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How do SVS subwoofers compare to REL?

I'm looking for subwoofers (one or two) that have a very "tight" natural sound and are not overly boomy. In the future I hope to pair them with some Magnepan speakers. Magnepans are known for having a natural sound, and I want to compliment that.

I've been told that the REL subwoofers (e.g.,T/9i or S/3 SHO, etc., are a good match for Magnepan speakers. However, SVS subwoofers have also been recommended to me.

I don't have any background in high-end audio, so I am interested in opinions of folks here. Are SVS subwoofers considered generally as good as REL in regard to the features I'm interested in? Is either clearly superior? (I had never heard of SVS before yesterday.)

Which subwoofer size (in REL or SVS) would be a good match for a pair of Magnepan 1.7i in an 18 foot x 15 foot room (ceiling about 10 feet) with carpet on floor?

I'm looking at these so far:

REL T/9i Subwoofer about $1300
REL Acoustics S/3 SHO Subwoofer (Super High Output) about $2100
SVS SB-4000 13.5" 1200W about $1600
Any other recommendations?

Total subwoofer budget is around $2600 max. ($2000 or less would be better.)

Also, I believe it is better to buy two smaller subwoofers, compared to one larger one, right? (I'm just not sure where I would put two. Placing one is easier in this room. And I plan to connect everything with speaker wires, not wireless.)

Thanks

lowoverdrive

Showing 1 response by jbhiller

jbhiller's avatar
jbhiller
1,361 posts
 
I’m using a Sumiko S5, which is really a REL T5–as I think the companies are one in the same. 

Given my room constraints (I’m in the living room), I didn’t have many placement options. So positioning was fixed. But even so, I spent time dialing in the crossover and volume.  Let me tell you with confidence, it’s nearly impossible to pinpoint the subwoofer or tell it’s in use. As others have said, it just adds pressure to the room and opens up the whole sound spectrum. 

So so when I think of my sub, I don’t think of it as a bass augmentation device. I think and hear it as a sound spectrum device—if that makes sense. 

The only time I hear it is if I remove it from the system.  What I mean is that I hear it’s absence. 

I pair this tiny sub with PSB Imagine T2s and a tube integrated.  
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