I have 2 Rel Carbon Ltd subs running off of the BHK 300’s to compliment Maggie 20.7s. Easy to integrate in a larger room. Easy to dial in. Big fan of 2 subs instead of one. Gives you power and ability to have subs out by the speakers for phasing and ability to better deal with natural room nodes. The hum issue is easily solved with a kit from Rel that you attach to the back of the BHK amps.
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thanks
wow what sub is this ?
thanks
wondering if you looked at the wireless options on the Rels ?
Revel B15
Notwithstanding the excellent advice already provided, here’s what I did with quite satisfactory results.
First thing, I’d recommend 2 subs. IMO it’s necessary in order to get the LF cues from both channels. If it were just home theatre then you may be able to get away with a single sub but not for 2-channel material.
Like you, living in Australia, we don’t have the same access to the diverse range of products to which our US friends have. When I could finally afford to throw some money at some decent speakers I decided on the B&W 800s. I found them to be lacking in the bottom end so after a lot of research and advice from my local retailer I went for the B&W DB1s. Why? Firstly, being new to the subby game I wanted to be careful with integration. Not surprisingly, the DB1s are tuned by default to the 800s, but you can tweak them if necessary. I found the default 80Hz crossover point was as seemless as advertised. Another convenience was that I could use the balanced ‘link’ connector on my monoblocks to directly tap into the output from my preamp - good for cable customisation.
Finally and maybe the most important factor is the listening space and the positioning therein. If you’ve not a purpose-built listening space then you need the maximum flexibility in locating the beasts. Living alone it’s not a problem but negotiating with a possibly indifferent partner is problematic. 
Oh, one more thought. Go for 2 of the best you can afford. You need to wring out as much of the LF details as you can. I’m constantly surprised by how much detail the recording engineers include in a lot of material considering that, surely, many systems wouldn’t be capable of resolving.
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I went from Sunfire to SVS then to JL Audio. I am not going anywhere from here. JL’s all the way!
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My experience with subs, ALL subs, is to carefully match their output to the room size. A too small set of subs run hard is not too great, and a set of too big subs not run hard enough isn’t either.
Look at the room size to sub recomendations and match that up. I had two 10" subs and had to switch to FOUR 12" sub woofers to properly get the SPL in a large basement. No, subs dn’t “pressurize” a room it is simple SPL level. Low bass takes a LOT of surface area to get SPL or excursion.
I can hear stereo subs SO MUCH better as the nodes in the room are smoothe over with two.The upper “image” is’t the subs but the mains. The fundamental and the harmonics have to be time aligned (the phase knob) to maximize the tonality…some call this slam. This is harder with TWO as the distances aren’t exact as rooms are not “linear” with furniture and the like.
But room nodes are far worse than a few degrees of phase error. Turn on an SPL meter with a 50 Hz tone and walk around your room and watch the meter. YIKES!
So get TWO of the proper sized subs for the SPL your room neeeds based on the volume of playback. If you do that you will be happy.
I’d ALSO make sure the subs you pick allow you to make adjustment in your seated position as PHASE is touchy to do unless you can do it real time where you sit as your in a “node” some where in your room and this is important to be in when you set phase.
PS REL are very good sounding subs. No, I don’t have them but set-ups I listen to at a friends house show their nature to be clean and tight.
Best,
Galen Gareis
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The JL Audio Fathom is the best subwoofer I have ever heard. I would check that out.
I have a pair of JL Audio “cheap” sub d110 (cannot afford the more expensive/better ones such as JL’s Fathom! Maybe for my next full system upgrade!)
I need a pair of sub that 1. To integrate to my two channel system for music (not for movie) 2. Compact size, ( my study is 12Wx20Lx8H) 3. Sealed (no port), 4. Lots of power for a good head room. 5. Design and build in USA . 6. Price within the range of my current speakers.
During my search, I come across JL Audio, which is very BIG in car sound system. My impression on high end car sound systems is that they all seem to have lots of bass. So I give it a try. LOVE it!
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Maybe your lucky day. My SVS SB13-ULTRA+ is for sale…
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The SVS 13 Ultra is another great sub imo…I owned that before I picked up my fathom.
Isn’t SVS purely made for Home Theatre?
The svs 13 ultra is actually a great sub for music. Its fully sealed, very accurate and can go very very low. Its worth a look imo.
Ported SVS…yes…home theater explosions
Sealed SVS…no…they are great for music.
Most online reviews for SVS subs tend to be home theater people looking for maximum booms, and they do love the ported subs. So I understand where you’re coming from. But the sealed box subs are musical and seamless when set up properly
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Hmm, not sure. All SVS I’ve heard was just to do explosions, I am not sure if they care about Audiophiles much. I’d stick to REL, or some other high end speaker manufacturers, call me biased, but that’s how I see them.
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Uncle Paul mentions REL alot…but there are alot of good brands he doesn’t bring up. I’m just giving you a hard time. 
But seriously, the svs 13 ultra is a great sub…svs is a great little company i general. Alot of companies have to bleed into theater hardware to stay alive but the 13 ultra is not simply a sloppy boomer. Its an articulate thunder strike.
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That’s why the whole forum just talks and buys REL 
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So true, as with so many other ideas and thoughts. Subs are like speakers - Good Ones are very costly, and so very few people have the opportunity to compare them with anything else. The REL Thing seems to often be about being able to run them from the amp output. It is one approach, but not an absolute.
Some of their models fire into the floor, which is sorta…
(I am not saying they are not good)
SVS subs of the sealed box variety are more than adequate for most 2 channel audio applications. If you want to rock your foundations get ported subs. They are for the home theatre crowd. If you are fine with single ended inputs SVS, is a great cost effective solution. If you need high level inputs, REL is a good option albeit overpriced for what you get. I have two SVS sealed box subs that were used to great effect with my KEF’s. I’m looking at JL fathoms right now as I want to use high level inputs with my Wilson’s.
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