subwoofer comparision


I'm planning on buying a sub for HT but would like to get a would really like to get something positive out of it for music too. I guess what I'm trying to find is the best musical sub that will still do a great job in home theater.

I know all these subs are great, so I'd like to hear from people that have done head to head comparisions or have owned more than one of them. They will paired with Soliloquy 5.3 mains.

The players are:
Soliloquy S-10
Talon ROC
ACI Titan II
any SVS
any M&K
any REL
Paradigm servo-15

I believe the Soliloquy would be a good choice for music, but I'm afraid that would be a significant compromise for HT.
gunbunny
Sedond we all know how much you like your set up since you post in every Sub Woofer topic presented. If you do not like the REL line then this is fine but please do not hand us this garbage about the REL sound.

Gunbunny, make an effort to hear the REL Storm III. I own two of them, and it is one of the most astonishing equipment upgrades I have ever made sonically.

BTW, I am presently set up for LP's only.

David
When it comes to music you are always bettr off with one good sub rather than two average ones. I have to jump on the Rel bandwagon since I have a stadium II. I have tried numerous subs in my system some were good for movies but I always was unhappy with their musical performance. They would sound great on one song & stink on another. The Rel took some time to properly dial in but for music & movies I have never had another sub that was even close to it in performance. Larry W
thanks for the replys, I've got more time to decide than I had planned on since serious car problems came up yesterday... 7K miles after warranty!

Like I said earlier, I'd like to audition the ACI Titan II-LE too. I wonder if anyone carries REL near Austin, TX?
Sedond, it doesn't sound like you guys set it up correctly to me. I use a Strata III with Thiel 1.5s in a 15x17' room and I can make the drywall shake if I want to. I have it crossed at 37Hz for the speaker level input and 80Hz (preamp's only option) for the LFE. What Thiels do you have? How does removing 50Hz from their bandwidth help their transparency and detail? Jim Thiel is squirming in his seat right now. Also, aren't REL amps made by B&K? They're definitely high current like the Adcom. Sounds like quality to me.

While you are more than entitled to your opinion I would love to hear from another person with the same sysptoms as yours.

leo.
djohn, yes, i *do* post a lot about vmps in subwoofer topics, because it's a largely overlooked product that offers supreme performance, especially for the money. the specs are outstanding - only the most expensive rels come close - and the performance is there to back it up.

as far as "hand(ing) us this garbage about the REL sound", i am only handing you my honest experience, & that of someone whose rigs i am very familiar with. just because you may not like it, or it is different from *your* experience, doesn't mean it's garbage. in fact, it seems likely to me, from experience of others above, that my experience is *not* out of the ordinary, if the x-over point is much above, say, 30 hz. for me, this eliminates one of the benefits of using a sub: the ability to cross over your main speaker so it does not have to see that last octave or two...

and, fyi, i *don't* think vmps is the only game in town - if i had the bucks, i'd surely audition a pair of bagend d18e-i's, w/an elf-1 integrator. this system, retailing at ~$6200 (w/no amps), can be had for ~$4k from fullcompass.com. if i *had* to have an active sub, i'd audition the bagend infrasub18, retailing for $1500, available from fullcompass.com for $1100...

http://64.213.162.194/lit/s_bagend.html

regards, doug s.