Subwoofer for classical music listener

Rvpiano, glad I was helpful.  Unfortunately I didn't read the thread in time to recommend against the purchase in the first place, given your mention of the NuForce amps.

4hannons and Bob (Gdnrbob), yes I had recommended that cable, while also pointing out that given the very high input impedance of the 2wq (described as being more than 100,000 ohms) it is overkill in terms of gauge.  Given the very high input impedance the thinness of the gauge that could be used would only be limited by the physical fragility of the wire and its connections.  "Speaker wire" in the traditional sense of a heavy gauge is not necessary from an electrical standpoint.

Regards,
-- Al
 

Thanks Bob, thanks Al, much appreciated. I see on ebay someone is selling some RadioShack 24 gauge zip cord, maybe I'll start with that.

Personally I like RELs. I have listened to Storm IIIs, G2s (2500 - 3000 used), and Studios ($3500-4500 used). I prefer the older generation ported downward firing woofers (such as the Storm and Studio) because their sound is more nuanced, effectively allowing mid-range sound to come to the fore.
Too often, the subwoofers that I have used, although fast and precise, have been overpowering. I felt like I was spending as much time tuning the subs to my room as enjoying good listening. Good luck in your search, and do post about your experience.

I listen to a lot of rock classical and bebop jazz. I noticed that the B&W 802D2’s that I have didn’t go low enough for me to feel the music, and I did notice a low frequency drop-off. I looked for tight musical subwoofers and decided on a Rhythmic F15HP 15" ported servo driven subwoofer. It did take a bit of fiddling with room placement, and I set up the unit by experimenting with crossover points on the mains and subs while listening to slow bass sweeps. Eventually I got my system dialed with even sustainable perceived volume levels through the test bass sweeps.

The tight articulation and integration of the subwoofer and mains has made the music way more engaging. I’m sure someone knowledgeable with calibration software and a mic, would have been able to dial things in quicker, and possibly better but I am extremely happy with the decision to integrate a tight sub into my audio setup.

I’d recommend Rythmik, but servo loaded subs from a company like Velodyne which I heard are easier to calibrate, but they are over twice the cost.

They aren't servo loaded, but I've alos heard good things about SVS subwoofers.

Link to tone generator I used:

http://onlinetonegenerator.com/subwoofer.html

For $1,000 & sealed sub(s), there's only 1 choice that makes sense IMO: the SVS SB-1000. It's a compact, powered, sealed 12" sub. I use one in my home office (where I have a relatively refined desktop audio system). It sounds very good and I only wish there was room for a second one.

With your speakers, you'd probably only want these dialed in at 50-60 Hz, tops. Because they're sealed, the bass doesn't go quite as deep as it would w/the ported version--but that's actually better, since the sealed design (in my experience) outputs more natural sounding bass.