I always sat in the Phil Zone. Getting Phil at home will require two 15" or four 12" drivers. A smaller sub setup will get that low, but at realistic levels there will be a lot of distortion. Great bass below 40 Hz at realistic levels levels with low distortion requires a lot more than the industry would have you believe. Another problem is most subwoofer enclosures are musical instruments, they shake and resonate. Play a sub at Phil levels and put your hand on it. What you are feeling is distortion.
Little help with REL subwoofers, please?
I'm not especially knowledgeable about subwoofers and I'd appreciate some advice. I've got a pair of Magnepan 1.7i placed in a small (long, rectangular) room. I had a hefty JL sub that shook the house but that I could never fully integrate. On a whim, I switched it out for a pair of the diminutive REL Tzero subs and the sound is vastly better. On some music, though, such as classical organ, I miss the growl and thunder. I don't feel like I need to boost the "upper bass" and I definitely don't want to muddy things up; it's really the deep rumble that I occasionally want.
If it helps, I'm thinking of a piece of music like Max Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight," which about halfway through delivers a broad, deep sweep of musical sound that I want to *feel.*
I'm mostly pleased with the setup and I don't want to reinvent my room's wheel or break the bank. And I'd like to stay with at least two subs and likely stay with REL. So I'm thinking I might: 1) add a T/9X or maybe a T/7X and perhaps keep the crossover low; or 2) swap out the Tzeros and replace them with a pair of T/7Xs. For now, a pair of T/9Xs is a budgetary stretch that I'd like to avoid (and it is a small room).
Would it be weird having two Tzeros combined with the much bigger T/9X? Would the T/7X produce that deep, enveloping bass? I'm not particularly good at reading specs but -6dB at 30Hz doesn't sound especially deep to me. (The JL was -3dB at 23Hz.) Or am I misunderstanding how bass works and would a T/7X go plenty deep in a small room?
Thanks and Happy New Year!
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@mijostyn , You "sat"? Haha. My most memorable bass experience ever was in the Phil Zone. Boston Garden. I felt like my throat was closing off, I could barely breathe. My friend turned to me with a look of wonder and small alarm. Gone are the days (though perhaps they can be reproduced in my small garret of a room?).
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you are on the right track... i would say get a pair to t7’s and be done (in your smallish room you don't need 4 subs, two mismatched)... re-sell the tzero’s (they just don’t go deep enough to do the 1.7i’s justice, as you yourself have pointed out) don’t ignore older i models t7i t9i from rel, they are excellent and can save $$ if you find them well cared for on the used market |
Thanks, @jjss49 -- that's sage and practical advice, and I've been leaning that way. You're right about the used market; I've been keeping my eye out. But what does "be done" mean? I've never heard that phrase out here. Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful advice! |
Those days are not gone, just ...evolved. I saw Smashing Pumpkins at the Garden several months ago. Not only was it thunderous ( I had ear protection in) but the light show was INSANE. I have never seen anything that bright. Good to have Jimmy Chamberlin back. You still live in the Boston area? The reason to use subwoofers particularly Dead Heads is to be able to create that concert feeling at less than ear shattering levels. They allow you to EQ the bass without affecting the main speakers. To do this a two way crossover is mandatory. Digital bass management is the best thing that has come along for subs since their introduction back in the late 70s. There are units from MiniDSP and dBx that are relatively inexpensive. A great inexpensive way to get into subs is to buy Dayton Kits from Parts Express. Dayton makes great sub drivers. Their kits perform as well or better than 90% of the subwoofers out there. They won't be as fancy looking, but what is the mission? |
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