Subwoofer shopping...

[Oldschool1]

Been reading and reading, reviewing specs, comments, reviews and company websites. Trying to decide which direction to go so maybe some more experienced could shed some insight. I'm looking at the Rythmic F15HP and the Paradigm Seismic 110. Has anyome experience with both of these? I cant seem to make a call on which would be a better sub. I want explosive impact with my HT and quality sound with music.

My usage is 75% HT and 25% music.
Room size 17 x 14 x 10' ceiling with one side completely open however the rest of the room has 8" ceiling. I have a diagram but cant figure out how to upload it into this thread. Any help?

Integra 50.3 AVR
Pioneer Elite BDP-62FD
Paradigm Studio 20 V.5 (front & rear) (front soon to be replaced by Paradigm Signature S2's)
Paradigm CC-490 center channel
REL T9 subwoofer
Golden Ear Force Field 4 (soon to be replaced by either Seismic 100 or Rythmik F15HP)
Sharp 60"

 

[shadyJ]

Between the Seismic and the Rythmik, I would go for the Rythmik in a heartbeat. It will be a lot less compromised- a 10" woofer just can not do low distortion deep bass at a good output level. The Rythmik will also be a lot more energy efficient, and won't suffer from thermal compression nearly as much.

 

[j_garcia]

Is that an April Fool's joke? Seriously, there is no 10" sub period that is going to compete with something as solid as the F15HP. You're comparing apples to hammers.

 

[Oldschool1]

The only reason I am comparing the two is I have heard the Seismic 110 and it puts out some serious bass. Watching Battleship and hearing the explosions are unbelievable with the Seismic although I have not heard music with it. I realize were talking a 10" vs 15" driver however the 10" driver has a 850 watt amplifier and the 15" driver of the Rythmik has a 600 watt amp. As for the Rythmik, I have not heard at all although I just discovered theres a dealer just signed up to sell them not far from me, Ascend Acoustics. Has anyone ever heard of them? I need to call and see if they have the F15HP to demo. If only I could do a side-by-side comparison?

 

[shadyJ]

If you live near Ascend, nice, but they are not exactly a dealer in a traditional sense, so they might not have any subs there to demo. Still, it doesn't hurt to call them up and ask.

 

[Steve81]

I realize were talking a 10" vs 15" driver however the 10" driver has a 850 watt amplifier and the 15" driver of the Rythmik has a 600 watt amp.

Lets put it this way: here's a measurement of max clean output capability of the mighty Paradigm Sub 2, with 6-10" woofers and 4500 watts of amplifier power:
http://www.data-bass.com/images/measurements/75/O SUB 2 CEA2010 CHART.PNG

And one of the ported brother of the F15HP, the FV15HP, which boasts the same driver and amplifier:
http://www.data-bass.com/images/measurements/50/L FV15HP 2 PORT CEA2010 CHART PASS.PNG

Now take a look at the numbers from 50Hz on up; one can expect that the F15HP will probably be roughly comparable to its bigger ported brother in this range (though one can expect the large ported variant to deliver more output below that point). On average, you're looking at a 3dB difference between the Rythmik and the big Paradigm for a sub that has 6x the drivers and almost 6x the amplifier power as the Seismic 110 you're looking at.

 

[Steve81]

Just to add to the prior post, one might note the FV15HP has a ~2dB lead over the Sub 2 at 20Hz; Rythmik reckons the FV15HP has a 5dB lead over the F15HP, meaning that even down low at the 20Hz mark, the F15HP will probably only be about 3dB down from the Paradigm Sub 2. OTOH, if we figure the Seismic 110 to be 1/6th of a Sub 2, that would be a difference of 15.5dB.

 

[Jeff R.]

Just to add to the prior post, one might note the FV15HP has a ~2dB lead over the Sub 2 at 20Hz; Rythmik reckons the FV15HP has a 5dB lead over the F15HP, meaning that even down low at the 20Hz mark, the F15HP will probably only be about 3dB down from the Paradigm Sub 2. OTOH, if we figure the Seismic 110 to be 1/6th of a Sub 2, that would be a difference of 15.5dB.

Sooooo.....You are voting for the Paradigm Right!!!

 

[KEW]

Sooooo.....You are voting for the Paradigm Right!!!

LOL! Have a heart!

You're gonna give Steve conniptions!

 

[KEW]

The only reason I am comparing the two is I have heard the Seismic 110 and it puts out some serious bass. Watching Battleship and hearing the explosions are unbelievable with the Seismic although I have not heard music with it. I realize were talking a 10" vs 15" driver however the 10" driver has a 850 watt amplifier and the 15" driver of the Rythmik has a 600 watt amp. As for the Rythmik, I have not heard at all although I just discovered theres a dealer just signed up to sell them not far from me, Ascend Acoustics. Has anyone ever heard of them? I need to call and see if they have the F15HP to demo. If only I could do a side-by-side comparison?

Rythmik is an excellent subwoofer company well known and respected in internet audio circles. They are an Internet Direct company, so ideally you are by-passing the cost of distribution and store-fronts. In the case of Rythmik, I believe this is definitely true.
Rythmik has never done much to advertise (unlike SVS, for example). Apparently they are content with the level of business they have.