What is best sub to match with Magnepan?

I recently took one of my Velodyne HT subs to a friends home for audition, also to show him what he's missing with his Maggie 12's. I thought the F1200 sub integrated very nice. They are very cheap on the used market,or if you want to spend a little more and get a newer version look into the Velodyne HGS series.

Unfortunately, so many folks try to use the LFE connection and sub x-over and place the sub behind the plane of the main speakers. First, I would only use speaker connections so everyone is getting the same feed. Next, open the x-over all the way and adjust the phase and gain to match the mains. And last, place the sub on a plane in front of the mains, maybe a foot or so. If you think Vandys or most any phase-correct speaker, this is the design.

I use a pair of velodyne optimum 8 subs with my Maggie 3.7's. They are a lightning fast responding sealed enclosure sub that blend in perfectly with my setup.

My setup is in a very small dedicated room 14x16x8. Associated gear... oppo bdp-95, cary slp-05, sanders sound esl 300.

I have tried ported subs and they do not blend well with the fast transient speed of the maggies, a pair of smaller sealed subs work much better. Larger subs do not respond quickly enough to blend well.... the 8 inch pair I have put out incredible deep bass that you feel when the volume is cranked up. They deepened the soundstage and make my 3.7's sound like 20.7's.

Dave

I've tried the little Velodyne SPL 8 and the 12" Rythmiks with my MMGs. The Rythmiks are flat-out better subs and sound better than the Velos IMHO, but both worked very well as far as seamless integration goes. IME, the idea that Maggies aren't "Subwoofer Friendly" doesn't hold water.

I would add that bass management software (like Audyssey) almost assures excellent subwoofer integration while IME trying to do the job by ear is very, very tough.

Others may be more skilled at manual subwoofer integration, so it's...Just IME.

To those who say a dynamic sub can't be mated with Magnepans, I say you just
haven't heard a successful blend yet. I have a successful blen in my house. I
know that mine isn't very ambitious and part of my success is that I'm not trying
to get the subs to do too much. But still, they're very quick and the continuously
variable crossover (which has to be settable to a low enough frequency--e.g., 80
Hz is too high) and 0-360 deg. phase control makes a seamless blend possible.

I also heard a very excellent setup at my local high end store. These guys are
Wilson, Magnepan, Vienna, B&W, Audio Research, VTL, Ayre, etc. dealers, and
they *know* how to get a good setup. In that case it was a pair of Mag 20.1s
(predates the 20.7s) and a pair of JL Fathom F212s, one each sitting alongside a
Maggie panel. This was a totally seamless setup and at a total list price of $25K
could compete with a $68K pair of Wilson Maxxes.

Also, Terry9 has a good point that more planar bass would be the best solution.
Fortunately, Magnepan makes that possible with their DWM panels. Singly, the
DWMs are a pretty good deal. Although they don't do much below 40 Hz, where
else are you going to find a sub with that much speed for $595? It's far cheaper
to add one or even two DWMs to an existing pair of 1.7s than to move up to a
pair of 3.7s.

BTW, I just got my 1.7s on Nov. 16 and I just looooove them. With my little subs
added in, I'm getting sound quality I could only lust after in dynamic speakers
above $10K.

A couple more thoughts: The B&W PV1D is a fast sub with deep reach for sure.
Also consider/audition the better Martin Logan subs, since they are designed to
blend with electrostatic panels.