I am thinking of a pair of rythmik F8 , or Fm8 , or F12g, The room is 40 x 15 x 15 (9000 cu ft) Listening area is limited to half that space. Currently the 3.7i are driven by a pair of magtech monoblocks. Themids and highs are clear and articulate. For example, Barber's adagio for strings has a passage where the violins stretch way high - you're waiting for something to crack as the pitch climbs up into the stratosphere. I have never heard such musical 'tension' reproduced so well. But on the other hand, Bach's cello suites with original instruments
http://vivatmusic.com/catalogue/bach-cello-suites
lacks the gut pressure that the cello can impart on standard speakers with large woofers. I find the cello just talking to me rather than grabbing a hold of my heart and squeezing it. Cello strings are C2=65.41Hz, G2=98Hz, D3=146.8Hz, A3=220Hz. I attribute this to the loss of frequencies below 100 hz (I know maggie has voice here but it does roll off.)
I realize the larger subs will give out more db but the difference does not seem that prominent at the audible range
F8
http://www.rythmikaudio.com/F8_specs.html
18 - 250 Hz (-3 dB @ 20Hz)
F12G
http://www.rythmikaudio.com/F12G_specs.html
14 - 100 Hz (-2 dB @ 14 Hz)
Two 8 inch woofers have the same area as a 12 inch woofer, so sound output should be comparable. Interestingly, the F8 has a 600 w amp where the F12 has a 370w.
My first concern is the 'tightness' of the bass.
My first concern is whether the larger woofer will 'flap more' and whether the F8 is 'tighter'. If they are comparable in speed and loudness, what is the rationale behind making these two models?
Integrating the subs is my other concern. I would plan on using an external active crossover as the maggies need to be passed the high freqs and the crossover for the sub has to be steep. I am thinking of the dbx venu360. My concern has to do with the fact that it does A/D, DSP, and D/A. Will all this digital processing degrade the sound? There seems to be a lot of chatter about the effect of DACs on sound signature with people making a big deal fo the effect of the different electronics - multibit R2R, or Sigma 9028 chips, etc. What's the use of going with a high end dac if the sound just has to go through another roller coaster of digital massaging again, possibly through inferior electronics that will muddy up the sound.