Will Sonus Faber Serafino G2 be too much speaker for my space?

@gournard the Nova, Serafino and Amati was the debate. I own speakers larger than the Amati and I own subs. You need both. Here's an analogy; a pair of 1" bluetooth speaker and 24" subs does not work. Speakers with a larger cabinet and cone gives you a more full and involving sound above the range of subwoofers. A grand piano coming from a large cabinet speaker will feel more real and involving than a 1" speaker or even a Nova and Serafino. Given the setup with the integrated amp and room design requirements, that's the argument for the Amati.

Theater bassheads, like me, get room modes because they think the solution to a problem is to throw bigger subs (too big for the room) at it when you can do better with more smaller subs. An over-concentration of bass from a big sub, like a hot spot on a pan, can be resolved more wisely with more smaller subs.

gournard, bartsw

I found this discussion of subs vs. larger stand mount to be interesting.  Thanks for the input and sub suggestion.

I am surprised that a pair of $600 sub (SVS SB1000 pro) would measure up to the system quality that I have.  However a quick scan of a few reviews indicates that it does "punch above it's weight" and provide a decent level of low freq performance and great control-ability. Interestingly, the SVS website sub selector tool recommends subs that cost 4-6 times that of the SB1000 pro, and are in 15"-17" dia sub range.  They are much larger, heavier and obtrusive.  If I can convince myself that the SB1000 pro's can provide a noticeable level of performance improvement, I would be inclined to try them.  It's 1050 per pair with a 45 day money back guarantee.  Not much to lose.  Thanks again for the suggestions.

@bartsw, I made a mistake when I said:  I don't recall the OP mentioning 'Amati', when I should have said:  I recall the OP stating he does not want to afford the next level Amati's.  Let's not argue semantics.

I am not sure of your intent here or how you feel you are contributing positively to the initial post with mention of 1" speakers and hot spots on a pan.

I notice you chose not to answer the question I asked, which I underlined.  I'm afraid your post does not make sense and as the OP has not replied I do not wish to engage with you further.

@gournard I don't know anything about semantics. I responded to what you wrote, including room modes with an entire paragraph. There should be no issues if used as intended and not as a basshead.

@ddlux the SB1000 is fine. The outlet inventory is cheaper. Use the speaker level input from your speakers to the sub. It saves running long cables to the amp and it maintains the sound signature of the amp. Unlike REL which does not use DSP, there will be a delay between your speakers and the sub, but most will not notice it.

@ddlux, With a money back offer, I encourage you to try them, you'll not be dissapointed. As I mentioned previously, in a room slightly bigger than yours with a pair of 15" DIY open baffle speakers I'm getting some of the best bass I've heard, and I've been around. It's tight, detailed and authoritative and will rock out when I choose. You have a symmetrical layout which is relatively easy to dial in.

From the many set-ups I've done, including my 16ft x 21ft room, looking at yours, what will work well is to place one of the subs in the left rear corner behind the screen, although I don't know what's behind it, and the other in the middle the wall on the right behind the brown chair where it could maybe serve as a coffee table.

A line level connection is always best if the run is not too long. It looks like you can use that on the corner sub and take a high level feed from the amp or directly from the right hand speaker terminals to the sub on the right. As it's a high impedance load you do not need a heavy cable for the job.

The comment above stating:   Unlike REL which does not use DSP, there will be a delay between your speakers and the sub, but most will not notice it. Can be ignored. Any slight delay will be accommodated by the variable phase feature, meaning you can literally place the subs anywhere and by using measurement align them to provide a flat smooth response. That's the whole idea.

If you place them as suggested you'll get good sound, but when properly set via measurement you'll get great sound. The software REW is free, and for the cost of dinner for two you can buy a mic. There is a whole forum dedicated to using REW

However, if you have the budget get the SB3000 subs