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Endless debate: monitor + sub vs floorstanding

Have made a simple system with Peachtree Inova and Proac Sig 8 Tablettes on sand filled stands. Lovely sound I am quite pleased with though I'm considering either supplementing my beloved Tablettes with a sub bass (most likely the new Rel T5) OR grabbing a pair of full range floorstanders (likely used Proac as well).

Any thoughts on the relative merits of the two setups in terms of expression, detail, dynamic spectrum, musicality and also flexibility? Intuitively, it seems I may have more opportunities to play with and fine-tune the experience using Tabletttes plus sub.

I realize there is probably no perfect answer here. Unfortunately, my opportunities for a good side by side listening comparison of the two systems is pretty much nil.
marburg

Showing 4 responses by marburg

marburg OP
14 posts
 
All very helpful comments. Many thanks. The damn Rel went up by 100 bucks, but I still think I'll grab one.
marburg OP
14 posts
 


ok..if I'm not beating an already debilitated horse here...

I found to my surprise, a local Proac dealer who adamantly insisted that "most people can't set up 2 speakers properly let alone three. A floorstanding speaker like the D18 will completely demolish any monitor + sub arrangement. "

Any thoughts on that? Is this at all accurate or is the guy another hardened criminal?
marburg OP
14 posts
 
Well...I took the plunge and got the diminutive Rel T5 to go with my Tablettes. It sits unobtrusively in the corner like a starving timber wolf, waiting for unsuspecting low frequencies, which it pounces on and devours, emitting the digested remains in an unearthly howl from the underworld. Pretty neat.

What I particularly love about this set up is how amazing it sounds at LOW VOLUME. Even when listened to quietly, the sound retains a certain pregnancy. I'm still playing and adjusting---listening to everything from Justin Bieber to Iannis Xenakis, augmented with heavy doses of Luigi Nono and Anton Webern. The system just BREATHES all over you, like a sexual deviant on a subway platform.
marburg OP
14 posts
 
My Rel T5 is only an 8" downfiring, yet it delivers vast bedspreads of sound. I have it set up in the corner, roughly 4 inches in and about 2 feet behind the left Tablette. The sound of Takemitsu's "From Me Flows What You Call Time" hits my chest cavity and auditory apparatus like the Shoemaker-Levi comet slamming into Jupiter.
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