Subwoofer for Both Music and HT

The best value by far are the ACI subs. They combine musicality, output and looks. They're also backed by some of the finest customer service in the business.

Aerial sw12 , no question , for the money

Tyler Acoustics makes a Sub that uses the 12 inch Peerless woofer and 200 watt amp. Here's a pic. Its at the bottom http://tyleracoustics.home.mindspring.com/taylo.html

Another really good DIY sub is the Shiva. Here's a pic and a description. Just click on the Shiva sub on the right side. http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=1238643&uid=726956

I also am trying to balance both. I have had great success with the Paradigm Servo-15. However, no matter what you do, 2 subs will almost always sound better than 1. I am considering 2 NHT Sub Two's or 2 Vandersteen 2Wq or V2W.

Thanks for the info Sugarbrie. I am familiar with REL but did not know they allow you to set them up seperately for music and HT. Will check them out

My ACI Titan II LE subwoofer has performed marvelously in both roles, though I use my 2-channel system for music 99.5% of the time.

I still have not become acclimated to all the bass and subsonic energy that they put into movies these days, which only became apparent to me after I purchased my subwoofer. The Titan II LE is sonicly unobtrusive but very musically effective, seamlessly filling in the lowest octave (and then some) of music, in concert with my Vandersteen 1C's.

When I play a movie (again through my 2-channel system), things can really get exciting, especially in action films and the work of directors such as Darren Aronofsky ("Requiem for a Dream", "Pi", etc.) who make sound such a viscerally affective element in their work. I'll know that I'm a true HT devotee when I no longer feel the need to reduce the level of the subwoofer during most movies.

I 2nd the opinion about RELs. I have a Strata III and tried it in my HT setup (have a hi-fi set up in different room). The REL blew away my 1,300.00 M&K. It's a true set up and forget it pc of music equipment. Should blend beautifully with just about any speaker.

Sounds Like Sugar is all over this question, and I'm sure knows more about subs than I do, however just to through out another suggestion, the Paradigm Servo 15 is a very high regarded sub. Velodyne is also a great sub maker, but I think that it is geared a little more towards HT (it's not fast enough for music) but I wouldn't quote me on that.

REL subwoofers will let you setup the sub for both music and HT separately; speaker cable hookup for music; audio cable for HT. They default to the music connection, and switch automatically to the HT mode when a signal is received from an HT decoder. (Some HT sub outputs always send a signal, so you would need to see if you need to manually switch.)

REL's are also nice subs regardless. The "ST" models (STratus, STorm, STadium, etc) are tuned primarily for music, and also do great with HT. Conversely, the "Q" models (Q150E, Q201E, etc) are tuned primarily for HT, and are still very musical. I own one of each (separate systems).

REL's are also easy to setup and integrate with your system. There are frequently some for sale or auction on Audiogon and eBay.
Happy listening!