakers (large or multiple woofers) don't allow for bass adjustment (without some sort of soul destroying EQ...heh) if they overwhelm the room, where a good sub easily allows for that if only by turning it down a little, if necessary. So Karl, get a sub. Go...do it now...I'll wait here.
Lol Wolf!

I want a sub also, but setting them up with digital eq's or whatever sounds expensive and daunting. I wish you lived close by so you could help me set up a single sub to blend seamlessly and not have strange bumps or suckouts in my 11x13 listening room...
B-limo, check out my posts re Tom Tutay's impedance buffer. This little piece of kit enables me to use a single self-powered sub. Of course my sub has fine tuning controls which enable me to adjust phase alignment, cut-off frequency and loudness. I fiddle from time to time with the fine tuning controls, but always wind up coming back to the same place.

Now Wolf ...., you just posted something about "substers, or sub-heads" using subs to "energize" their sound rooms. A slight correction if I may -- and sorry to quibble. I use my sub to **pressurize** my sound room when I'm not listening to my system in a hyperbaric chamber. When I go hyperbaric, I use an oxygen mask. Doesn't everyone???

:) :) :) (Three smiley faces)
I would get a sub or two if I was truly stuck with monitor speakers in my 2 channel system. I do use a Vandersteen sub in my HT (with an audyssey capable proc :)) but that a different ball o wax.