musical subwoofer recommendation for 2-ch

The REL's all work basically the same way. That is a big room. So get the biggest you can afford.

Or.... if your budget can fit it, actually get two subwoofers; one for each stereo channel. If the subs are of very good quality, stereo subs are better than one, especially in a large room.

Setup is just as easy. You just run one stereo channel to each sub. For HT, you will need a splitter on the HT decoder if it only has one output.

Will smaller REL subs be more articulate than bigger ones?

Itball,

Thanks for sharing. That article was very interesting. My experience has also been that mid range seems to affect bass perception enormously. It has always puzzled me how even a blown tweeter (far from bass frequencies) will modify bass perception. I guess heavy bass percussion is just all over the frequency map even if most of the energy comes from the woofer....which is why it is such a telling test for speakers.

As Mr Blackburn states it may boil down to subtle cues in phase. It may indeed explain why two ways with small woofers generally have a better reputation for fast bass...they have one less crossover to worry about! It is certainly consistent with the logic that a cheap two way is a safer bet than a cheap three way. (i.e. to go three way it is better to go significantly up in cost or the two way remains better value)

Interesting and thought provoking - thanks

No, smaller REL's will not be more articulate. REL's are not "boom boxes".

REL's particularly the Audiophile versions will be more refined the more you spend; no different than a higher end speaker is more refined. They are after all made to work with Audiophile speakers. An unrefined subwoofer would ruin the sound made by an otherwise refined system.

My Velodyne is getting much better after I use the high level inputs connected directly to the speakers and set the cross-over at its lowest value, 40Hz. This is the recommended approach of REL subs.

I noticed a higher distortion level when I played louder. I probably have reached the max output and the self protection circuit has kicked in.

Velodyne's website showed that SPL-1500R is too small for my house. The listening area is open to the rest of the house, which is about 8 times the size of the listening area. So I am thinking to get a 2nd subwoofer. My requirement wish list for this 2nd subwoofer has:

1. It should work well with SPL-1500R.
2. It should also be musical.
3. It should take both speaker-level and LFE inputs. Velodyne SPL-1500R can only take either one, but not both.
4. It should has separate gain controls for speaker-level and LEF inputs.
5. This is not a must. But ideally, it should have classical music and movie modes.

Which subwoofer will meet the above requirements?

My current sub is located along the long side wall. Should I put it at the corner to boost up the bass without clipping the amp or triggering the self protection circuitry?