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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
wsrrsw's avatar
wsrrsw
1,005 posts
 

The key is to get a pair! 

baylinor's avatar
baylinor
1,412 posts
 

Dual Rythmick F-12s owner here. Flawless integration. Soix is 100% correct, two subs is a must in stereo application. Placement is also paramount. They should be on different walls at different location. I have one a third down along the left wall, the other near the front of the right wall. Placing them by the speakers for a stereo effect is fruitless. All that did in my house of stereo is causing major booming along the rear wall. Finding the right setup is a lengthy process but necessary. Nothing is easy in the pursuit of the best sound. Good luck to you.

sputz's avatar
sputz
1 posts
 

In 2 channel music listening, subs should just be an extension of main speakers. They extend lower frequencies and add bass dynamic punch. Find a sub that sounds close to the mains. Klipsch subs are boomy. I think sealed in the music listening, or 2 channel. Home theater subs are meant for different reasons. Loud booms, rumblings, crashes, etc.. I would think bigger and ported subs. These are generalizations. I like Rythmik subs. SVS are good. HSU subs. Many brands. Like main speakers, you have to listen and find your sound preferences. And 2 are considerably better. Especially for troubled rooms. Definitely do a sub crawl test, then do a speaker crawl
I mentioned Rythmik subs because they are servo controlled, and would work for both 2 channel music listening, and great for home theater. They hit hard and go low. The sealed Rythmik subs blend beautifully with 2 channel listening. 

wswright20
16 posts
 

I have had subs from many of the major brands through the years. For HT I would agree with the comments that there is a broad range of products that offer great performance. Many of these I would consider to be a better value than REL. For 2 channel, however, I have not found a product that integrates as seamlessly as REL. I recently upgraded from pair of 212SE’s to the REL 31’s and was really surprised at the level of improvement. After properly tuning the 31’s absolutely disappear to a level I have never experienced before. For reference they are paired with Focal Scala Evos’s and Luxman/Esoteric gear.

mesonto
89 posts
 

There is no boom in a REL sub because most of the RELs don’t go down far enough to create one. I always think of REL subs as woofers but not subwoofers.

Saying this, I have owned many different subs, including 2 rel S812s, which I sold to buy two rhythmik g22’s. At least in my experience and in my room the integration of the subs was much easier and they now extend into the lower frequencies as they should.

It was a very expensive lesson with REL, and I won’t go back to the hype.

Don’t get me wrong, the S812 was a good speaker, but only a good speaker, and value for the money simply wasn’t there whatsoever. And because of this I understand why people are promoting SVS as well for bang for the buck.

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