Need help finding a subwoofer that is...


sealed, front-firing, with a phase inversion switch & a 2nd (or) 4th order crossover (as low as possible)(and if someone can explain what this type of crossover is, i'd be most appreciative!). it must move plenty of air but speed is paramount! (to be used with Merlin VSM Milleniums for audio only!) thanks for the help--i don't know where to start personally. rhyno
128x128rhyno
The best I have heard (better than the REL's) is the Talon Audio "Roc". It is (very) fast and will move air like you wouldn't believe. The unit has a frequency "cut-off" dial. Check it out at www.talonaudio.com. The guys at Talon report that is is fast enough to negotiate a 900hz cutoff frequency. Regards, Mike PS> I have the Talon Khorus and I know first hand that these guys are for REAL.
I did not know the Merlins were $7000 to $8000 speakers. The REL Stratus a $1300 sub (and a steal at that price). So the Talon being a $4000 sub should be better although I have never heard it. The RELs in that class are the Stentor $4000, Stadium $3000, and Studio $80000. There are lots of links to reviews available on these subs at REL's website and Audioreview.com
I am very familiar with the Rel products. The StentorII is amazing and fast enough to keep up with the Sonus Extremas that we use it with. Fast and accurate and it can shake the room.
I can really recommend the Velodyne FSR or HGS series subs. Sealed box, front firing, adjustable corner points, a reasonnably steep slope to cut the subs top end off (12 DB per octave increasing to 48 DB per octave after the first octave)and they are QUICK. I've had both the HGS & FSR subs and I feel the older FSR series sounds better for a given size cone. The high pass section is quite transparent and lets the benefits of bi-amping come thru, however, your corner point is limited (80 or 100 HZ)and the slope shallow (6 DB per octave). The good news is that the FSR series can be had cheaply on the used or N.O.S. market (about $800 for an FSR-12, for example). If you want a steeper slope to cut off the bottom of the Merlins, you can go to an outboard electronic x-over from Marchand (highly recommended)and bypass the internal x-over in the Velodyne (called sub woofer direct, or something like that). These guys are as quick as the RELs (an excellent series of subs by the way)and can keep up with my Apogees. Good luck.