Hello, @mgrif104 that is probably the most well-informed question I’ve ever read on this forum! I think you have really asked and answered all of your questions. Don’t let others knock you off your game!
I am a huge REL fan and own pairs of carbon special and carbon Limiteds. I have listened to the ML, Paradigm, and JL, and do not think they compare favorably. While REL does not have DSP or absolute phase control, I do not let this deter me in choosing them. Call me old fashioned or a purist, but I do not want any DSP in my system. Similarly, I would not want to run my speaker feed through a subwoofer, No matter how clean they say, the pass-through is.
I also would always want to use the high level input. REL explains the advantage of this clearly in their website. I doubt you would have any issue dialing them in. While a second person is helpful. I guess, it doesn’t really work for me. One, they would run out of patience long before I was happy! And two, I want to know with my fingers exactly how much I am turning which dials. But you don’t have to worry about that with the number 31 with its nice remote control. I really didn’t have room for the number 31s, but I bet they are just simply amazing. The carbon specials and limiteds are the best I have heard in a home system.
But in my basement, I had issues with nodes and booming. Upstairs in the family room I tried different spots for them, and they looked and sounded best tucking them off to the sides. Similarly but much more dramatically, in my basement they disappeared completely way over on the side walls. In the traditional location, no sub worked well. My point here is how much I recommend the REL Airship 2 Wireless connections. It allows wireless high-level connection without messing with your speaker wires at all. Without the wireless, I never would have dragged my subs to the locations where they sound excellent. Upstairs, I did wire them, and recommend at least the REL baseline blue wires. I’m surprised they don’t come with that level of sub, but they are worth it. Plenty of aftermarket high level sub wires also. At you level, The wireless is worth it just to experiment with sub location , and then wire them once you know the best spots.
The rest of the subs you mentioned are certainly esoteric expensive and wonderful looking. But I doubt they’re any better than what you describe is the safe choice. I would call the new carbon specials a safe choice. I would call the number 31 a wonderful indulgence.
