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Have not demoed Rythmic, but I happily use a REL T9 with my 1.7, and two of the local Magnepan dealers also pair 1.7's with T-7's or T-9's. The now discontinued R series is even tighter - Music Direct is closing out a white R-218 @ $1200, which frankly would be the very best choice. REL is now bringing in the much more expensive "S" series, so R's have to go. I'll bet if you called MD you could even get the price knocked down from $1200. Otherwise soon will be demoing subs from MJ Acoustics, who are made up of ex-REL guys when REL was sold to Sumiko (?). They essentially are based on the same principal of compact fast sealed compact subs w/ speaker level speakon connectors. Enclosures are not as glossy slick modern as REL, but pricing is better. Now that REL "R"s will be no more, all but the TOTL RELs will have passive radiators, which is good for added LF extension, but somehow all / only one good driver sealed designs still seem better to me for music. They do have some ported subs for HT use, but one driver sealed is primarily what MJ Acoustics does now. Will report back when I demo. But for the here and now, I'd snap up that REL R-218 or get a T7 or T9 depending on room size and wants for low end extension. P.s. For an MMG the REL T5 would be ideal. I own one of those as well (along w/ a T Zero for office system - zero probably not enough for a medium sized room).
Jarcher,Just wonderin if you have had alot of audio time with the REL subs. Since I have not heard many talk about the different models REL they have heard, please share more info. Is the S series much better that the T series? Are they really tight and tuneful? I really wonder how they fare when compared to the Rythmik subs like the F12 or F12G. Why do you think the T5 would mate well with the MMGs?
REL currently has three lines : the "t" series, the new "s" series and the Gibraltar TOTL subs. The "s" replaced the "r" that presumably was too close in price and cone size to the "t" series. T-Zero : 6.5" ; 100W ; $500T-5 : 8" ; 125W ; $700T-7 : 8" active / 10" passive ; 200W ; $1KT-9 : 10" active / 10" passive ; 300W : $1.2KREL R-218 (discontinued) : 10" active ; 250W : $1.4K (now $1.2K)The "S" series are $1,500, $2K, and $2.5K respectively. They start @ 10/10/250W and go to 12/12/550W. The sport a newer Class D amp + some tweaks to the cone design and optional wireless, along with a slightly spiffier cabinet (which presumably is improved over the T as well). Maybe some crossover magic as well. The active driver is now forward firing and passive down (which is the opposite of the T series). You may note a touch of cynicism - not sure this series represents a substantial step up from the "t" series at the asking price. Seems more marketing driven.The "G" are the TOTL and all sealed (10 or 12) with massive cabinets, amps and price tag ($3500 & $4500) though that pricing is on par in the "flagship" class for competitors Velodyne and JL Audio, though those may have more bells and whistles. For a 1.7 or 3.7 magnepan, to me the "sweet spot" is the discontinued R-218 for music. All sealed, good cone size, sufficient power, not super expensive. For an MMG I'd say the T-5 ; primarily because MMG's are designed for smaller to mid-size room and you're not going to pair a $600 speaker w/ a sub much above that pricing. I've had 3 different REL subs, the T-1, the T-5 and the T-Zero for 3 different systems (basement HT / AV, living room, and office respectively). The T-1 and T-5 I've had for about a year and a half. The T-Zero for about 9 months. The T-1 I recently replaced with a T-9 directly via REL because it had developed some interior bracing rattle at high volume / low frequency. I paid the difference in price between the two & the shipping, which was a fair though not awesome deal (they basically sold me a T-9 at dealer cost). I didn't want to have a broken or fixed sub and have to sell it used at a loss if I was honest and disclosed the fact. I've only come across one mention of a similar problem online, so don't want to disparage the REL T-1 (and similar T-2) because it's possible that mine was a more isolated incident. All I know is that the T-9 is very similar to the previous T-1 in that basically only the cabinet of the T-9 is different (and presumably better). The T-1, and now the T-9 that I've had for a few days and am still breaking-in, I've used with the 1.7s. The T-9 is sounding a bit tighter & more extended vs the T-1, but I'm still breaking it in. They both integrate well, meaning tonally and speed-wise, giving me primarily that 30-40HZ range I want. Their output frankly is limited below 30khz despite whatever their specs may say. But what they do do, they do well, which is tight tuneful unobtrusive bass for music. It's not an awesome sub for HT because of that lack of super LF bass - for which you probably need a ported sub anyway (or a massive & expensive TOTL big cone sealed sub). I have dual cheapo 12" Velodynes for HT for that reason. The T-5 I've been using w/ Totem Arros, which are very fast 4" mid / bass cone based speakers. About as fast as you get in a conventional cone speaker vs planar. Again they keep up, don't stick out, and have more than sufficient extension and volume for a medium sized room. I have also taken them to a friend's to try w/ MMG's in a medium size room, and they worked well. The T-Zero I used with limited LF desktop monitors. To blend with these the T-Zero needs to crossover more around 80HZ, and the small 6.5" driver is capable of doing that precisely. And it fits unobtrusively below my desk. An 8" nor much less a 10" would not work well for that purpose. So that's my long run through the REL range + my personal history. The short answer is "yes - they are tight and tuneful - even the ones with a passive radiator - but the R218 which is 10" and all sealed would be for me the one to have w/ the 1.7's". I don't have any experience w/ Rythmik subs, so can't comment. The T-5 works well w/ MMG for the reasons described above (speed & room / price match w/ MMG). Lastly, I have heard briefly at an audio show the SVS SB13 though mostly in a HT demo. I would certainly buy it at $1600 vs the REL G series for home theater at a fraction of the cost. My concern would be that the cone is a bit too big and insufficiently rigid for adequate speed w/ Maggies for music. But without having been able to do that particular demo, this would just be speculative on my part. Ideally I'd want both a REL T or R for music (or perhaps even two), and an SVS SB13 for HT. If / when I get more deeply into HT, then the cheapo entry level Velodynes will go on Craigslist and be replaced by an SVS SB13 - or God forbid TWO - for HT. As previously mentioned an alternative to REL is MJ Acoustics. Basically many of their models are spec wise similar to the vaunted REL "R" series, but at lower cost. Those deep piano gloss finishes of REL presumably aren't cheap, but on the other hand don't do anything to make them sound better. And in a darkened room or hidden behind something even less materially important. All of which is why MJA is on my watch list. And now I've rambled too long....hope the above helps!
edn4x4,You have a similar system to mine. Only difference is that my preamp is the Fet Valve Hybrid. I have not had the money to upgrade to the "cf" version yet. Is the upgrade worth it?Right now I am leaning toward a Rythmik F12G, but I am not sure yet.
I am going crazy trying to decide between a Rythmik F12G with paper driver or a REL T-9 for my 1.7s. Anyone compare these two with Maggies?
