What non-Linn sub would work with all-Linn setup?

HI Kirk,

I use a REL strata 3 in a 10x12 room, for 2 ch music only. It is not overpowering at all ... in fact it blends perfectly, though the room size is not able to maximize the potential of the sub. (My main speakers are Spica angelus, which are big with limited LF).

However placement was absolutely critical in such a small room ... corner sounded terrible. I ended up with the sub just in front of and to the left of the right main speaker. Since my speakers are 2.5 feet from the rear wall and I use a nearfield listening position this puts the sub next to my right foot. Looks odd, very low WAF, but sounds wonderful.

So, as long as you're prepared to live with a sub well away from the side walls I think the REL would easily integrate in your (much bigger than my) room. If it's necessary (perhaps for WAF reasons) to hide the sub away at the side of the room I think you'll have a lot more trouble.

I don't think the Titan II LE will be "too much". It is extremely accurate, musical and subtle when required. The only way it would be too much would be if you adjusted the level to high. Otherwise you can expect a great match. This sub is known for musicality, never heard anyone say it was overpowering. Worked great with both my Concertos and now Sapphire III LEs.

I have a 15x15 room and am not interested in shaking the house; just supplementing the Tukans to get a better low frequency/midrange sound that is mor emusical than thudding/overwhelming. I'm concerned the Rel Stratus III and the ACI Titan II LE and the Vandy 2wq are too powerful for my humble Majik/Tukan set-up; what do you think? Should I be aiming smaller?

I would suggest the following 1) Aerial Acoustics SW-12 12" sub. For $4k to $5.5k, it's perhaps as good your going to find. It also offers infinite dial-in configurations and cabling options, xlr, rca, etc.. And the quality and craftsmanship is second to none. The SW-12 has received nothing but rave reviews by all professionals who have reviewed it.

2) If you're on a budget and a 'musical' sub is top priority, then I would suggest Bag End's Infrasub 18" subwoofer new about $1600 or used about $950. I have demo'ed it in my home and it is highly rated (by others) to be extremely musical. I could not believe that any 18" sub could be so tight.

3) I opted for Triad's Platinum subwoofer for $2k retail and I paid $1400 new. It's just a small step down from the Bag End sonically but offered me more configurations and options including auto-on/off. I have not been disappointed by the Triad's performance.

-John

Do searches here, at AA at AR and HD. Lots of great reviews at AR etc. Great reviews from Positive Feedback etc. I bought mine a bit less than a year ago after a LONG search for a great sub. It definitely meets my criteria. Accurate, powerful, great pace, never gets in the way. Wonderful build quality as well. Looks like high-end furniture instead of a box. They're currently $1100 but they've announced a $50 price hike for sometime this month, check the website.

I have a REL Strata III and it is a gigantic improvement over my old Sunfire Mk II. The nice thing about REL: The sub hooks up to the amplifier rather than the preamp. I think it really helps integrate the sub with the amp, and brings the system "together" nicely.
So I'd recommend the REL subs because they seem to work with everything...

Hi: About 6 weeks ago, I posted a thread here which summarized the ratings of the top dozen subwoofers that were reviewed by Widescreen Review magazine over a 3-year period (50 subs were rated). Look for the thread in the archives using the phrases "widescreen review" and "subwoofers".

In addition to the subs included in my original post, there are two other subs that could be added to those rated by Widescreen. The January issue of "Stereophile Guide to Home Theater" listed these two subs as part of the "2002 Editors' Choice Awards:
1. Revel B15 -- $3000 -- received the "Platinum Award" -- this sub includes 3 built-n parametric equalizers, plus a computer program used in conjunction with a sound pressure meter to adjust the bass contours to one's listening room.
2. Infinity Systems Interlude IL120s -- $960 -- "Gold Award" -- has a 1-band parametric equalizer and bass optimizer system.

I've got to close with my standard "advertisement": the Vandersteen 2Wq sub is a great sub for music. I own two of them and think they compete very well with subs selling for twice as much money.

Best regards,

Scott

If you go to audioreview.com and then go to the "speakers"
link you can bring up reviews on all types of speakers. If you click "L" if will then bring up alphabetically all speakers starting with the letter "L." The Tukans are listed and you will find 35 reviews on them. Alot of those reviews are from people that have added a subwoofer to the Tukans. I've read all of the reviews (all were very good by the way).
A few people seem to think that REL makes a good subwoofer that works well with your speakers. I think they make one under a $1000 new, maybe less. I know PSB makes an economically priced one that may work ok. I'm thinking of buying a pair of Tukans used. I know that they recently replaced them with the Katan. I also want to build an all Linn system with them. Good luck.