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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
jafant
18,803 posts
 

Kenny-

look and listen no further than REL.

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,412 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

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,412 posts
 

What’d I tell ya Kenny! Being a dipole, the OB sub has a null to each side, creating two benefits: First, it loads the depth dimension of the room, but not the width, exciting the longer, further apart nodes rather than the shorter, closer together one’s. Already you have gotten rid of one source of room boom. Second, the side nulls allow the OB sub to be placed right next to your main speakers should you wish to, or right up against a side wall if you have a narrow room. True, it has to be away from the wall behind it (like any dipole), but most speakers sound better there too. And here’s a bonus: the sub can be laid on it’s side and used as a base for a pair Quad ESL’s or other short speakers. That’s just what the Gradient OB/Dipole Sub made for the Quad 63 was. The difference here is that you have the much higher quality GR Research 12’ woofer, and the Rythmik Direct Servo-Feedback system controlling the dual woofers. As I said, a very special sub, one few people have heard but when do are blown away by.

By the way, you can see a pic of the OB/Dipole Sub in the current thread about Virtual Systems.

whart's avatar
whart
2,967 posts
 
BDP- does Rhythmik make a sealed 15" sub with a paper rather than metal cone? When I looked at their site a while ago, I thought the 15" were all metal coned- but may be wrong. 
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