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Short list of musical subwoofers

I plan to invest a "musical" subwoofer to augment the music listening experience of my current two-channel sound system. After a few digging over the acting forum and on-line reviews, it seems the following budgetary sealed (primarily) subwoofers are often mentioned and raved:

- Rythmic L12 (18Hz; sealed, servo controlled; 300 watts RMS; $609);

- RSL Speedwoofer 10S (24Hz; front ported; 350 watts; $428);

- Rel T5x (8 in; 32Hz@-6db; 125 watts; $680)

- SVS SB 1000 (24Hz, sealed; 300 watts; $450) or 2000 (19Hz; sealed; 500 watts; $600);

All above claim to have quick, accurate bass that is good for music listening. Rel, although not being able to extend to 20Hz, has been highly rated for easy integration into the sound system. I am not even sure if being able to get down low and/or the wattage of the active amp are critical to the musical application. My living room is about 25 ft wide and 20 ft deep. I do have limited budget but if others are warranted for a higher price tag in your opinion I am willing to bump up the budget. You inputs are highly appreciated.

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mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,151 posts
 

Describing a sub as "musical" is odd. Turn everything else off except the subwoofer and play a record. Does that sound musical? Aside from the sub moaning and thudding away you will also get to hear the rest of your environment buzz and rattle. The music masks it. Subs add visceral impact to the music and when used correctly unload the bass from the main speaker increasing headroom and lowering distortion. I suppose you could say they make the main speakers more musical. None of the subs mentioned incorporate a high pass filter for the main speakers so one might assume that none of them are musical.

If you are at all handy look at the subwoofer kits Parts Express sells. They are a bargain. Two of them with a two way crossover would be substantially more musical than anything above.

ieales's avatar
ieales
1,201 posts
 

Any sub must have EQ, variable filter orders, continuous phase, invert and separate music and LFE input if using with HT.

If the system does not have active DSP, then getting it in the sub does wonders for integration.

The Martin-Logan X series tick all the boxes in a reasonable price range.

You should roll the bottom out of the mains to improve dynamic range. This is simple with a first order passive filter.

see ieLogical SubterraneanHomesickBlues for a primer on integrating subs

Twenty years ago REL were top drawer. Today, a geegaw marketing outfit whose verbiage is mostly malarky. FanBoys love the bling.

tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,734 posts
 

@carlsbad no my comment was aimed at first learning more about the OP before making a recommendation. Your system ;-) Best to you

@mijostyn I think the musical is an as compared to overblown HT bass ( my words ). I like to have variable Q.

Jim

tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,734 posts
 

@bondmanp ya man ;-) Hipass puts the main amp in what I call the vandy loafing zone…magic midrange happens, and as you know the high level drive preserves the transfer function of the main amp. I love the new Sub 3 ;-) not required if you are careful w setup and run vandertones ( free )

Best to you

Jim

hshifi
572 posts
 

Hello,

I would go with REL T9i. It is front firing like the X and since it is the prior model you can get a good deal. $600-$700. Later you can pick up another since people will continue to upgrade. Don’t worry about the 20hz unless for HT. You will be happier with this. The T9 down fires for the active sub vs the T9i which front fires. Most prefer the front active woofer. I have the down firing version but I have upgraded to two JL Audio F110s and the CR1 crossover. I am going to incorporate the RELs in the back of the room when I have time to set it up properly. 

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