Spica TC 50 Question s

REL Storm is a good choice for the Spicas. However, a while back I used two Mirage/Energy 8' subs with great results. These subs were relatively cheap at 500.00 per the pair retail.

A good tube amp (Conrad Johnson, ARC) would improve the sound of the Spicas, but not necessarily the bass response.

Hi Fredman ... different thread, but I can also respond to this one. I own spica angelus and I had the same problem ... wonderful midrange and imaging (thrashed Spendor s3/5 in imaging) but not enough "drive" to get my toes tapping.

I added a REL Strata3 and now the system sounds absolutely great. The downside was that, even used, it cost $800. Add the $800 to the $250 you'd get for the tc-50s and you'd have over $1000 to throw at new (or used) main speakers. It's a real trade-off, since $1000 buys some good speakers. I have seen kef reference 103.4 and Epos es-25s for less than $1000 used, both of which would probably beat the tc-50 + sub combination, IMHO.

So in summary a REL strata 3 will definitely give you the bass and drive you want, but unfortunately at quite a high cost relative to the rest of your system. On the other hand reselling the REL is extremely easy, so it won't really cost you $800 if you sell it in the future.

Thanks for your responses...I'm gonna have to try and find a better subwoofer match as an $800 expenditure for the REL will cause severe marital problems. I've gotten good reports on the PSB, Paradigm, and others, although I dont know what will match the Spicas . And theres the speaker wire issue as well........

Something like Audioquest Type 6 or CV 6 will improve many things here including much better bass. I would also consider re-doing the crossover with better parts and rewiring internally. I've done a pair of TC-50s and the results were astounding. Better caps and wire will do the trick. These are real sleepers and may make you reconsider the sub.

Spica made a subwoofer to match the TC50's ... VERY difficult to find (only used of course), but may be worth the effort. Check www.audioasylum.com ; someone there recently purchased a pair of these subs and has been having trouble setting them up. He is not using TC50's and may consider selling the subs (worth a try!).

Jeff