Upgrading from Quake

[pwood]

First off volume is not an issue as I have a semi detached house. Sometimes I feel the REL Quake is struggling to convey notes properly and gets confused for want of a better description. The BK XL200 is very popular on here and wonder ( taking sheer volume out of the mix) what improvements I would be likely to hear. Performance with music is very important. Downward firing is best for me as that avoids a grill cloth which would be hard for the cats to resist and tends to look better. Albeit as long as the drive unit rubber surrounds are well recessed a side firing one would be okay. The SVS powerbuy sub looks like its drive unit is well exposed hence why its not on my list.

Other suggestions would be welcome. Should I bother to change at all given volume constraints? The sub has to sit on the same plane as my seat approx 2.5m away on a laminate floor.

One other sub that a dealer has suggested to me is the Velodyne Micro vee but no one seems fussed on here ( with trade in it would be near the BK) the size means I could likely put it out of harms way.

[IronGiant]

Subwoofers are a pain in the bum they react to a room's dimensions in a way that any other piece of equipment doesn't. The lower they go the worse it gets. If the problem is your room, not your sub, then you won't improve anything by buying a new sub. Having said that, read these threads:

Rel Quake vs BK XLS200-DF

Bk Gemini vs REL Quake vs BK XLS200

Dave

[pwood]

Having read the thread it would appear I would note an improvement. In my old flat the Ruark floorstanders provided deep bass however when I moved to the semi with a totally different construction they produced nowhere near the deep bass I was used to. Adding the Quake made a massive difference. Thing is its more directional than I thought hence why I wondered if a superior unit with effortless power would fill out the sound more even at the same volume levels.

[danmc_82]

Maybe having a bigger drive unit and shifting more air would make it harder to detect where the sub is coming from, just a thought.

[pwood]

Yeah that's what I was wondering. But wondering and spending money are two different things

[Knyght_byte]

If your main concern is music but are not worried about having the kind of bass that breaks the floor literally, try grabbing a second hand REL STrata 5, I had one before I upgraded to my SVS PB12+ and whilst the PB12+ goes louder and deeper, it isnt as good with music as the REL was. I found the Strata 5 worked just nicely, fast enough to keep up with my rather agile Monitor Audio speakers and deep enough for most occasions. If however your music choice is mainly dance based and you want the ultimate depth then the SVS options are rather good. (or if movies is as much a priority, I cant deny the SVS ability there, mucho fun..heh)

Best bet though, demo anything you can, most good shops will allow you to do a demo at home if you can leave a suitable deposit as a sub is very much about placement and rooms as it is about the sub itself and good hifi shops will understand this. I dont know what recent REL stuff is like though (apart from the Stentor/Studio models which are fantastic) so I'm only recommending a sub I had and found thoroughly enjoyable and only upgraded because I wanted more for movies.

[pwood]

Unfortunately my normal shop of choice does not do home dems anymore as apparently they cannot do the usual credit card swipe method as they still get charged somehow. They also recommend that B&W sphere which I gather is no better than the £300 BK200.