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Subwoofer Recommendation for RP280F


Raider

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I have a pair of RP280F's and an RP500C that I am currently using for music and HT.  Later I'll add ceiling mounted rear speakers.  The house is an open floor plan and the living room opens into an adjacent kitchen/dining area.  I love the RF280F, and am amazed at the low end response of these speakers which almost negates the need for a sub... almost.  I have been searching for a sub that will basically supplement the lowest octave of these speakers, in the 20 to 40 hz range, maybe as high as 80hz depending on how the crossover points shake out.  I really love the clarity and articulation of the towers at all frequencies, and wish to preserve their accuracy and musicality in the lowest octaves with a good sub.down to about 20 hz.  I also am looking for something that is sensitive from whisper quiet volumes up to my limit of about 95-100 db max.  Many subs that have high output sometimes don't seem to come alive until they are fairly loud.  I'd like something articulate even at low volumes.  I'm not so concerned with being able to shake the house with HT effects as I am with just having available dynamic range and headroom. 

 

In my search so far, I have considered the RSL Speedwoofer 10;  Rythmik L12 or F12; the SVS SB200 Pro or SB3000; or PhantomFocus PFM ICE-Cube 12.  If anyone has had experience pairing any of these subs with Klipsch towers, please give your experience.

 

I have looked at Klipsch subs as well, but many seem more oriented toward HT than music. I was hoping some folks here could give insight on any Klipsch subs that would work well for my application..

 

Thanks

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2 hours ago, Raider said:

In my search so far, I have considered the RSL Speedwoofer 10;  Rythmik L12 or F12; the SVS SB200 Pro or SB3000

My SVS SB13 Plus mates very well with my RF-63 floorstanders in my 5000ft3 open plan room.  For music the single sub is fine but in such a large room, my Revel B15 helps to pressurize the room for HT.  I do suggest twin subs or dual subs if at all possible.

 

Bill

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8 hours ago, willland said:

My SVS SB13 Plus mates very well with my RF-63 floorstanders in my 5000ft3 open plan room.  For music the single sub is fine but in such a large room, my Revel B15 helps to pressurize the room for HT.  I do suggest twin subs or dual subs if at all possible.

 

Bill

Thanks for the feedback. Would I be correct in assuming the SB13 to be similar to the SB3000? 

 

I forgot to mention that my budget is about $1k or less, and of course, WAF is at play, so dual subs may be pushing that issue, but I haven't ruled it out .  

 

I've considered dual Speedwoofer 10's but am concerned the data doesn't show them to be particularly strong in the very octave I am most interested in.   

 

I could do two Rythmik L12's or one F12. I very much like the Rythmic's low distortion servo design, but they lack the remote configuration features of the SVS.  

What I don't know is whether the SVS can match the low distortion and accuracy the Rythmik are known for.  But I suspect the SVS has a bit more output which translates into increased headroom.

 

I may be able to get one of the PFM ICE-Cube12's and try it out in my home.  Given the reputation of its designer in studio environments, it may well have the accuracy and output I am looking for.  

 

As I found from my car stereo days with subs generally speaking it comes down to the fact that, to borrow a phrase from racing,  there is no replacement for displacement.  And it comes down to the tradeoffs associated with Hoffman's Iron Law.  Each design has its own tradeoffs, and each design is only as good as the execution of that design. My goal is to try to find the sub whose attributes best meet my application.  

 

I am replacing a first generation JL Fathom sub.  Its amplifier failed after a few years, and I had to order a box for it, pay to have it shipped to JL where they repaired the amp under warranty and paid to ship it back to me.  However after only a few years the amp has failed again in the same way.  I would have to buy a box again, ship it to JL, and since it's out of warranty, pay $400 to have the amp serviced.  So, I'd have to spend about $550-600 at this point to get it going again, but I don't have much confidence that the replacement would last much longer than the first.  I'm thinking it's just time to move on to something else, and may try to sell it as is for what I can get out of it. 

 

I also considered gutting the amp and using an outboard amp, but couldn't come up with a cost effective solution that didn't resemble a Rube Goldberg project.  Last night I stumbled across an SVS 13-Ultra amplifier upgrade on their site that has me scratching my head if perhaps I could replace the Fathom amp with that amp.  I would lose the JL autotune function, but gain the remote access of the SVS.  But the impedance of the JL sub might not be a match for the SVS amp, lots of unknowns, Dr. Frankensub.

 

Regardless, I appreciate the feedback here from folks with similar preferences in speakers at to what has worked in their situation. 

Edited by Raider
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1 hour ago, wuzzzer said:

All the SVS subs I've had were fantastic.  Currently running two SB-2000s.

Thanks, very relevant, one of the subs I'm considering.  I found out last night that Bestbuy handles SVS.  I plan to go audition soon.  I've seldom heard anything bad about either SVS or Rythmik, except perhaps when a sub was chosen that was too small for the given space and just didn't have enough output.

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  • 5 weeks later...

I’ve got RP-280Fs in  a similar room to yours.  I’m using a Bill Fitzmaurice designed T18 that I built last year. It pairs quite well with the 280Fs. It might not go quite as low as you are looking for, but it sounds great, and fills the room with nice bass. Great subs at a great price, if you don’t mind a little DIY. To be honest, it would be better with a pair of them but my WAF only allows for one, tucked into a corner. 

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