Audiophilepure

https://www.soundandvision.com/content/goldenear-forcefield-40-subwoofer-review

Knowing the sub’s limitations, I decided to stick with what it does best and concentrate on its musical prowess. First up is Hans Zimmer’s Live in Prague, available from Kaleidescape in 4K with a fantastic Dolby Atmos soundtrack. I jumped through various tracks and settled on “Captain Jack Sparrow” from Pirates of the Caribbean. According to an RTA measurement from REW, this song only features a little deep bass, with a steep roll-off at 35 Hz. Sure enough, the track sounds divine from my main listening position and at sane listening levels. In fact, it sounds similar to my reference subwoofer setup. Words that spring to mind are precise, quick, and natural.

“Victoria’s Secret” by Jax is one of the catchiest tunes I’ve heard in years, and I just can’t seem to get enough of it—just ask my wife, who has banned any further playback in her presence! Jax finished third on the fourteenth season of American Idol, and she wrote this tune for a child she was babysitting. The bass track doesn’t kick in until the 30-second mark, but it hits with authority, clear articulation, and presence when it does. Once again, the GoldenEar doesn’t disappoint as the young lady tells us that Victoria’s secret is “an old man who lives in Ohio.” If you haven’t heard the song, look it up—it’s LOL funny.

Pumping the bass way up, the jumpy, funky bass line in the Average White Band’s “Cut The Cake” pushes my chest cavity in as the volume control goes up. Hunter was headed home at 5 p.m, but I was up with a long list of bass-heavy tracks from RUN-D.M.C., The System, K.C. & The Sunshine Band, and some Prince until about 2 a.m. In the world of stuff, there are a few things I never get tired of, Porsche manual transmissions, the gentle click of a Leica rangefinder camera, and the way a REL subwoofer improves a system. It’s never less than extraordinary. 

The following day was reserved for more heavy rock and jazz. Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke, and Charlie Hayden all sound more similar than different on a lesser sub, but with the No.31, you can easily hear the distinct sound their instruments and playing styles make. Rather than bore you with a long playlist of tracks, the REL No. 31 excels at its function. Even when playing arena rock at brain damage levels, the RELs never run out of excursion.

At $7,500 each, these are not inexpensive subwoofers. However, if you’ve invested $30k to crazy money in a pair of main speakers, will you bring up the bottom with an inexpensive pair of subs? Whether you choose one, two, or six – you will be impressed by the added dimension the REL No.31s can deliver to your system.

The LoKe has become a valued part of my audio arsenal. Put bluntly, I’m smitten. The most important attribute that it has for my system is to create an enveloping sense of music in my listening room. It suffuses it with music. When I listen without the LoKe, the system simply sounds more two-dimensional. It lacks that sense of oozing sound emanating throughout the room. There are times when I’ll listen to my speakers with no subs at all. (I like to listen to different setups.) But for the ultimate listening pleasure, there’s no substitute for a quad of subs. This is a more than worthy successor to the older Wilson WATCH Dog subwoofer, which was no slouch itself. Daryl Wilson, who has succeeded to the helm of Wilson, deserves a lot of credit for successfully steering the company into a new era. If you have a big system and are hankering for more, then the LoKe may well offer it. The old audio rule holds: There is no replacement for displacement.

For music lovers short on space (and cash), hungry for added low-end content to enhance the listening experience, and willing to experiment to obtain optimal main speaker/subwoofer set-ups in their rooms, the SVS 3000 Micro subwoofer delivers—in spades. Its exceptional setup flexibility allows it to integrate into just about any high-end system. SVS’ 3000 Micro Subwoofer speed and tonal precision mean that it can keep pace with even very expensive main speakers. And the SVS 3000’s serious good looks and major cuteness factor are enough to make a mother blush.

What more could one ask for?

As for me, I’m keeping SVS’ 3000 Micro Subwoofer little wonder as a permanent addition to my reference system. Whether you pair it with a musically compelling but bass shy sub-$1000 mini monitor or a $25,000+ upper-crust stalwart, the littlest member of the SVS subwoofer family will not disappoint.