Lot’s of good info here. Thanks to all. My budget will flex for whatever gives best sound and integration, and will also fit in my restricted lateral space. Unfortunately, a pair of anything is not really possible, given space constraints, so I’m thinking about just a single sub at this point. If I set it to around 40hz, I doubt it will be directional. I listen almost exclusively to jazz via vinyl and don’t really need to plumb the deepest depths.
I’ve been experimenting with a 15-year old Von Schweikert VRS/1 that I’ve had parked in another system. It’s sealed, 10-in, down-firing, and won’t cross over below 50hz, so it is certainly suboptimal for the Cornwalls, though it is just right for the Merlin TSM that it’s normally used with. Still, I can readily hear the advantages of a sub with the CWs: soundstage opens up, ambience increases, music is more visceral and floats on its foundation. I’m connecting at this point via low pass, and 50hz doesn’t quite mesh to my ears, giving a bit of a hump. Volume is set just to intimate the bottom frequencies, not push them at me.
After reading around, I think I’m leaning toward a Rythmik F12 or F15. They are compact enough, especially the 12, and offer myriad adjustments. Servos get a bad rap among some audiophiles but this version of the tech gets a lot of positive comments for "speed" and musicality.
Has anyone compared Rythmik to some of the other big players like Rel, JL, Hsu, SVS? Curious how it stacks up.
Bill
