Rethm speakers, bass amplification

rfprice,  I'll try it with the sub off today and report back.

Funny you should ask that.  I've got 2 pairs of Rethm's, Trishnas and Bhaavas.  I've been running the Bhaavas with the bass modules turned off and a Rel 218se sub with really good results.  I'm doing it for the same reason as you.  Didn't feel like running more power cords.  

Meant to say Rel 212se.

Sorry for the delay.  I turned off the subs on the Bhaavas and also disconnected my subwoofer.  Better bass than I would have expected.  I'm listening to some electronica right now and the bass is quite good.  I get what you're saying with the powercords though.   With all subs off, I realize that I need to do some more work on integrating the Rel 212-SE.  It's likely too big for my current listening room.  I picked-up a JL CR1 crossover which I was hoping to introduce into the equation.  This would let me high pass to my 2A3 SET at 60Hz or so and then send the rest to the sub.  I think this will likely be the best outcome.  A friend who I trust has done this with stunning results.  

Running the Bhaavas with an external sub and not using their internal subs is my preferred mode.  

Missed your last question.  The Trishnas are more refined.  The Bhaavas more fun.

The Bhaava's have an 8" driver, the Trishna's a 5".  The Bhaava's energize the room in a way that the Trishna's simply do not.  I'd expect the Maarga's to be a slightly fuller sounding version of the Trishna's.  

A dealer told me he preferred the Bhaava's to the Trishna's.  I can understand why.  You could get a Rel sub and just use the speaker-level outputs from the Cary.  That's what I'm doing now since I haven't yet incorporated the JL CR1 into things.  

I would think that the smaller the driver the more meaningful the JL CR1 would be.  Srajan at 6moons seems to be going down this path now.  I'm also trying to downsize and simplify things.  I'm using a Vega G2 going direct and the sound is really good, but when I put my Tom Evans Vibe/Pulse into the mix, the delta is immediately apparent and not that subtle.  

Hope this helps.  You can get some good deals on the Rethm's now since they're updating the line and going to forward facing bass drivers, rather than the existing downward.

I always get sucked into the downsize/simplify mode, but then you have those magical music experiences where the system sounds so good and immersive that the experience is imprinted in your memory.  And that's why I can never consistently downsize my rig.  

I'll keep you posted on my JL CR1 outcome.  Need to move some things around and possibly get some ic's to make this work.

I value a big soundstage with immediacy and dynamics.  The Bhaava's are all that with finesse and grunt all at once.  It's a meaty dynamic sound and I don't find myself tilting my listening towards any one genre or another which is always a sign to me that something is lacking.  

I always go back to SETs for the immediacy/palpability and high efficiency/horns for dynamics.  I think the CR1 with my Triode Labs 2A3 might do the trick. The 2A3 with the Vibe/Pulse really does that cool elasticity thing that you rarely hear. Right now, I'm also using a Kinki EX-M7.  The Kinki is really good.  I'll likely keep it just to have it in the quiver.  If I wanted uber simple with reference sound, I'd go Vega G2 direct into the Kinki.   I love tubes, but this combo gets dangerously close to a really good tubed amp, but with much better bass.  The Kinki has mondo resolution but never sounds etched or presenting things artificially.  Basically, the tonal balance seems dead-on and the leading edge isn't too exaggerated but the trailing notes last a long time.  I'm also using an EtherRegen into my Auralic which works wonders.

I'll keep you posted on things.  The good news is I know the sound I like and it hasn't changed too much over the years.  I've been at this since 2000 and have cycled through an ungodly amount of gear.  I always seem to migrate back to a core set of designers (Pass, Berning, Tom Evans to name a few) that always produce the sonic landscape I prefer.