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 5 responses by mahler123

My experience in my REL is also that it’s the most musical sub I’ve ever encountered.  Besides Paradigm I’ve also owned subs from B&W, Sony and Polk .

  I’ve heard good things about SVS.  If they are roughly equivalent to REL I’d just stick with the known quantity.  I also like that TEL is sold by a dealer that I have a long history with.  I’ve come to hate having to ship bulky audio products and be at the mercy of the likes of UPS.  Now if the SVS was vastly superior to REL I might be tempted…

  I don’t know if multiple subs would really make a difference?  25 years ago the thinking was that bass was unidirectional and that a properly set up sub should do the job.  Of course the dealers will try to persuade one otherwise 

I don’t know, I just perused the SVS site and the prices seem about the same as REL?  Maybe I’m missing something…

Well thank you for the input.  I’m leaving town for a few weeks and will be doing something here in a month or so

So I added a REL T9x to my basement HT 2 days ago.  I wound up placing it in the same location that the former Paradigm sub occupied.  It’s early days but so far I am very pleased.  Every thing sounds better, not just the bass.

  I am seriously considering adding a second but will give this some time before I jump there.  The improvement from the previous Paradigm sub is significant