Which sub is better for audio

Talon Roc, Hands down, this is the best sub you can buy. Put up against the RE1 and never bottomed out.

I am using a Sunfire Signature subwoofer with my Magnepan 3.5/R.You can get spectacular results if this sub is moved away from room boundaries (certainly not in a corner as recommended by Bob Carver) and if the volume is kept at a sufficiently low level so that the sub is audible only with bass material below about 50 Hz (if x-over is set at 30 Hz) and with the proper use of the phase adjustment . My Signature disappears completely in my system. The blend is seamless and the result is very musical. I tried the RELs, but they were too difficult to set up because the Phase adjustment was only 0/180, whereas the phase of the Sunfire can be adjusted continuously from 0 to 180. In the case of the RELs you had to move them until the "correct' location is determined. I think the Sunfire Signatures have received a bad rap from users who have not set them up properly. I get clean extension to about 16 Hz with air, power and definition.

So far I am leaning towards The Vandersteen 2wq or the Rel Strata III, that is, if I find them on sale. Gmorris, your comment on the phase adjacent on the sunfire is interesting. I am still listening... Thanx

Hi, Go for the Bag End, I love mine with all my speakers. Read a review by Galen Carol below. Also Stereophile class A. I’d like to draw your attention to a quite wonderful subwoofer, the Bag End Infrasub 18. What’s a "Bag End," I hear you say. While the Company has been a well recognized fixture in the professional industry for some time (many of the movies you watch were mastered on systems using Bag End woofers), it has only recently become known in the consumer world. The Infrasub 18 uses a single 18" driver (don’t stop reading, this one has none of the negatives you’d expect from such large a driver) powered by a 400 watt built-in amplifier. The system is special due to the Company’s proprietary ELF integration circuitry. The system is capable of reproduction to an astonishing 8Hz! But never fear, you’ll not find the distracting pumping and rumble so pervasive in lesser designs. What you will get is fast, tight, clean and very extended bass appropriate and consistent with the music. An ongoing subwoofer review in Widescreen Review has, over several issues, compared many subwoofers. The latest issue contained rave coverage of the Infrasub 18, it scoring better than any other woofer tested. Richard Hardesty writes "…this subwoofer is so good it’s hard to find faults to write about… the Infrasub 18 will be like a breath of fresh air to the critical listener who wants to really hear what’s going on down there. The performance of the Infrasub 18 is outstanding in every way. It will be at home in a high end audio system or the finest home theater." High praise indeed, especially considering the Infrasub 18 sells for only $1495.00! For the first time, I find myself able to recommend a subwoofer priced within reach of most serious enthusiasts. How good is it? Better, in my opinion, than anything under ten Grand. Rated

In a recent special issue by Widescreen mag, they published all of the reviews they had done on subs over the past 3 years. The highest rated subs for audio were the Vandersteens and the powered Velodynes. When rated for both audio and video playback, the Vandersteens are the best choice.