recommendations please

[DougMac]

Thanks for the information. I ordered two D-15 SE's. One for me and one for my son. Can't wait to hear it.

Congrats! Please post impressions when you've had a chance to listen.

Doug

[Jonnyozero3]

One of my early customers used the term "startling effect" to describe how these subs convey the special effects of movies better than other subs. He used the example of a horse race in one movie. The horses was at a distance first, then the camera suddenly moved to the horses at close-up. The correct contrast of these two scenes made him feel like he was run over by those horses.

Great stuff, Brian. I think these units are a great example of why how that term "musicality" matters in movie watching/home theater as well. I am nothing but extremely impressed with them. The scary part is, I almost want more subs now to make sure I have totally effortless headroom for my space

[jbjb]

Jonny....the Rythmiks are impressive. I was pretty sure you would find that out sooner or later. I am constantly impressed by how clean and the amount of impact the sub has, and to top it of, all with no overhang.

I think the term that Brian used in one of the thread over on AVS is "suddenness". The sub can hit you quickly, and then get out of the way.

One of my early customers used the term "startling effect" to describe how these subs convey the special effects of movies better than other subs. He used the example of a horse race in one movie. The horses was at a distance first, then the camera suddenly moved to the horses at close-up. The correct contrast of these two scenes made him feel like he was run over by those horses.

I'm looking at a new sub and seriously considering the F15. Hence me joining this forum to inquire more

The characteristics mentioned above - "no overhang", "suddenness", "startling effect" - are among the things which attract me to the F15. I guess this can only be achieved with a sealed sub as compared to a ported one? And would this be perceived as the bass being very "dynamic"?

[curtis]

I'm looking at a new sub and seriously considering the F15. Hence me joining this forum to inquire more

The characteristics mentioned above - "no overhang", "suddenness", "startling effect" - are among the things which attract me to the F15. I guess this can only be achieved with a sealed sub as compared to a ported one? And would this be perceived as the bass being very "dynamic"?

I am not sure if these characteristics can be found in a ported subwoofer or not, but I can tell you that the Rythmik does it extremely well.

Dynamics pertains to the ability of the sub to handle small nuances as well as loud passages....and yes, the Rythmik very detailed and dynamic.

[DougMac]

The characteristics mentioned above - "no overhang", "suddenness", "startling effect" - are among the things which attract me to the F15. I guess this can only be achieved with a sealed sub as compared to a ported one?

In some camps this would be fighting words. Proponents of ported design feel that differences in ported or sealed subs is more a function of design and execution than inherent architecture.

I think there's been a lingering prejudice against ported designs that date back to the first ported speakers. There were many which were poorly designed and when played next to a good sealed Advent, AR or Infinity sounded bad. Ported speakers are far more sophisticated nowadays, just ask Dave!

I think the "musicality" of Rhthmiks (which I've never heard) owes a lot to the servo design. I had a 10" Infinity Servo that I bought over 20 years ago that really did sound good. I replaced it only when it died a sudden and catastrophic death.

[jbjb]

In some camps this would be fighting words. Proponents of ported design feel that differences in ported or sealed subs is more a function of design and execution than inherent architecture.

I hope I didn't inadvertently start a fight! Yes, I do imagine that ported sub designs have evolved and any gap between sealed and ported have been reduced. I do notice that many ported subs nowadays sport rather large ports, I wonder if these contribute to the improvements?

Back to the F15. The frequency response is spec'd as 14-90 Hz +/- 2 dB. Any idea at what SPL output is this achieved at?

[DougMac]

This is a DIY Rhythmik. It's a 12". The info may give you a loose ballbark idea of performance:
http://www.hometheatershack.com/foru...ealed-56l.html

From what I'm seeing, the Rhythmik achieves that response at pretty high dbs.

I'm thinking the 15" in an enclosure designed by the manufacturer would give even better specs.
FWIW, Ikka, the guy that did all the tests, selected two 15" Rhythmiks for his own setup.

Doug

[jbjb]

Had a look at the link and saw the 1st graph in post #3. If I'm understanding it correctly, the sub maintains its nice and flat curve up to 95 dB. Beyond that level some compression starts to occur, e.g. looking at the power compression plot at 100 dB and 105 dB.

Compare this to the SVS PB12-NSD (another sub I'm also checking out) here: http://www.hometheatershack.com/foru...2-nsd-new.html If I'm reading it correctly, this sub can maintain output up to 105 dB before its graph suffers.

So if we compare the two subs, can I say that the SVS is operating comfortably within its limits up to 105 dB, whereas the Rythmik is up to 95 dB? Or have I got it all wrong?

Lastly, didn't know Ilkka has 2 15" Rythmiks for himself.