I use a pair of Rythmik F12 subwoofers in my system.
Before Audyssey I used them with ARC electronics (LS25 and VT130SE). IIRC, I briefly used them without room EQ, but only briefly. Honestly, that set-up was in use too briefly to comment usefully on SQ without room EQ. After the subs went into the system, I quickly added an NHT X-2 active x-over unit (strictly to to high pass/low cut the main speakers), and a Velodyne SMS-1 sub controller to high cut the subs and to provide RTA and room EQ. The SMS has a truly crappy auto mode, so it took a fair bit of time and effort to get it right via manual tweaking with the video FR readout as a guide. Once I got it all dialed in (several weeks of many hours per week), I got really great results.
I recently subbed in the pre-pro because I wanted to try XT32 (per KR4's Stereophile recommendation) and because 1 box replaced my DAC, preamp, high pass x-over, and sub controller and eliminated 3 out of 4 power-up steps.
Overall I prefer the sound of the system in its current configuration, but bass performance and subwoofer integration has been (IMHO) absolutely outstanding in both set-ups. Audyssey actually sets the absolute bass levels just a bit (but an audible bit) higher than I did with the SMS-1, but I'd put both octave to octave tonal balances well within the "matter of taste" window of neutrality.
Audyssey sets the x-over point at 40hz (Ohm 100) or 50hz (MMG). In the previous configuration, the x-over was set at +/- 75hz, because room EQ was limited to the subs and I had some real room induced issues up in the 70hz region that I couldn't chase away with room treatments (despite the use of use 2 "Bassbuster" Hemholtz resonators tuned for that purpose).
Hope that's useful.
Marty
Before Audyssey I used them with ARC electronics (LS25 and VT130SE). IIRC, I briefly used them without room EQ, but only briefly. Honestly, that set-up was in use too briefly to comment usefully on SQ without room EQ. After the subs went into the system, I quickly added an NHT X-2 active x-over unit (strictly to to high pass/low cut the main speakers), and a Velodyne SMS-1 sub controller to high cut the subs and to provide RTA and room EQ. The SMS has a truly crappy auto mode, so it took a fair bit of time and effort to get it right via manual tweaking with the video FR readout as a guide. Once I got it all dialed in (several weeks of many hours per week), I got really great results.
I recently subbed in the pre-pro because I wanted to try XT32 (per KR4's Stereophile recommendation) and because 1 box replaced my DAC, preamp, high pass x-over, and sub controller and eliminated 3 out of 4 power-up steps.
Overall I prefer the sound of the system in its current configuration, but bass performance and subwoofer integration has been (IMHO) absolutely outstanding in both set-ups. Audyssey actually sets the absolute bass levels just a bit (but an audible bit) higher than I did with the SMS-1, but I'd put both octave to octave tonal balances well within the "matter of taste" window of neutrality.
Audyssey sets the x-over point at 40hz (Ohm 100) or 50hz (MMG). In the previous configuration, the x-over was set at +/- 75hz, because room EQ was limited to the subs and I had some real room induced issues up in the 70hz region that I couldn't chase away with room treatments (despite the use of use 2 "Bassbuster" Hemholtz resonators tuned for that purpose).
Hope that's useful.
Marty