Little help with REL subwoofers, please?


I'm not especially knowledgeable about subwoofers and I'd appreciate some advice. I've got a pair of Magnepan 1.7i placed in a small (long, rectangular) room. I had a hefty JL sub that shook the house but that I could never fully integrate. On a whim, I switched it out for a pair of the diminutive REL Tzero subs and the sound is vastly better. On some music, though, such as classical organ, I miss the growl and thunder. I don't feel like I need to boost the "upper bass" and I definitely don't want to muddy things up; it's really the deep rumble that I occasionally want.

If it helps, I'm thinking of a piece of music like Max Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight," which about halfway through delivers a broad, deep sweep of musical sound that I want to *feel.*

I'm mostly pleased with the setup and I don't want to reinvent my room's wheel or break the bank. And I'd like to stay with at least two subs and likely stay with REL. So I'm thinking I might: 1) add a T/9X or maybe a T/7X and perhaps keep the crossover low; or 2) swap out the Tzeros and replace them with a pair of T/7Xs. For now, a pair of T/9Xs is a budgetary stretch that I'd like to avoid (and it is a small room).

Would it be weird having two Tzeros combined with the much bigger T/9X? Would the T/7X produce that deep, enveloping bass? I'm not particularly good at reading specs but -6dB at 30Hz doesn't sound especially deep to me. (The JL was -3dB at 23Hz.) Or am I misunderstanding how bass works and would a T/7X go plenty deep in a small room?

Thanks and Happy New Year!

 

northman

Showing 5 responses by jjss49

to my earlier comments i would add, or should i say, re-emphasize:... to me, for maggie 1.7i (or up) owners, dual subs are a must if one intends on extracting the best musical qualities these truly wonderful speakers can produce

so 2x t7’s >> 1x t9 or 1x s510 as an example

 

sorry @northman i don’t mean to beat a dead horse 🤣

enjoy the process and let us know what you end up doing...

by your username it doesn’t sound like you are near northern california, but if on the off chance you are, i currently have pairs of t9i, t9x, strata, s510... you would be welcome to borrow a pair to try

So, in my case these Rel’s exactly what I was looking for, just a bit more reach in lowest freq, and most impressively, the added sound stage ambience, greater recording venue information adds to an already impressive illusion of performers in room that horn speakers do like no other.

as @sns  states so well -- this is why we do this... it ain’t just about deep bass extension per se (and why stereo subs matter)

@northman

you are on the right track... i would say get a pair to t7’s and be done (in your smallish room you don't need 4 subs, two mismatched)... re-sell the tzero’s (they just don’t go deep enough to do the 1.7i’s justice, as you yourself have pointed out)

don’t ignore older i models t7i t9i from rel, they are excellent and can save $$ if you find them well cared for on the used market

i am holding out for a subwoofer made in an islamic country myself, so it can synergize with my flying persian rug 😂🤣😅😉😆

wtf