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Are REL the most Musical Subs?

Forgive me if I have created a redundant thread.  I don’t usually post in the Speakers area.

  I have a Paradigm sub in my basement HT that has apparently given up the ghost after about 20 years.  I’m not a huge bass listener.  We used to use the area for movies but lately a different room of the home has taken that over.  I listen to classical music and the system gets used primarily for SACD and Blu Ray.  No desire for multiple subs.  The front speakers are full range, setup is 5.1

  I added a REL sub to my 2 channel system a few years ago, an REL, and have been delighted with the results.  It doesn’t boom at me.  What it does do is add the low level percussion effects that composers such as Mahler, Shostakovich , and modernist composers add to reinforce bass lines.  I never realized, for example, how many gentle tympani and gong effects are in Shostakovich Babi Yar symphony.

The REL integrates all of this naturally without calling attention to itself.  The Paradigm in the basement never did this but it was an older design and more budget friendly.

  So I am inclined to replace the Paradigm with another REL in the basement but was wondering what the current thinking is with subs.  I haven’t paid much attention lately and the stuff that I have pulled discusses multiple subs, Atmos, etc, and doesn’t seem to address my needs.

  Placement will be different as well.  The current sub is placed between the front speakers, and the gear rack is on the other side of the room.  20 years ago I had the energy to bury the cables next to a baseboard heat along the all, after schlepping the sub over the basement testing placement spots,but with advances in DSP I’m now hoping to place the sub next to the rack

mahler123

Showing 1 response by crawfishdaddi

crawfishdaddi
38 posts
 

So here’s my two cents: REL subs are wonderful and generally integrate into a 2 channel hifi system easier/more seamlessly than other subs. HOWEVER, they accomplish this by tapping into speaker level. Because my amp (Raven Audio Osprey) has a high pass filter at 80 hz, Using the HPF relieves my amp of having to reproduce sub bass frequencies (which effectively triples the headroom) and relieves my speakers (Raven Audio corvus reference monitors) of being encumbered by sub bass frequencies.

So, even though the RELs sound fantastic and integrate so well, the dual B&W’s I settled on that connect at line level work better overall in my setup. They took a LOT longer and way more effort to “dial-in” (in terms of position, gain, and crossover frequency), but now that I’ve got them in the sweet spot, I’m very very happy with them.

Finally, I 100% agree that stereo, SEALED subs are the way to go. The sound is tight and responsive and fills the whole room in a completely “de-localized” way.

good luck!

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