Buy a pair of Rythmik L12's?

[larson92]

I need your help!

I'm new to Ascend, but I have three LX speakers on their way!

I also have two brand new SVS SB-1000 PRO subwoofers that are still on their trial period, so I could easily return them. But I've noticed that everyone on this forum seems to love the Rythmik subs.

For me, it would have to be the L12 subs, not the F12 due to cost. Cost is a little more than I got the SVS subs for, but not terrible. However, the L12's are on backorder until mid-October.

I could also get the REL HT-1205 MKII for just a little more ($650 each), but they are a little deep (in size) for the cabinet that they're going in (which I'm still designing, so I might be able to convince myself to make the room).

The room is nominally 14 x 16 with 9 ft ceilings, but it's an open floor plan that extends on three sides by 10 ft, 8 ft, or 14 ft.

The purpose is probably 70% Home Theater/30% music, and with the LX for L/C/R speakers I figured the subwoofers are primarily for HT. Plan to crossover at 60 or 80 -- thinking maybe 80 just because the LX's will be in a cabinet maybe 6-8 inches from the back of it.

Surrounds are Bowers & Wilkins M-1's. Probably cross them over at 80.

I don't think the REL sub goes low enough to really make a huge difference with the LX's (compared to using the LX's full range), even though musically it's a great sub.

So, I'm considering ordering the L12. What do you think?

Thanks!

[MusicHead]

I have owned a single L12 for many years now, together with a pair of Ascend CMT-340SE as L/R mains, crossed at 80Hz.
If I had the space I would add a second one in a heartbeat!
My room is a tiny bit longer and larger than yours but with 8ft ceiling. It is an open floor plan as well, but it extends on two sides into the rest of the lower level.
I am very satisfied with the results for both HT and Music. Being sealed, the L12 does not have the sheer output than a ported sub would have. However, because it is sealed, the frequency response drops off more gently than a ported sub. With the gain added by the room, it means that it will still have usable extension below 20Hz.
In your case, with two L12s you are adding 3dB of output, so you are golden.
Considering how controlled the L12 is, both because it is a sealed design and because of the servo, I think you will enjoy it with music too. I sure do!
I have no direct experience with SVS or REL, but the L12 at its price is an incredible value.

[Mag_Neato]

Although a bit larger and a little more money, the LV12M is the latest version of the LV12F, which I own 2 of. They will give you higher SPL vs the L12 by approx +3db. The L12M is more compact than my L12F, which may be the only significant difference. For a ported sub they are very tight and controlled, likely due to the Direct Servo technology. They may be on par in that category with most other manufacturer's sealed subs.

[larson92]

Although a bit larger and a little more money, the LV12M is the latest version of the LV12F, which I own 2 of. They will give you higher SPL vs the L12 by approx +3db. The L12M is more compact than my L12F, which may be the only significant difference. For a ported sub they are very tight and controlled, likely due to the Direct Servo technology. They may be on par in that category with most other manufacturer's sealed subs.

Thanks! It's the height and depth on the LV12M that kill me (along with the 60 lb weight).

My biggest hesitation on the 12L is that it will be placed in a cabinet with only a few inches on the sides, above, and behind and it weighs over 50 lbs. Since all of the controls are manual knobs on the back, this means that every little adjustment will be awkward.

The other slight hesitation is that the 12L doesn't have a 12V trigger input--and the Standby power consumption is a little high (7W). Similar to the above, I won't be pulling it out of the cabinet just so I can turn it on or off, so that means 7W of wasted power 24/7 -- which equates to 5 KWhr per month of wasted energy.

[Mag_Neato]

Thanks! It's the height and depth on the LV12M that kill me (along with the 60 lb weight).

My biggest hesitation on the 12L is that it will be placed in a cabinet with only a few inches on the sides, above, and behind and it weighs over 50 lbs. Since all of the controls are manual knobs on the back, this means that every little adjustment will be awkward.

The other slight hesitation is that the 12L doesn't have a 12V trigger input--and the Standby power consumption is a little high (7W). Similar to the above, I won't be pulling it out of the cabinet just so I can turn it on or off, so that means 7W of wasted power 24/7 -- which equates to 5 KWhr per month of wasted energy.

I don't know, does 5 KWhr/month equate to a lot? I guess you could use a smart power strip that is WI-FI connected? For my 2 mono amps that only have a on/off switch on the front, I have them plugged in to a remote controlled outlet pigtail. All 4 of my Rythmik subs (2 LV12F's and 2 F12's) are just on standby.

[Mag_Neato]

Once set up correctly you should not need to access the amp controls, but yeah, trying to dial it in like that will be a major PITA. What room correction method are you going to use, i.e Audyssey, Dirac, etc.? For most types of auto correction, you should only need to get the sub volume within acceptable range for the correction software to finish the setup, so if you can dial that in within a few tries you should be golden. The software will handle distance(phase), final volume levels and any applied room EQ.

[larson92]

Sorry folks, but in attempting to edit my post, it got deleted. Here it is again:

For two subs, it’s less than $1/mo, so it’s not much at all. And I should be able to work around this with something like a switched power strip.

The bigger hesitation is the challenge with adjusting them for my room (and I’ve heard the L12s are pickier than average for adjusting). The SVS subs are very easy to make adjustments on using the SVS app. But you should only have to adjust them each once, right?
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Note that by comparison, the SVS is 0.5 watts in standby.

[larson92]

I have Audyssey.

It’s playing with the phase that scares me—and I don’t think Audyssey does anything with phase.

[larson92]

I reread Mag Neato’s post, and I forgot that distance was the same as phase. So maybe all will be well! :-)

[curtis]

If you have two people and an SPL meter, setting phase is easy.

BTW...I think I read the sub is going into a cabinet? What kind of cabinet? It is generally not a good idea.