Help deciding on REL 328 -- size vis a vis rooms? Match w/ speakers? Buy or wait?

Hello hile45,

     In any room and pair of main speakers, it's been my experience that a pair of subs will perform and sound about twice as good as a single sub.
     A 3 or 4 sub distributed bass array (DBA) system will not only typically provide the best bass performance in a given room, it will also do so throughout the entire room with less seat to seat variance.  But two subs will provide very good bass performance at a designated listening position that will be faster, smoother, more powerful, more dynamic, more detailed and have a greater sense of ease than a single sub, no matter its quality or cost, is capable of providing.  
     No matter how many subs you decide to utilize in your room, however, I suggest you take care to position each sub optimally by either using the crawl method or the more scientific method of utilizing a good quality mic, computer and room frequency response analysis software. It's important to ensure that any sub you use has the required separate controls for the optimum setting of the volume, crossover frequency and phase.  I'd also recommend you use subs with at least 10" drivers.  There's nothing wrong with buying subs used since it will definitely save money but just make sure it has the proper controls and you can physically, mechanically and sonically check it out.

Tim 

Thanks for the advice. The Rel I'm looking at is pricy enough to get two lesser (but still good) subs, so now I'm a bit conflicted, but I don't think I have an amp which can connect them both -- just one "B" channel with a left and a right. I don't know how the wiring would even work.

Hello hilde45,

     One way is to buy two subs that can be piggy-backed together; you run your left an right B outputs to one sub and then connect the first sub to the second.   I know REL and other brands have subs that can do this.  You'd run both subs in mono and use the crawl method (google it or I can explain it to you.) to position each sub optimally.  Run your speakers full range.  Also make sure the subs you choose have controls for volume, cutoff frequency and phase and make sure the sub woofers are at least 10". 

Tim 

That’s good advice. I’ve gone ahead and purchased the Rel sub. Would I now be committed to buying another identical sub (in brand and/or size) or could I bring a less pricy model on board?

I found advice about using different subs here: https://www.avsforum.com/forum/113-subwoofers-bass-transducers/1414198-2-different-subwoofers-5-2-system.html

I think that's answered my own question!

Hello hilde45,

I was checking out the R328 sub that you just bought used and I think you made a good decision buying it, it not only looks very nice in that piano black with aluminum trim, but I think it should work out well for your bass needs, too.
I suggest you just look for a good deal on a 2nd R328 because they look so good, they’re high quality subs and it should be a good value purchase when bought at a reasonable pre-owned price. Here’s how to connect two REL subs if you’re curious:
https://relsupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115004649048-Stereo-Subs-Connection-Method

However, you’re not committed to buying another identical sub (in brand and/or size) and you could use a less pricy sub model if you’d like. The main benefits of using two good quality subs in a room are:

1. The bass will be more powerful, dynamic and have a sense of ease since two subs are sharing the bass duties with cumulative bass impact and bass dynamics along with neither sub being run near its limits.

2. You begin to get the other typical benefits of using multiple subs in a room beginning with two subs and increasing in benefits marginally as more subs are added. These benefits include bass that is smoother, faster, more detailed and more seamlessly integrated with the main speakers.


3. The soundstage imaging will be noticeably improved, provided your main speakers are properly positioned in relation to your listening position, by being more open, wider, deeper, more detailed, realistic and natural.

The important factors to keep in mind are that the above benefits are only attainable at one’s dedicated listening position once a minimum of two subs are utilized, they’re both optimally positioned in the room in relation to the listening position and the volume, crossover frequency and phase controls on each sub are all optimally set.
Once 3-4 subs are utilized in a room, everything above still applies but an additional benefit is gained, the near state of the art bass performance exists throughout the entire room and not just at the designated listening position.


Best wishes,
    Tim

Thanks for the confirmation of my choice and for the advice. I'm saving this thread for future reference. Much appreciated!

Hey hilde45,

     You're welcome.  I’m not a bass-head but I do strive for and enjoy music and HT audio reproduced accurately, full range, natural and that sounds as good as possible to me in my modest sized 23’x16’x8’ living room system. I understand that the bass, especially the deep bass, is the hardest part of the audible frequency range spectrum to get sounding right in most rooms.
     I thought you should also be aware that my knowledge and experience concerning attaining good bass performance, that I’ve been sharing with you, is mainly based on the knowledge, work and experience of others that I learned of and that have worked very well in my system and room.
If you need further assistance in the future, please feel free to pm me or post again on this thread.

Best wishes,
Tim

Just an update: I picked up the REL 328 today and hooked it in with my Adcom stuff and my little Pinnacle PN5+ speakers. (I’ve got the little Audioengine D1 with a Jitterbug in the USB slot of my Macbook.) They seem like new speakers! (Listening to Abercrombie/Johnson/Erskine play "Alice in Wonderland" on the Current Events album from ECM via Spotify.)

And soon, Salk willing, I’ll have my WOW1’s to replace them and then, well, I may not leave my office ever again!

My next challenge in upgrading will be to figure out how to improve my source -- get hooked into high rez audio, rather than my extended MP3 collection and then perhaps get modernized amplification (though my Adcoms are sounding quite good).

Hello hilde45,

     Excellent, enjoy!

Tim