Recommendations for a new subwoofer?
I had a REL S/2 sub in my system that I bought new in 2014 but earlier this year it suddenly refused to power up. I checked and replaced the fuse (which actually wasn’t blown in the first place, but couldn’t hurt to try) which yielded no result, so I called up REL directly, as they’re actually located in Berkeley CA, very near to where I live. The person I spoke to was very cordial and helpful, but it turned out that they could no longer repair that model. She did, however, refer me to a tech nearby whom, she said, may be able to help. So after some communication with the tech, I made an appointment and dropped the sub off back in February. Well, I knew in advance that things move slowly with him--he makes that clear from the beginning--so I just waited to hear. Finally, last night (yeah, I know: 3 months later) he informed me that one of the boards was fried, and they don’t make that one any more, so essentially the sub is not repairable.
So this sordid story brings me to my question: what would be a suitable replacement for that sub? It had a 10" driver, which, for my listening habits and the room where my system is, was plenty adequate. It was paired with my Ryan R-610 speakers.
A few subs I am considering: Elac Varro Reference RS500, Paradigm Defiance S10, and the REL T/9X. One reason I’m favoring the latter, despite my previous experience with REL, is that it doesn’t rely on an app to get it dialed in to my system, and I still have a rather good after-market speakon cable I can use. Whatever sub I wind up with will have to have speaker-level outputs, because my integrated (Modwright KWI 200) doesn’t have a sub-appropriate input.
The above list should give indication of what price-range I can manage, i.e. $1500 or less. Recommendations and suggestions gratefully received. Thanks!
@mylogic Thank you for your kind acknowledgment. During my time with a new top of their line end table sized $9K beautifully hand veneered British made Studio III, the benefit from repositioning it to a crawl tested standing wave location was barely noticeable at best. The benefits of a -6dB sub-bass woofer are the simplicity of their controls and its ability to function well in most any room location due to the inability of its dramatically rolled off low frequency to excite the rooms bass modes. For the uninitiated subwoofer user, perfection. |
I have struggled with integrating subs. I tried dual RELs with my previously owned ATC 11s with some success but had none with my new Harbeth C7ES-XDs. No matter what setting I experienced a loss of transparency, increased midrange warmth and a less open soundstage. When I turn off the sub the soundstage opens up and the atmosphere and air return. I believe it’s because these subs bleed into the lower midrange, warming it and moving it forward. I’ve since sold the RELs. Plus these types of “subs” are really bass enforcement. My Harbeths have really good output to about 40-45hz. So crossing over at even at the low 30s affects the lower midrange. Subs such as the REL T Series are just bass reinforcement. And they roll off into the midrange. I’d need a sub that can handle 20-30hz and with a steep roll off to avoid muddying up the lower midrange that can also allow a low crossover below 30. . |
