Help with Subwoofers

Stay with the Monitor Audio subwoofer. It will probably mate better with your existing speakers than any other product. Excellent subwoofers are physically big and expensive. There is no getting around these facts. The MA subwoofer might not be excellent, but it's very good, particularly so given the price. Their main compromise is that they don't go real deep (they roll off around 30Hz) and they won't play stupidly loud. If you can, run your main speakers full range and not thru the subwoofers crossover. While it may be a stretch financially, the MA subwoofer will give you the musicality, as opposed to boom, you seek. I use two 210s mated to MA Studio 20s. Good luck!

Look at the NHT SW2Pi. It is a pretty quick sub that works well with music (not too boomy) If I can remember right, I bought mine for around $700-800. Used probably pretty cheap. It comes with its own EXTERNAL 120W power amp.

Try looking at the Gallo powered sub they just started shipping .$750 Greg

i think that vmps makes the best subs for the $$$ - even new, they're better than anything else for the same $$$. you can get decent used amps to drive them, & either use the vmps' passive x-over or an outboard electronic one. same money as a powered sub, better (quality *&* quantity) bass. my subwoofer system is a bit more extensive - two larger vmps, w/all their upgrades, two original bridged adcom gfa555's, & a marchand deluxe 24db/octave x-over. i bought the x-over, the subs & tara labs cabling new; the entire set-up was still <$2400. this would barely get me one decent powered sub, & i don't care what *anyone* sez - anything smaller/less expensive than, say, velodyne's top model, gives mediocre bass quality, imho.