Subwoofers - Final Thoughts with Martin Logan ESL 13A

I have been following this thread to read how different opinions can be.

Stat users are either in the ML camp or "other"- Soundlab, vintage Quad or whatever. 

Your 13A's to my ears can sound very impressive with basic placement according to room allowance.- living space or dedicated.

If it's NOT dedicated, then you accept what you have and enjoy.

That's including bass response.  As audphile1 mentioned- those things need to be pushed out into the room. If space allowed doing 1/3 of room or Cardas might be ear pleasing.

Sub or subs will always  make the experience more enjoyable.

It doesn't need to be so technical as implied here.

Just my thoughts. I use ML's previous generation, bottom of the "premier" line Theos-passive woofers. They are supported by 2 ancient REL's but alone deliver listeanable performance thanks to placement and SOURCES.

I can just dream for know about  some giant Soundlabs and a swarm of REL No 32's.

@ricred1 Enjoy!

@tablejockey

I can just dream for know about some giant Soundlabs and a swarm of REL No 32’s.

LOL, me too! Thank you and @audphile1 for the commonsense advice. I will follow through with that next listening (playtime) session!

@navyachts You got it! Keep us posted please 

Dear  @audphile1   : Overall agree with you however there is one issue where almost does not matters the room/system you own and this is the IMD developed by speaker woofers if the speaker passive internal crossover is high as in the ML or your Sabrina. Wilson is no exception to that IMD.

Now:  " Turn up the bass level knob in the back of the ML woofer cabinets. "

If @navyachts  makes that then the IMD will goes higher and higher, IMHO it's not the " solution ". There is no way to lower that ML woofers IMD.

R.

Dear @ricred1 : In this link and in any REL information you can’t find out which is the 31/32 THD that is essentially a meaning of the true quality subwoofer performance levels. If you have information about then please share with us:

No.32-One-Sheet-August-17-Vfinal.pdf

In the REL manual we can read the main target of REL subwoofers:

" A REL is designed to augment the performance of " full range " speaker systems in order to provide linear response below 15 hz. "

There is no information which kind of " linear " response below 15 hz ¡ ¡ ¡ ? ? ? when it says in the specs that is down 15 hz with a -6db deviation. That has no sense.

That " augment " means that the " full range " speakers " continue to play " full range " with high MD and now you have two bass sources playing together from 90hz and belows it ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ Terrible for say the least and then you pay over 10K for one Rel unit.

I respect all your opinions but as mine is only an opinion that IMHO is full of misunderstood in this particular subject and REL specifically.

Btw @tablejockey " swarm ( 4 or more subs in the room ) function as the Harman link posted in this thread shows only to even the low bass response all over the room ( if you have only one seat position and cares only about your seat position you don’t need more than 2 subs as confirmed the Harman link. ) and it does not look for bass quality response and/or the quality response of the main speakers and its woofers developed IMD: swarm just does not helps about. Get it? and yes I can be wrong but this is my whole take rigth now .

Thismis the link:

Microsoft Word - whitepaper10.doc

R.