speemike
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Rel T7 vs Rythmik F12G
bierfeldt
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I love the Rel subs but you have a huge room and I don't think that 200w amp is going to get the job done in a big room like yours. The Rythmik is better at 370w, but that is still a huge room. I am not sure if either will really cut it for you.

If it was me, I would seriously look at the Sunfire HRS12. Incidentally, I own one and have it in a 22' x 20' room. It has plenty of power to fill the room with thundering bass if required yet is ultra detailed like any high quality, sealed sub so it is very musical. It is a gloss black, 13" cube with a 1000w class A/B amp using Bob Carver's tracking downconverter. It is $50 more than the Rel T7 at $1050 but is a mind boggling good for the money. The only issue is that it seems to be out of stock at Crutchfield and OneCall. You might need to talk to a local dealer - though local dealers will usually haggle.

There is an HRS10 which is an 11" cube and still 100w for $100 less - $200 less at OneCall. Sunfire says it isn't quite going to cut it for a large room. You could try it as both retailers have generous return policies.

Here is an audioholics review of it compared to a JL Audio Fathom which is 3x as expensive and is the gold standard in subwoofers.

http://www.audioholics.com/subwoofer-reviews/sunfire-hrs-12-subwoofer/hrs-12-listening-tests

I might also consider the NHT B-12d which is a 500w amp and is either $799 or $899 - basically a good value but doesn't go as deep as the sunfire's do.

speemike
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I actually heard the Sunfire HRS12 the other day. The salesman did a demo frequency sweep for me and it was really impressive. I had seriously considered buying it that day, but when I reviewed Sunfire's website they suggested the 12 be used for movies and not music. Thanks for the link, I will take another look at the Sunfire.

bierfeldt
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The HRS speakers were a line of Home Theatre speakers. I have a 7.1 system using the HRS speakers with that HRS 12 sub. I think that guidance is driven more because the HRS8 is not entirely suited to home theatre applications unless it is a very small room. The HRS10 is a bit of a tweener in that it can do home theatre in smaller rooms and music in medium rooms and the HRS12 is a monster. The 12 is just as refined as the 8 but can thunder in ways that 8 just can't since it can deliver 16hz. My benchmark track for evaluation is Miles Davis So What where it opens with a very distinct string bass. I could hear no difference between the HRS12 and the HRS8 when I demo'd them in store. They both sounded amazingly clear I thought were on par with the Rels I demo'd but with 5x more power and were superior to Revels I demo'd.

Incidentally, I was so impressed with the HRS12, when I put together my music only system, my plan was to get and HRS8 for that system. Smaller room at 10 x 15 so I just didn't need the 12. Then Sunfire discontinued the Tru line which they have since replaced with the XTEQ line. The result was, I got a Tru Super Junior from an authorized dealer with warranty for $700.

commsysman
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When Stereophile reviewed the Q900 they ran them with and without a subwoofer, and determined that the Q900 had so much bass of its own that the subwoofer was not adding anything. The Q900 is also a great speaker for a large room like yours, so I would suggest sticking with them.

I think you should get an amplifier with more power rather than add a subwoofer. I think you are currently underpowered, and your amplifier is not capable of delivering well-defined low bass.

With the right type of amplifier, you will find that the Q900 is a much better speaker in all respects than what you are hearing now with the current inadequate amplifier.

I suggest the Arcam A38 amplifier.

speemike
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Thank you for the comment on the Q900s. I have been impressed with the way they sound. You are right in that they are under powered. I have debating getting a bigger amp or smaller speakers. The Q900s sound good but they are huge and not the nicest looking. I was thinking of maybe moving them down to the basement for home theater eventually. I ran a test on the Q900s and they started dropping out at around 55hz, plus I was given $450 to replace an old sub that was damaged in a basement flood. But like you said, I may be better off putting that money elsewhere.

Allen Fant
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Both the Sunfire & REL sub(s) are the best, musical, subwoofer in the market place!

Pluto
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For that size room I would suggest at least two subs. My room is slightly smaller than yours and two T7s work beautifully.

Can't go wrong with REL. In my experience they are the easiest to integrate and sound very musical.

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