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

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 

Best sub for music, if you are use very sensitive speakers,

Fostex FW800 HS

I have one and have never looked back

Location is everything with subs and so I vote SVS because of their ease of use the app icm REW and dsp to make it work. An external crossover is adviced but it gets into very technical specifics most people just dont want to bother with. But, again, the SVS has best bang for the buck imo. If Rythmik would get a good app, I think I would reconsider if the current SVS was out of its life.

I have a SVS SB 16-ULTRA. The customer service at SVS is FANTASTIC. My SVS fills in that lower octave that is hardly noticeable until you turn it off. The app for the SVS sub is another reason to audition one in your home. Believe me, you won’t be shipping it back.