Which sub is better for audio

Vandersteen 2WQ or REL Strata III.

buy *two* vmps larger subs for that money & have *real* bass...

Vandersteen 2Wq for sure ... very musical. Go listen for yourself.

when wouldn't you use a sub for audio? back vibrator maybe?

hi neato, i'm not into h-t, but lotsa guys are. accurate bass isn't as critical in h-t applications...

Assuming you mean a sub primarily for MUSIC (vs. home theatre), then I also highly recommend the Rel Strata III (which is a bass extender--you mains still get full range signal, and you set the sub to come in just under the mains' low range) or the Vandersteen 2Wq (traditional 80hz cut-off).

I have the REL Storm III which is $1800 for black and $2000 for wood veneers. They sell for $1500 demo/used mint on occassion here. The Storm III and Stratus III will perform basically the same; the Storm will go lower. The Vandersteen 2W is also musical. I have not heard it myself, but for under $1K the Monitor Audio ASW-210 has gotten some good reviews for being musical.

I am using a Bag End with Von Schweikert VR4 Gen II's. Seamless Extension.Magic Audio in Atlanta is the place to get one under 1k dropped shipped direct from Bag End.

For used only, the B&W Matrix ASW-800 is also very nice.

Used several of the above subs. The best one on a dollar per unidistorted dB of output is the HSU1220HO. A real deal in audio and don't let anyone who has not auditioned one at home tell you other wise. Check Issue 15 of the Audio Critic assessment and measurements for the straight goods. The others are not as good as you may think (or their designers for that matter) Been there, done that, wasted a lot of money...

bsg, the hsu is a nice sub, and the only reasonably-priced (under $3k) unit i'd consider - if, that is, vmps weren't around... :>)

regards, doug

Auditioning a Rel is a must. Ther are downward firing and dont move as much air as some but they are seemless and produce an untouchable quality.

I ahve tried many subs over the years & the only one I found that was musical & seamlessly blend in was an REL Stadium II.

The best sub is the Leviathan by NorthCreekMusic.com. It is a DYI 18" driver that is the best I have ever heard or seen. Check it out, nothing you can buy even comes close to this sub for the money

ditto the rel stadiumII. if you are patient they do come up every now and then for around 1500. the best i've heard.

I have listened to ALOT of subs and I would STRONGLY recommend the Genesis 900. Its the most musical sub I have listened to. 500 watt amo w/ a 15in. metal driver. Class "A" in Stereophile for along time. But let youe ear be the judge but certainly listen to the 900 if you can find one. Good Luck!

www.gen-tech.com Model 928 $1500 and outstanding for music. Deep, detailed, fast with no overhang and massive 1000 wat internal amp.

www.gen-tech.com (genesis) Model 928 $1500 and outstanding for music. Deep, detailed, fast with no overhang and massive 1000 wat internal amp.

Genesis 928. I saw one on audiogon new for $1250.00. At that price you can not due better. Two tweleve inch metal drivers and 1000watt digital amp.

Guys, thanx for the help. It is interesting to see than the Sunfire hasn't made the list so far. I well come more advice. Thank you again.

I own the REL Strata III. I am a former "sub-hater". The REL changed my mind . It really blends with your mains perfectly and avoids any of the "boom boom" you usually get. My priorities are Stereo first, and 5.1 second, so is REL's. Looks good as well!

Some folks will think I'm nuts, but last year Klipsch came out with their short-lived Sunfire-class sub: LF-10. They discontinued it quickly, reportedly because they decided not to enter an already well-served market. They're still available on eBay and other sources, typically for under $700. I have one, crossing it over at 50 Hz, and I'm well-pleased.

I bought the Genesis 928 and am very happy with its 2 15" woofers. Great Stereophile review. It also has an accelerometer mounted on it to prevent bass overhang.

bag end x 2 18's stereo ELF 1 with > 250 wpc each

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.

I am not big on subs as I have never heard one improve the musical quality of the bass, but that may be more a reflection of my skills in integrating one with my main speakers. But I have tried a few and was rather impressed with the tightness of the Triad subs, even their cheapest one, which lost little in quality terms to the more expensive subs, just moved less air. I only mention it because I have never seen anyone else mention the Triads before on this site. Has anyone else heard them?

Sorry Redkiwi I have not heard of Triad. I have however heard lots of others and have come to the conclusion that really good base usually costs plenty and is very difficult to do properly. I have a small Kef unit in my home theatre system that is just OK. The best for home theatre I've heard are the velodyne and in the set up we used It took two to work well. They were 15 inch 450 watt downfiring. M and K used to be good makers of subs but now cater to the home theatre market/doesn't everyone/ . Blending subs into 2 channel is hard. My preference to bearly hear the sub and for it to really just add a presence. In two chanel the best I heard was a product call a David by D box. see www.d-box.com. A small company in Quebec, Canada which also makes the better known Mammouth . The David was playing with a small pair of castle monitors and the over all stage was huge. A crossover was not used but instead was fed from a second pre out from the pre amp. Then the volume turned up just till you start to hear it. There was not enough here to do organ well but it could make these small monitors much larger. My 2 cents is unless your budgets is in the many thousands leave it alone. cheers steve

The Vandersteen 2Wq's are impecable in integrating with the main speakers. While bass output is not prodigiousit always manages to reach very lo freq. with flat response. I love em immensely for music & film & would imagine a better sub costing substantially more (if there is one).

Talon ROC is a great sub for music, using it with a pair of Khite monitors, does jazz and classical wonderfully. The sub helped turn me on to Bach cello suites almost every night, get the Edgar Meyers disc and hear the ROC fill the room with his deep bowing.