Mini review of the Rythmik F15:
Background:
I am fortunate enough to have a lot of friends that are also into home audio. I was able to sample a large array of subs before I took the plunge. I built my front speakers, tuned them and built a sound room with dampened (but not dead) walls all for the exclusive purpose of producing the most accurate acoustics. I was looking for a sub that didn't talk over the front speakers. One that blended in with the theater with out feeling intrusive or overbearing. A sub that wasn't so passive that it whispered but not clumsy when it needed to be loud. This is what I found...
The Rythmik F-15 Direct Servo subwoofer. For those that are unfamiliar with Servo subs, they are very different then your average subwoofer. With normal subs you'll usually have the option between ported subs which provides a boost to the frequency of the port and allows for more play with the driver but at the cost of a loss of accuracy and efficacy. By this I mean they are more prone to varieties of distortion and it takes a greater amount of power to move the driver. The advantages of this is greater SPL, louder and more impact in the sound. The down side is the subwoofer can easily overwhelm the front speakers and the distortion at higher DBs can be very audible. Sealed cabinets help to correct this problem, at the cost of SPL. I would suggest anyone that is more interested in the quality of the sound rather then the level of the boom take it just 1 step further.
A direct servo sub (which should be distinguished from other varieties of servo subs) contains a sensing coil, which generates a feed back signal to the amplifier which corrects for the position of the driver. Even a perfectly designed sealed subwoofer is at the mercy of physics. There are some principles that can't be avoided. The only way to properly correct for any possible distortion is a well designed servo. As a result the F15 is a very accurate very quick sub which can easily keep pace with just about any fronts you can throw at them.
For music they blend in perfectly with my room and add another depth to what you are listening to with out intruding on it. The best way I could describe it is you don't know the sub is on until it's off simply because it blends in so well. For home theater is isn't a shrinking violet, it has the power to shake the house all the way up to the 3rd floor. It is a very defined rumble, where other subs produce a blur of bass this one produces exactly what you would expect to hear. Instead of a whir of a helicopter you hear each rotation. Scenes from T4 Salvation took on new life. I didn't hesitate in selling my previous sub for a moment.
For people who are more dedicated to music, I would stick with the smaller version of the sub, the F12. For people that intend to use the sub in smaller home theaters I would highly suggest the F15. For larger home theater setups I would suggest at least 2 F15's, depending on room size. For my room (10x16) the F-15 is overkill. I plan on getting a second to help correct the room curve, but it's certainly loud enough with just 1. If you currently have a boomy sub and like the impact then I wouldn't bother with Rythmik. For people who want uncompromising reproduction, Rythmik is the way to go!
Last edited by kareface; 11-26-2009 at 02:16 AM.
|
All countries
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
China
Colombia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
India
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Hybrid Mode
