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!

 

northman

So, in my case these Rel’s exactly what I was looking for, just a bit more reach in lowest freq, and most impressively, the added sound stage ambience, greater recording venue information adds to an already impressive illusion of performers in room that horn speakers do like no other.

as @sns  states so well -- this is why we do this... it ain’t just about deep bass extension per se (and why stereo subs matter)

Thanks again, all. Although I realize that we’re talking about a relatively modest purchase here,I still feel lucky to be considering the options. I don’t need any convincing about pairing subs; that’s my plan. And I’m going to buy new, with the option to return, though I can see the Rythmik "Christmas" F12 for sale out here. I’ve learned the hard way that it’s important for me to try before committing.

@mijostyn , I’ll keep looking over the MiniDSP info. You may know the old Groucho Marx line from Duck Soup: "Clear? Why, a four year old child could understand this report!" Then as an aside: "run out and find me a four year old child. I can’t make head or tail of it." I feel that way with much so-called "technology." I get brain fog trying to understand tech-speak. Also, I guess I’ve always been rather old-school about audio: less is more.

I know that I’m hijacking my own thread but I’ll keep going, with a simple question. I’m curious to learn more about dsp, room eq, and bass management with a pair of subs. (I fooled around with Roon DSP but didn’t get very far.) I have a Bryston streamer and Bryston dac; they may not be the last word in electronics but they work just fine for me. I’ve been using a small green computer Sonictransporter, which also works fine for me. I mostly stream these days. Can you recommend a miniDSP product that would do what I want (room eq + subwoofer management/crossovers) without requiring me to swap out my dac, music player, or streaming computer? It looks to me like both the FLEX and the SHD or SHD STUDIO would be partly redundant and/or require me to rethink the sources in my system. Maybe the DDRC24 (with dac?) or DDRC22D? To be clear, I’m not asking for a tutorial, just a sign-post to direct me to the right product. From there, I can make my way. (I also can see that REL doesn’t play easily with miniDSP unless one foregoes the high-level cable connection. That is, it doesn’t look easy to control the speakers and subs independently with that high-level connection.) Again, at this point I'm just curious, so there's no need for long explanations. THANK YOU!

Edit: @jjss49 -- I just saw your post. I get it. I hear you. I’m with you! And ... I’m on it!

@jeenam 

The SHD and SHD studio come with a UMIK 1, but as an upgrade they offer UMIK 2 which is highly recommended. Your corrections can be no better than your measurements.

@northman 

Can you follow the directions on a can opener? 

Message received, @mijostyn! As long as the can opener doesn't require an app, I'm good. 

@jeenam: thank you. I'm not sure how far I'll take any of this, but I'll explore the territory for as long as it's fun.

Again, thank you to everyone who replied. I feel encouraged by all the excellent advice.