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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
kennythekey OP
571 posts
 
All - There are two parts to this. The first is the quest to best match my room and system layout to a specific type(s) of sub(s). So, the science of it. I really don't care who makes the best sounding sub for me or for anyone else at this point. It would be good for me to make a distinction between sub type as it applies to best filling a room's layout (firing direction(s) and placement), and the subs type as it applies to its sound characteristics (sealed, ported, OB, horn, etc.). Is this possible? This is the second part about the sound, so if it can be separated would be another post.

Bdp24 - Again, you've provided a ton of excellent information, and even though some of it gets past what I'm needing right now, you have also revealed some important information about people and their own sound preferences when designing products. I did describe my system and room layout to Brian and Enrico, plus l let them know that I'm not trying to shake the rafters for a home theater system. Instead, I'm looking for a natural and authentic reproduction. I will reach out to Danny for his opinion.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,400 posts
 

Great idea, Kenny. Danny comes at subs from a perfectionist audiophile, music-centric point of view. Brian is an unusual sub designer in that his priority is also music reproduction, unlike the home-theater orientation of most sub designers. But GR Research subs are used in music-only systems, Rythmik’s as much in home theater systems as in music ones.

The servo-feedback Rythmiks have a "stop-on-a-dime" cleanness to them that makes ordinary subs sound like they are filling in the empty spaces with "noise"---the drivers don’t stop and come back to rest when the notes stop. Rythmiks have what Peter Moncrieff of IAR calls "inter-transient silence". No matter which Rythmik/GR Research sub model you choose, you will get that sound. When you talk to Danny, tell him Eric sent ya!

jafant
18,774 posts
 

Kenny-

look and listen no further than REL.

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,400 posts
 
There are a lot of Audiogon people who either have or have had various REL's. One of them posted a question on the Rythmik AVS Forum yesterday asking for recommendations of models for use with his speakers. He said he been satisfied with his REL's, but that they rolled off in the low 20's, and he wants subs that reach down into the teens. Rythmik sealed do that.
kennythekey OP
571 posts
 

I contacted Danny from GR Research and he was a wealth of information. I wanted to know how an open baffle design would be an advantage in my room's layout. He responded, open baffle woofers don't load the room like a sealed or ported sub. So the OB woofers greatly minimize room boom.

Apparently, the OB Subs should not get placed close to a wall, but rather at least three feet from my back wall, which makes them a great setup if placed to the sides of my speakers.

Kenny

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