Audiophilepure

https://stereo-magazine.com/review/jl-audio-gotham-v2-review

The Superbass mission should succeed. We STEREO editors have long been convinced of the value of high-quality subwoofer support thanks to such, admittedly rather rare experiences. There remains much more than “just” the bass as a benefit, the whole sonic picture becomes more relaxed, more natural and confident, audibly larger and wider, because the human brain immediately perceives through the lower frequencies and more clean energy in the lower registers that this has to be a large room; the sense of space is much more obvious. Otherwise sometimes sharp hissing sounds are softened. If you take the subwoofer out of the playback chain after the best possible measurement, room EQ and thus ideal integration and a few tracks you have heard, you are horrified at how much is suddenly missing.

JL Audio‘s flagship Gotham V2 stands as a technology leader, as “Formula One”, which is supposed to – and can – show what is possible in the lower layers in terms of outstanding quality. It masters both the depth down to below 20 Hertz and the ultimate precision with virtuosity – and not least thanks to the 4.5 kilowatt amplifier power and efficiency, it is a master of volume, which makes it an absolute reference for both music and cinema beyond our test experience. It thus eludes, for obvious reasons, its assessability by moving into the “high-end extreme”. It doesn’t get any better. Wow!

https://www.soundandvision.com/content/definitive-technology-descend-dn-15-subwoofer-review

The DN15 is powered by a 500-watt (1,500-watt peak) class-H digital amplifier with a 56-bit DSP that includes three custom EQ modes (Flat, Loud, and Deep). It has an Intelligent Phase Control with eight different options to optimize and align the subwoofer’s phase with that of your main speakers. Along with the phase adjustment, rear-panel controls include volume, EQ, and low pass filter settings, and there’s a button to toggle the sub’s front LCD display on/off. A power switch offers three settings: Auto, On, and 12V. There are also IR and 12V trigger inputs, along with line-level stereo RCA and LFE inputs, and high-level speaker inputs. A small remote control is included that lets you control volume, phase, EQ, display, and low pass settings from the comfort of your couch as opposed to manually reaching behind the sub to make on-the-fly adjustments. Sadly, there’s no parametric EQ or smartphone/tablet control app available to modify EQ outside of the three presets mentioned above.

https://www.soundandvision.com/content/osd-black-trevoce-12-eq-dsp-subwoofer-review

Starting out in the music room, I first streamed Steven Wilson’s “King Ghost” from his album The Future Bites (24-bit/96kHz FLAC, Qobuz). The swells of bass in this song were rendered in a clean and very dynamic manner. There was also a distinct fullness to the low end that added warmth to the overall sound and provided a solid foundation for the electronic drums, synths, and ethereal vocals to float upon. Comparing the sub’s performance with EQ switched off, the bass came across notably muddier, and dynamics were muted as well.

The same qualities I noted in the Wilson track carried over when I next spun “Valley” from The Orb’s 1995 album Orbus Terrarum on CD. This electronic track features truly deep, subsonic bass, and I was impressed with how much of it I was hearing with the Trevoce 12 in my setup. The cascading rise and fall of the synthesized bass line had a clean quality, while the occasional low slam of percussive elements was conveyed with impressive power and tactile impact. I was also able to push the volume to near-uncomfortable levels and not experience loss of clarity—the sub tracked the loudness increase in an easy, agile manner.

The SVS PB-1000 Pro and SB-1000 Pro Subwoofers

Thanks to said presets, if you happen to be an audio enthusiast that uses multiple speaker setups, or want to mix it up now and then, being able to store a few setups makes it a lot easier to engage multiple speakers. Using a pair of stand mounted monitors for a more intimate system, or perhaps swap for some large floorstanders, or drag a pair of Magnepans out? Easy, and I did just that, trying the 1000 series subs with a pair of small Maggies, a pair of Sonus faber Lumina 1s and a pair of Focal Arias. All were easy to mate with the SVS subs. I wouldn’t hesitate to use them with anything.

As I mentioned earlier, you’ll need the Gravis app to do the majority of the subwoofer’s setup. I grabbed a copy of the Gravis app from the Apple App Store and installed it on my iPhone 11 Pro. The app found the Gravis III within a few seconds and prompted me to connect via Bluetooth. Even once paired, the blue connectivity light on the back of the sub continued to blink every few minutes which was very noticeable when watching movies at night. Fortunately, Sonus faber released a firmware update to address this and now the light will only blink a few times when the Gravis powers up. From the main app screen, you can see the available Gravis subs, a choice of four EQ modes, and a volume level. Choosing the sub you wish to calibrate allows you to select some additional screens. I tried the Auto EQ first. The app prompts you to place your phone near the sub and then triggers a test tone

https://stereo-magazine.com/review/velodyne-microvee-x-review

The Velodyne-typical “Digital Drive Control System” (DDCS) is supposed to ensure extremely low distortion. It should be clear that the MicroVee X, which weighs almost ten kilograms, was not designed to be combined with floorstanding speakers the size of telephone booths or extremely loud low bass orgies. Let‘s be honest here: everyone wants bass, but you wouldn‘t want to see an accompanying or even necessary subwoofer.

The MicroVee X is an ideal, extremely ambience-friendly solution for helping a rather compactly designed music system or even a small home theater corner to significantly more emphasis in the lower registers – and that already in its third generation. It can indeed do this with an astonishing authority and sovereignty. In contrast to many a competitor that works around dominant frequencies and is also larger, it reveals itself to posses an extremely subtle spirit. Through physics, the sub furthermore also ensures that the impression of spaciousness can be dramatically improved when using it. Lower tones indeed suggest a much larger room. Textures in the bass, for example from the classic albums “Crime Of The Century” by Supertramp, Pink Floyd‘s “The Wall” or “Rumours” by “Fleetwood Mac”– which I probably know better than any other record – can be followed very clearly and cleanly with the MicroVee. And what about some “Boom” in the home theater? No problem either, in fact, quite the contrary. As a very good addition to smaller speakers, it com

So far, so REL. What the T/7x does is introduce some extra speed and weight to the bass, the sort of performance normally expected from more upmarket models in the line. Weight here is a difficult subject because the Serie T/7x does not make a small speaker seem ‘weightier’, just ‘bigger’ and more importantly ‘better’ across the midrange. I used this in particular with the Rogers LS3/5A SE tested in this issue and this proved to be both an ideal test subject and an ideal candidate for the Serie T/7x. The REL added depth to the sound, but not in the way that it changed the tonality of this well-known speaker system; more that it filled in the bottom end in the same way the SE version fills in the midrange over the original; thoroughly, but paradoxically almost imperceptibly.. The REL was fast enough to pass the Trentemøller test [‘Chameleon’, The Last Resort, Poker Flat] and provided enough reinforcement to make out a few more left-hand piano notes on the Liszt B-minor Piano Sonata played by Martha Argerich’s during her Début Recital {DG], but more importantly on this recording, it also gave that recording the sense of space and gravitas needed to make it something truly outstanding. Switch the sub off and seemingly not a lot happens to the sound, but the sound also collapses and becomes insubstantial. Put it back in and the bass is not overt or oppressive, in fact, it’s almost not there, but the way the T/7x delivers that ‘almost not there’ bass makes all the difference. And, if you compare that bass delivery to previous REL designs under about £1,500, the new T/7x has both more substance and form and less intrusion into the sound of the speakers.

REL T/9x Subwoofer

As mentioned, each of the three models in the /x series provide a similar voice and level of resolution. The one (or pair) you choose will depend heavily on how low your main speakers can extend, the volume of your listening room, and ultimately how loud you play music.

Moving up to the Serie S subs brings more refinement in every aspect, though at a higher cost. If you are looking for a high performance, yet compact and cost-effective way to add low frequency extension, the REL T/9x is fantastic. The T/x subwoofers are meant to be used as single subwoofers or in pairs, they can’t be expanded to six-pack array service. This may be your ultimate decision when trying to decide between a pair of T/9x’s and a single S510. If you want bang for the buck, and a minimal box compliment, the T/9x will serve you well. Higher audiophile ambitions? Maybe the S/510. Or, just put the T/9xs in another system. I can spend your money all day.