One Sub or Two?

Hey folks, looking for some thoughts here on subs…

Putting together a system with B&W 801 D4s and a HTM81 D4. I don’t think B&W makes the best subs necessarily, so…

1. Looking for recommendations for other sub brands…I’ve heard good things about REL for example

2. Wonder whether I should get one “really good” sub or two “pretty good subs?”

System is for 2 channel listening to classic rock and also 5.1 audio for home theater purposes.

McIntosh amps and pre/pro.

Many thanks in advance for your advice…I appreciate it!

nankaroad03-09-2025 1:26am

big_greg Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 6,821 posts 03-09-2025 at 04:10pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete For a room of that size, consider two (or more) Rythmik F18 or G25HP subs depending on what budget and room (and wife) constraints allow.
abnerjack Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 272 posts 03-09-2025 at 04:40pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete What ever happened to distributed sub arrays, swarms, and the more the better?
jl35 Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 4,452 posts 03-09-2025 at 07:36pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete I agree the 4 sub swarm is ideal, but we are not all able to do that...
hilde45 Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 6,004 posts 03-09-2025 at 10:23pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete It probably depends on the room, but I'm surprised that I'm the only one on this thread who thinks that variable phase is important. I may be the only one who measured with REW, but I could see that variable phase was critical for integration.
ejr1953 Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 940 posts 03-09-2025 at 10:28pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete If your budget permits, I'd recommend two subs. I have a McIntosh tube preamp and McIntosh solid state power amp, and a pair of JL Audio F113V2 subs, and that combination works great...with my Focal speakers.