Looking For Advice on a Sub.

I have finally the $ to complete my HT system and add a sub-woofer. I am looking for advice on what YOU may think is the best boom for the $. I currently have Boston's front, rear and centre but am thing of changing them in couple of years so the Sub I purchase may be the beginning of the new speaker system.

The front runner right now is the Paradigm PS-1200. http://www.paradigm.ca/Website/Parad...rs/ps1200.html

Current list on this from the two dealers here in Ottawa is $700 CDN ~ $ 500 US. I should be able to get it for $650.

Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

David

The Paradigm is indeed a good sub and is made in Canada too - not that I myself am Canadian. However I would also recommend REL subwoofers as they offer superb and majesterial control. Most subwoofers sound good with either music OR movies not both. The REL however is sublime whether reproducing the bangs and crahes of Armageddon or the double bass in a Tchaikovsky symphony. They also have a superb crossover system, which is amongst the finest and a well engineered MOSFET amplifier. Beatifully built, any of their models would suit. Another manufacturer to look out for is Velodyne - awesome bass, awesome dynamics - earth shattering!! My preference is for REL, I have used 6 and I loved them all - much better (on the whole) than even M&K which suffer from poor build quality in comparison. Spring terminals are a No-No at this range. But always the best advice is to listen to them - if you can get your dealer to arrange a home demo for you or to demo some subs with equipment that you own. Subwoofers are notoriously difficult to intergrate into s system. So much relies on individual room acoustics and personal taste that it is important to get this decision right and to listen in your home environment. Once you buy your sub - be warned it will take a while to set up and calibrate and position correctly but boy do they make a difference! I hope that's been of help.

[Chili Palmer]

i would highly recomend the monitor audio silver series speakers. i have the silver 5s for the fronts and silver3s for the rear and the silver center 10. the sub i have is the asw 210. it has two 10" subs, one facing you and the other facing the floor. it runs for around a grand, its a little pricy but it was well worth it and it will compete with the paradigm sub and will blow away b&k anyday. check their web site out at www.monitoraudio.com if you are planning to revamp your whole system you should really check out the silver series speakers.

later, later

[Chili Palmer]

woops......i mean it will blow away B&W. my bad. there is just to much jargon these days. whatever i'm just a jack ass.

[Chromy]

I really like the Paradigm 12". IMHO it does give some of the best bang for the buck out there, as do their main speakers.

Remember though, Sub's aren't that important to match with the same brand of mains. If you get a Paradigm sub that doesnt' mean that it will sound bad with your current speakers, or that you will be "locked into" Paradigm speakers in the future. I'd suggest trying some different ones out in your home and seeing which one you like the best.

Chromy

[Taxi]

If you are at all adept at building things yourself, I'd highly recommend doing-it-yourself. You get much more bang for your buck, and you get the satisfaction of knowing you made it yourself.

Check out these links: http://www.sdinfo.com/volume_6_3/diy...tember-99.html http://www.sdinfo.com/volume_5_1/diy...l#THESUBWOOFER http://www.sdinfo.com/volume_4_4/thriftythumper.html

Finally, go to The Home Theater Forum and do a search for Shiva in the Advanced HT Discussion area. When I get some space to do this kind of work, the Shiva is the sub I'm planning on building.

Early Feedback thanks.

Justin – Who makes the REL Subwoofers ? I haven’t been able to find any information on them. Have you got any links you could share ? The way you described them they sure sound wonderful.

Chili – The silvers sure look great but a little out of my price range. Well not my price range, but the range my wife will let me spend. They (wife’s) just don’t get it sometimes, but ya gotta love em.

Chromy – Thanks for the info on the matching. I really like the entire line of Paradigm’s too, but it’s good to know that I won’t be stuck with having to buy the entire line, not that that would really be a bad thing.

Taxi – I would love to make it, but I just don’t have those talents, but there are some pretty cool designs. Let us know (with pictures) when you make the Shiva. Maybe you could get Peter to fund it

There is a lot of mention of positioning of the sub, problem is that I don’t have but two places they could go. It is a family room, not a home theatre room. It will have to go under a high end table at the “L” junction of a two and three seat sofa. I hope it will work okay. I thought the only thing you really had to be careful of was the “standing waves”. I think that is what it is called. Where the sound wave going out meets the wave coming back off the walls and effectively cancel each other out. Proving your not sitting at this point…..I believe Video Essentials and a SPL meter should confirm all this.

David

[Taxi]

Maybe you could get Peter to fund it

Hey, now there's an idea!

(I won't hold my breath, though.)

Check out the HSU Research VTF-2.

You can see a review of it in the December (??) issue of Stereophile Guide to Home Theater.

The reviewer thought it was the best $500 sub he has ever heard.
http://www.hsuresearch.com/

Hello again. The best way to get hold of a dealer that stocks REL in Canada is to visit their website at www.rel.net The site is a little eccentric but it will give you untold information about the company's design philosophy and indeed about their products. The more I've thought about this, the more certain I am that you should seek them out. I really urge you to! I am lucky enough to work in the Home Cinema industry (not for a Hi-Fi manufacturer, I hasten to add) and have used many subs but the REL's are a world apart. Richard Lord, the founder, is very, very passionate about his subs and you can rest assured that you are getting the best you can. I use two REL Stentor II's in my setup and it's awesome. Plus if you like to listen to your music...but I'm repeating myself here. Models to look out for are the diminuitive but gorgeous REL Q200E, the Storm III and, of course, the Stentor II. The beauty is that they have models to suit all price ranges. Oh, and they only make subwoofers - nothing else! I really hope that helps. Please let me know what you decide to do - and if you get to listen to one, what you think. All the best...

Ps. You can't go far wrong using the 'Video Essentials' disc and an SPL - just don't position the sub behind the listening area!

Justin,

I have found that the closest REL dealer is in Montreal, which is a 2.5hr drive from here? Before I start getting deeper into this do you have any recommendations on a model and approx $.

Thanks

David

It's really difficult to recommend a sub without knowing what equipment you're planning to partner it with plus the kind of price you want to pay. However, the following are a selection of models (all of which I've heard) that represent superb value and good performance. Starting from budget entry to the top!

Budget:

Q50 or Q100E - these relatively small subs are fabulous value for money. They may not go down as low as some but they offer superb musicality and control. Their power output would be suitable for small to mid sized rooms.

Budget/Mid Range:

Q200E - REL's newest product and a stonking achievment. The sub is very small and beautifully made. They will produce prodigious amounts of bass - very loudly. You won't be disappointed by these.

Mid:

Storm / Storm III - The Storm is a brilliant sub - I used to use two and they sounded fantastic. Great for music and movies.

High End:

Stentor II - I currently use two of these babies and my windows bulge - but they do not overpower - quite simply one of the best subs available.

All the RELs offer slam, depth, impact and deep bass but they are more 'musical' than most which is why they are so good at reproducing music. They are not as overblown as some too. Anyway I'm starting to sound like an ad for REL which is not good! I just love these subs!!

I can't really give you an idea as to cost as I live in London. If you're going to go all that way - ring the dealer, check he's got all the range in stock and have a chat with him about your needs - he will be better able to advise you than I or anyone else on this forum as will your ears!! Let me know what happens

I called the dealer in Montreal and they only carry 3 models

Strata II - $2000
Strata III - $4000
Studio - $12,000

Sorry, even a little overbudget won't cover these prices.

Me thinks I will go back to Paradigm

D.

That's a bummer! I would follow your instincts - the Paradigm's a good sub...

I too am looking to add a Sub to my HT system. I have gone on a wild and crazy spending frenzy lately, bringing my HT up to date for the most part. But, the one thing I am lacking is the Sub.

Hopefully one of you will have some good suggestions for me!

Here's my basic setup:
Sony STR-DE935 reciever
primary speakers - pioneer (12" woofers),not the best, but they do the trick
center - infinity
rear - spl monitors

ive got a large front, small middle, large rear configuration for full sound. the room has old style spackled walls which tend to collect dust, but provide better accoustics then flat walls (no reflection). the carpet is med/low pile. room size is approx 15" by 12"

i've been a longtime car sub fan, but not sure what is too much or not enough for the home.

my budget is $400 or less.

would also appreciate any thoughts on where to place for the best sound. is it better to put the sub near the listener or near the point of origin to keep the connection shorter?

thanks in advance for any help,

r

robn kester
flow@mac.com