Rythmik subwoofers

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by audiorocks, Aug 30, 2016.

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  1. audiorocks

    audiorocks Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    California
    I have a Pinnacle Baby Boomer subwoofer. It's my first sub and I'm having so much fun with it that I want to upgrade to a Rythmik because I've heard they're great. My speakers are Omega Super Alnico Monitors. There are a lot of choices here but not a lot of info to help guide me to the right one:

    Rythmik Audio • Direct Servo subwoofer products »

    I know I want a sealed enclosure but beyond that I'm a bit puzzled.

    I'm also curious about what I should expect from a subwoofer upgrade like this. Tighter and deeper bass? I can't imagine louder bass would be a benefit since I'll inevitably be dialing it down to integrate with the main speakers anyway.
     
  2. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    whatever you do make sure your next subwoofer has a continuous phase adjustment. a continuous 0 to 360 degree phase adjustment lets you blend it seamlessly with your main speakers and yields the smoothest frequency response.
     
    audiorocks likes this.
  3. Kyhl

    Kyhl On break

    Location:
    Savage
    I have a Rythmik DS15SE and it works great.
    (D) - Down firing which it looks like they stopped making.
    (S) - Sealed
    15 - 15"
    SE - is the gloss black finish.

    At 600 watts it is way more sub than I need in a 315 sq foot room. It runs just above an idle most of the time with the volume set at about 9:00. I bump it up a notch for movies.
    I've played around with the servo settings and prefer the mid damping, high was too dry for my tastes.

    Opt for the PEQ version. You will want to get a mic and REW to dial it in. The mic and REW will help immensely with placement, phase adjustment, crossover point, and volume. The PEQ will tame a single frequency caused by the room. I recommend taming the biggest lowest frequency. It's art as much as science. I picked the biggest frequency that also created harmonic ringing. That tamed both the source peak and it's harmonics.

    You can order the amp to fit your your connections. I went with XLR inputs. Someday, if my preamp changes, it is good to know that I can order a replacement amp to fit a new connection arrangement.

    When looking at the settings on the amp, the Delay knob is your phase adjustment. Phase cannot be adjusted forward in time, only backwards, so they call it delay.

    I've had my amp for about three years now without no issues. Using REW and a mic to set up it sits there doing its business without fuss.
     
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  4. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I have two Rythmik F12SEs and they're great subs. Excellent subs for music and as a company owner Brian Ding is great to deal with.

    Bill
     
  5. beowulf

    beowulf Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chula Vista, CA
    Great advice from everybody and good choice of a sub to look into, the amps use MOSFETS which generate a really nice analog sound in comparison to some of the other plate amps that I've heard. IME they are one of the best subs for music that I've came across.

    Here's a couple of things to ponder from someone who owns both Omega speakers and Rythmik subs.

    Firstly, since the Omega's are single drivers and use no crossover ~ they are super fast in their presentation. I have found that most subs I've tried before the Rythmik had a hard time keeping up. I tried a few cone materials as well and I think that the lighter weight paper cones are faster than other materials ... so I would recommend paper over the others when it comes to pairing them with the 6.5" Hemp AlNiCO cones of the Omega as there is less mass to stop and start to keep up with them.

    Secondly, since the Omega's are single drivers (while the imaging is insane as you probably know already) they do not generate the spl's that a multi-driver speaker can once the volume is really cranked up. To compensate for this I have found that subs with a higher crossover point of up to 200 - 250 Hz can really fill in from the mids on down.

    So with those points in mind, I would recommend a sealed box enclosure with the GR Research SW-12-04 drivers paired with Rythmik's A370PEQ amplifiers. In fact, I love the pairing so much that I am in the midst of having Louis from Omega build me a custom pair of speakers that will be a 2 chamber cabinet. The upper chamber will be ported and house the Omega single driver AlNiCO Hemp cones and the bottom chamber will be sealed and house GR Research's 12" servo paper woofer drivers and Rythmik MOSFET amps.

    You can click here to read about the GR Research drivers and will give you a good idea of why I think they pair better with the faster Omega's.

    Anyways, that's my .02 worth :agree:
     
  6. audiorocks

    audiorocks Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    California
    It's funny that you mention a high crossover. I'm using the Pinnacle Baby Boomer sub with its crossover disabled and it sounds great.
     
  7. Ellsworth

    Ellsworth Forum Resident

    I have the same speakers and am using the Omega Deep 8 sub with it. I am sure you have probably considered a matching Omega sub but for what it's worth I find the combination works very well.
     
  8. audiorocks

    audiorocks Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    California
    An Omega sub is tempting but I'm intrigued by the servo technology in the Rythmik subs.
     
  9. Lester Best

    Lester Best Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Bklyn NY
    Servo technology for woofers is @ least 40 yrs old. Implementation is the key.
     
  10. Bill Hart

    Bill Hart Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin
    Agree with this. I had Brian do a 12" sealed with the glossy ebony finish of the SE, but using the paper cone, which is apparently more natural sounding than the metal coned version. (I don't think the 15" comes in anything but metal cone). I am using multiple subs- not even matching- one old Velodyne 15" (I also have an 18" but not in use in the room), and I managed to get everything to gel, partly from measurements, partly by using a stand-alone digital room correction device on the old Velodyne to flatten it, then rolling it off heavily, and partly through placement- the Velodyne is in one "corner" but not hard against the walls, and the Rhythmic is roughly 1/3 of the way into the room, on the other side, at an angle. I dialed in the polarity/phase adjustment - I am matching a set of 4 10" woofers that don't really go down super deep or loud, and ultimately, don't want the woofer/subwoofer array to muck up the midrange of my horns. It works- though it is a bit of a kludged together thing- the subs are run off parallel outputs from my line stage, and the woofers on the Avantgardes (horn/dynamic hybrid) are fed from a speaker level input from the output of my amp (they are self-powered woofers). Until I revisit the entire array after I move and do a new room, this not only works but:
    gives me more even bass response in the room;
    lays a foundation that you don't often hear as 'distinct bass' but helps create more gravitas and depth to the system as a whole;
    doesn't mess with my midrange;
    didn't require a lot of extra cost wires, outlets or set up beyond the time required to dial it all in;
    was extremely cost-effective for the quality.
     
    beowulf likes this.
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