Price Paid:  $459.00 from www.rythmikaudio.com

Summary:
In the past I was frustrated with trying to get subs to reproduce music accurately. I would EQ the subs and the mains to the same response, yet for the same output and frequency response, it was obvious when the subs were going. Bass was lacking detail. I didn't want to choose between HT impact and accuracy for music.

I bought two of these kits for my home theatre. My demands are more difficult than most. My mains are open baffle down to 80 Hz, so they require subs which are articulate up to 80 Hz. Most subs are need to be crossed at 40 Hz since they aren't accurate in the mid to upper bass region. Previously I had trouble when I tried to cross at 80 Hz even with a steep 4th order filter. What impresses me about these subs is that they can seamlessly integrate with accurate speakers.

When I first hooked them up they reminded me of the sound of some high end focal woofers. Those drivers alone, with much less output and no amp, cost more than this entire kit. The clean and uncoloured upper bass means you can enjoy the subtle nuances of acoustic double bass. Most subs seem to mask the detail. As a result, you end up crossing them low to minimise the damage.

Strengths:
Very accurate reproduction up to 100 Hz

EQ controls to suit different rooms

Very attractive

A DIY sub with no design required - considerable expertise is required to design a sub (it's not as simple as many DIYers think). The servo ensures a stable and flat response is achieved.

Excellent value for money - those considering similar products like Velodyne, Paradigm and Martin Logan could build 2 or more of these kits and still save money.

Weaknesses:
In my particular setup, the output is thermally limited by the amp. When the urge hits to crank the volume for insanely loud rock music for an extended period, I've had the amp shut down on me. Pushed too hard, it shuts down to protect itself. Given time to cool down again, it will come on again. With rock music with heavy sustained bass, this happens well before excursion limits are reached. This could be avoided with a 1kw amp, however the cost is much higher.

Similar Products Used:
The only other subs I've owned are AE speakers AV12 which are manufactured by TC sounds, however, I've auditioned many different commercial and DIY subs including Peerless XLS, Adire Audio Shiva, Tempest and Tumult, Whatmough, B&W, M&K. Most of those products aren't actually very similar.