I agree with Warrenh's assessment, that there's more to a sub than whether it's forward or downward firing. I've heard good and bad with both designs. Having wrote that, I personally do prefer the downward firing Rel ST series and MJs, especially for music, above any other sub. Including the Velodyne DD series.
I've heard the MJ Ref 1, best sub you can get for $1750 for music\home theater IMO. And the Pro 50, which is the most musical sub I've heard under 1K. I've listened to them with Maggies and ProAc bookshelves. Both speakers are very musical, but a little light in the bass. I was floored at how much the little Pro 50 improved the bass response in both setups.
I ended up ordering a Ref 100, because I'll be using it for home theater as well, and while the Pro 50 is very good for soundtracks, it can't really handle crashes and booms all that well. MJ just recently lost their U.S. distibutor. I'll let you know how the Ref 100 compares to the Pro 50 once I get it this week. But if you can get get either 1, I would buy them in a second. They can't be topped in their price range.
I've heard the MJ Ref 1, best sub you can get for $1750 for music\home theater IMO. And the Pro 50, which is the most musical sub I've heard under 1K. I've listened to them with Maggies and ProAc bookshelves. Both speakers are very musical, but a little light in the bass. I was floored at how much the little Pro 50 improved the bass response in both setups.
I ended up ordering a Ref 100, because I'll be using it for home theater as well, and while the Pro 50 is very good for soundtracks, it can't really handle crashes and booms all that well. MJ just recently lost their U.S. distibutor. I'll let you know how the Ref 100 compares to the Pro 50 once I get it this week. But if you can get get either 1, I would buy them in a second. They can't be topped in their price range.