[donreitz]

I bit the bullet a little while back and purchased a pair of WLM La Scala floorstanders from Red Wine Audio. The reviews are correct in that the La Scalas put out an impressive amount of base for their size (among numerous other virtues). The bass is tight, dry, and tuneful. However, being a fan of Latin and other forms of percussion-heavy music, I'm hoping to dig just a little deeper in the bass region. Not pipe organ deep; just enough to add some meat to the bottom end. At the same time, I don't want to muffle the La Scalas' extraordinary lower mid frequency presence with a heavy-handed low frequency driver. It looks like I can use a reasonably priced subwoofer, but which one? Not knowing anything about them--other than having heard some very crappy ones on computers and in home theater systems--I asked for advice from folks who know. The consensus is that a sealed subwoofer is advisable given the speed and articulation of the La Scalas, and that perhaps a smaller sized woofer is appropriate for the same reason. ACI, Omega, and Zu Audio were recommended as having units that meet might be what I need.

My listening room is 14w x 16l. x 10h, which, I assume, makes it a medium sized room for determining proper subwoofer sizing. My system is simple: AES preamp (tubes), Crown D150 amp (transistors), and a Rega Apollo CD player.

I'm hoping someone will offer advice on which ACI subwoofer, if any, makes sense in this case. Any help is appreciated.
Don

 

[Mike Dzurko]

Don:

I may be just a WEE bit biased towards our subs   A Force XL will do a terrific job for you. With a little time investment and experimentation you'll be able to dial it in just right so you won't really know it's there until you turn it off. You'll definitely gain a lot of extension. If you really want the ultimate, you might even consider a stereo pair. . .  more and more folks are starting with a single and adding a second. Not so much for extra output, but for the advantages of stereo subs. But you need the space for two subs. The Force XL is pretty compact, certainly for what it can do it is downright tiny. Did I mention that IMHO they are some of the best built subs at any price? Happy to answer any questions you might have.

Perhaps others will chime in here as well . . .

[Panelman]

Don,

I'm using a Force with my Magnepan 1.6s and feel the output matches very well in my room which is a little larger than yours. I believe I have a very smooth integration and think you can accomplish the same. I want as much of the Magnepan bass as possible and the Force does not intrude on the panel sound.  I listen to many types of music, including Latin jazz such as Tito Puente and don't think the Force in any way damages the detail of the percussion.  If you do venture into larger orchestral or pipe organ music the Force will reproduce the lower tones cleanly and with power.

Between the ability to place the Force in many places in your room and its very flexible filters and phase switching I think you will be pleased.

Sean

[griller]

Get a Force or pair and don't look back. I've also sereiously listened to RELs, Velos, B&Ws, Vandys and a lot of others. A lot of subs will do the booming, this one does music, and goes real low when you need it. Don't know much about the others you mention, but looking at the description of the Omega, it looks a lot more like a woofer than a sub. It doesn't appear to go very low.

[Joe_K]

Hi Don,
I second all the above comments. You can’t go wrong with an ACI sub, they’re true audiophile subs. Stereo subs takes it to another level, but you can start with one and go from there. When I started looking for a sub two years ago I was all over the web and kept coming back to ACI, I’m glad I did. Very clean, tight, accurate bass! After having a sub it’s hard to imagine not having one. I liked it so much, I recently purchased another ACI sub for a second system.
Joe

[NewBuyer]

I will third this recommendation - get a Force XL.  Just outstanding.  Also, while having two may be ideal  , a single one may be all you need right now.

[Alwayswantmore]

...but looking at the description of the Omega, it looks a lot more like a woofer than a sub. It doesn't appear to go very low.

Have you seen the size of the magnet? The Omega DeepHemp driver has a natural and steep roll-off at 160Hz. So it is not a woofer. Sorry to weigh in, but the statement above is simply not accurate. [I've owned both Force XL and DeepHemp. Both are great subs. Different strengths, but both good.] Kent

[griller]

...but looking at the description of the Omega, it looks a lot more like a woofer than a sub. It doesn't appear to go very low.

Have you seen the size of the magnet? The Omega DeepHemp driver has a natural and steep roll-off at 160Hz. So it is not a woofer. Sorry to weigh in, but the statement above is simply not accurate. [I've owned both Force XL and DeepHemp. Both are great subs. Different strengths, but both good.] Kent

Hey I'm just going by the Omega website "26Hz in room response".  So what frequency is it -3db at anechoc? Probaby somewhere in the 30s. To me, that's a woofer, not a sub. Guess it depends on your definition of sub. And so what about the size of the magnet? Heck, 20 years ago in my car audio days we learned that was nothing but marketing "my magnet is bigger than yours".  It's the force to mass ration that counts. So I guess we just disagree.

[Alwayswantmore]

...but looking at the description of the Omega, it looks a lot more like a woofer than a sub. It doesn't appear to go very low.

Have you seen the size of the magnet? The Omega DeepHemp driver has a natural and steep roll-off at 160Hz. So it is not a woofer. Sorry to weigh in, but the statement above is simply not accurate. [I've owned both Force XL and DeepHemp. Both are great subs. Different strengths, but both good.] Kent

Hey I'm just going by the Omega website "26Hz in room response".  So what frequency is it -3db at anechoc? Probaby somewhere in the 30s. To me, that's a woofer, not a sub. Guess it depends on your definition of sub. And so what about the size of the magnet? Heck, 20 years ago in my car audio days we learned that was nothing but marketing "my magnet is bigger than yours".  It's the force to mass ration that counts. So I guess we just disagree.

All depends on what you want from your sub. Like I said earlier, I've owned both ACI and Omega, as well as a Vandersteen 2W. All three are good subs. All have their strengths.

[Ryan45872]

GO WITH THE FORCE!

I bought 2 the older Force subs a few months ago. I LOVE these subs. This is the first sub I've owned that showed me there was detail in bass. No boom,boom at all.  Just smooth, detailed, and powerful bass .  They are awesome on movies too.  I would love to here their Titan and Maestro subs .
You will not be disappointed!
Ryan