Subs for 2 channel system.

robladw

robladw

Audioholic
Currently I am leaning toward a pair of Rel T5i. These will strictly for a 2 channel system with some movie watching from time to time. Lows to around 25Hz would be fine. I have the speaker terminals so I plan on hooking them up to the amp so they will need high level inputs. Speed and clarity are most important to me. They will be in a small room so they do not need to be big. I am looking for options that fill these features that would come in close to or under the 599.00 of the Rel.
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
What about the REL grabbed your attention?
Generally, most Subs these days from any of the Sub Specialists we usually recommend will meet those two requirements, ported or sealed. The beasts we usually recommend are: SVS, Hsu, Monolith, Outlaw, and then Rythmik and PSA. The RSL Speedwoofer is also generally well liked and respected for its size, cost and performance.
REL is not disliked, per se, but they tend to not represent a great value as they are, perhaps, overpriced for what you get.
I'd recommend checking these brands and seeing which ones match your usability needs.
All the Bass-heads here will gladly chime in and help out, too! :)
 
XEagleDriver

XEagleDriver

Audioholic Chief
RSL Speedwoofer 10S
$399 each vs REL's $599
10" woofer vs REL's 8"

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
robladw

robladw

Audioholic
What about the REL grabbed your attention?
Generally, most Subs these days from any of the Sub Specialists we usually recommend will meet those two requirements, ported or sealed. The beasts we usually recommend are: SVS, Hsu, Monolith, Outlaw, and then Rythmik and PSA. The RSL Speedwoofer is also generally well liked and respected for its size, cost and performance.
REL is not disliked, per se, but they tend to not represent a great value as they are, perhaps, overpriced for what you get.
I'd recommend checking these brands and seeing which ones match your usability needs.
All the Bass-heads here will gladly chime in and help out, too! :)
Familiarity and subs are their focus primarily. I know these subs and are good in music systems and are not huge. They have good texture, tone, and speed they have the inputs I prefer.

I was just looking at the Emotiva which seem to have all the features I am looking for but know nothing of how they sound.
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
If you need a small sub with speaker-level inputs for around $600, I would be looking at the RSL Speedwoofer 10s, SVS SB-1000 Pro, or MartinLogan Dynamo 800x. If you can handle a larger sub and want performance above all, I would be looking at the Hsu VTF-2 mk5. An 8" Rel would not be my first choice. It's cute, but it will compress deep bass very quickly as well as run into a fair amount of distortion.
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
I second the SB1000 Pro. When you are heavily music, IMO, the sealed subs sound better. That's not to say ported subs can't do music well, but my preference is sealed for music.
 
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Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
I know these subs and are good in music systems and are not huge. They have good texture, tone, and speed they have the inputs I prefer.
SVS, Hsu, RSL, PSA and Rythmik all have subs that fit that description, cost less and offer better performance. REL is definitely not on my short list for subwoofage.
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
What amp/receiver and speakers are you using, and why high level inputs instead of proper bass management?

*PS: I agree that a SB1000 Pro (or 2) will fit the bill quite nicely, and easily outperform the REL.
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
What amp/receiver and speakers are you using, and why high level inputs instead of proper bass management?

*PS: I agree that a SB1000 Pro (or 2) will fit the bill quite nicely, and easily outperform the REL.
A single 12" cone alone will have more than twice the surface area of the 8" cone of the Rel. The Rel probably has greater Xmax but I doubt it can make up for the much larger cone diameter.
 
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