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Subwoofer for under $1000-new, used, or DIY

I listen to mostly rock and classical. The sub would be for music only- no HT. I have GMA Europas, a Redgum 120 wpc int. amp and Audio Note tube CD player. I like my system very much, but it could use a little more oomph. My room is small (15x12x10). I've never had a sub before.

I have read about Hsu, ACI, SVS, Sunfire, Rel, Def. Tech., Totem, Titanic, Vandersteen, Rava, lots of DIY models, and a lot of others I can't think of at the moment. Frankly, it's all become a blur.

I am not a "bass freak", but do appreciate the low end of the musical spectrum. I won't say size is no object (smaller would be better), but of course sound quality is more important.

If you've owned or even heard any of the above subs (or any other in the price range) I would really appreciate hearing from you. Any comments or advice from my fellow 'goners (hmm..that didn't sound quite right) would be great. Thanks to all in advance.
xrayz
hifidreams
109 posts
 
The best sub I have ever had for music is an REL strata III. Intergrates perfect with my speakers.
gmood1
1,251 posts
 
The Europas are terrific speakers! Some added bottom end definitely won't hurt. What ever you decide make sure it's a sealed sub. You have plenty to choose from. For your room size I would look at 10 inch sealed designs. Something with a 150 to 250 watt amplifier plate. I wouldn't run the Europas through the subwoofer's crossovers. This too me would be going backwards. Since the magic in these speakers lay within the simple crossovers. Just do some research and listening..the sub your looking for will reveal itself.There's plenty of subs that fit this description that are new for under $500.
audio35
1 posts
 
Have you ever tried ADS? The model that I would recommend for music is ADS Sub 12, or SW-500. I had a chance to heard many brand subs, ADS is outstanding but now they are discontinued. My brother has a High End store over twenty years and he still keept this subs. ADS design high-pass crossorve output so the Bass and your main speakers will be very clean. I agree with Gmood1, you should do some research and listening, don't trust too much on review. Good luck
yipean
42 posts
 
I am very pleased with the Paradigm Servo-15 I'm using now. There is also a great sub that was just listed - a Muse18. He's asking $999 which is a very good price. If you are close enough to keep the shipping costs low, it would be a great option.
rackon
301 posts
 
I highly recommend the Alon (now Nola) Thunderbolt. Very fast, very musical, even nimble enough to pair with planars. They are certainly powerful enough for HT, but where they truly excell is with music.

I always thought I'd go the REL route - and I heard way more subs I *didn't* like than ones I did, including most of the suspects you listed. The TBs iintegrate very smoothly with speakers - they are almost undetectable, making the music sound like it's coming full range from your speakers - I used to switch them in and out just to be sure they were on. The TBs totally disappear, but the monitors had all the bass and punch they needed.

Carl Marchisotto has revised the TBs now, so there are a couple of the original TBs for sale here at $700-800 (they're $1695 new.)
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