2. tech-talk
  3. 125012-3884

Best type of Sub to consider?

I'm not looking for a brand or model recommendation at this time, but rather the best type of sub to fit my room and system. If you access my System pics, you will see that I have open corners behind my speakers and that my Horning speakers are rear ported. This has caused some energy loss, especially in the bass when compared to my previous setup in my other home.

I am a newbie to subs and see different design types that fire up, down, up and down, and forward. There may be other variations. So, does any of this matter when applying the best design type to a room, my room? My knee-jerk reaction is to go with forward firing in my situation, but that's complete speculation on my part, so why I'm asking.
Kenny
kennythekey
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,412 posts
 
No surprise that Brian and Enrico at Rythmik steered you towards one of their "normal" subs (sealed or ported?), as the OB is more of Danny Richie's (GR Research) baby. No matter, a Rythmik is a Rythmik! I predict you are gonna be pleasantly surprised by how clean, clear, and "quick" their subs are. No boom, no bloat, all muscle, no fat. The Rythmik controls make integration with your mains invisible---no seam to be heard. Brian's servo makes Rythmik's the fastest subs on the market, bar none. Sterling Sound in NYC has multiple F15's in their monitoring systems, the ones George Marino listens through when doing his mastering for Mobile Fidelity and others.
whart's avatar
whart
2,967 posts
 
George has passed, but there is probably a good mastering suite in heaven. 
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,412 posts
 
Um, make that "listened".
kennythekey OP
571 posts
 
Whart - I need to take a break from my busy day and call Brian and/or Enrico to get a better sense of the sealed and ported differences. The recommendation of two subs small and large had to do with the reflections advantage of my room's cathedral ceiling (small/up front), and my back wall (large/rear). This makes sense to me, but I also want subs for both channels. So, it makes me think that four subs may be overkill, and I'm looking for an alternative because there are a number of design types available just within Rythmik's line up of subs, for example.

bdp24 - There's a correct fit for me, so I just need to poke and prod until it reveals itself. I can also reach out to Danny. Hopefully, I can reach a consensus based on engineering advantages, from both companies, in support of what works best for me.

Thanks,
Kenny

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,412 posts
 

Kenny, Danny and Brian worked on the OB/Dipole Sub together, Danny instigating the collaboration. Danny is an Open Baffle enthusiast, Brian not so much. When Brian heard the sub, he has said he found it to sound somewhat "lean", without the weight and fullness one expects from a sub. That leanness is one thing that makes it so special, and to work so well with highly transparent loudspeakers, which themselves sound lean (in comparison to the thick, slightly plump sound of so many box speakers).

In the "regular" Rythmik Sub line-up, Danny had input on only one model---the F12G, the "G" signifying GR Research, Danny’s company. The Rythmik F12 comes in two versions: the standard F12 (with a Rythmik 12" aluminum cone driver), and the aforementioned F12G (with a GR Research 12" paper cone driver). Danny feels the paper cone affords the F12G greater low-level resolution than does the F12’s aluminum cone (due to the lower mass of paper versus aluminum), and a more natural tonal balance (due to the resonant signatures of paper and aluminum). He recommends the F12G for a music-only system, the standard F12 only for use in a system in which it will be played at near maximum output, where the aluminum cone’s greater stiffness will be an advantage.

There are other Rythmik models with cones of paper, but they are budget models, not the top line F15 and F25 (dual 15’s). The difference between the F12 and the F15HP is, as you might expect, the 12" driver versus the 15" (greater cone area of course, but also greater maximum voice coil excursion), plus amplifier power---the F12 having a 370w amp, the F15HP a 600w one. The difference in price between the F12 and F15 is nominal; if I were getting a pair of sealed Rythmiks (which are slightly superior to the ported in terms of group delay and deepest frequency response), I would get a pair of F15HP’s.

In fact, I did! In addition to the OB/Dipoles, of course. But I bought mine as DIY kits, designing my own enclosures, buying the sheets of MDF, and having a cabinet maker cut them into flat packs which I then myself assembled. I made the internal volume of the enclosures 4cu.ft. vs. Rythmik’s 3cu.ft. (for greater efficiency and maximum output), and braced the hell out of them---1.5" Baltic Birch braces every 6", top-to-bottom, side-to-side, and from around the driver on the baffle to the rear panel. I also designed the enclosure as a box-within-a-box, leaving 1/2" between the inner and outer (with "ribs" supporting the inner), filling the 1/2" cavity with sand. Oh, they’re very quiet enclosures, almost non-resonant. And they weigh a ton! What price excellence? ;-)

More to discover