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Not my first choice musically

To somewhat bolster my previous (directly below) review i now have a second Servo 15 which really is about the best accolade i can give it.

Regards.

Steve.

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Genuine low frequency extension, good spl's

At that price???? you are kidding!

I have used a pair of Rel Storms for some time now and have never at any stage regreted my decision (subsonics being a "thing" of mine") i have spent an awful lot of time with many many sub's and although being fully aware of my Rel's struggling below (a highish) 25hz their transparancy and speed are (was?) for me an absolute essential (couldn't live without) delight! I bought the Servo on an absolute whim (impulse buy) and through some haggling paid £450 complete with the X30 cross-over unit (about 650 U.S dollars) new.
Although "our" average British living rooms are probably less than half the size of your (U.S.) equivalents and my particular room is almost perfectly square with very high vaulted ceilings (just about worst case scenario acoustically speaking) thus standing waves, peaks/troughs etc playing a very active part in my L.F performance (hence 2 existing sub's) within minutes of turning on with only interim attention paid to placement etc it became CLEARLY obvious that this sub has the L.F. extension that only a handful of "sensibly" sized commercially available sub's can manage it REALLY will go to 15hz abeit some roll-off. We measured in excess of 95db at 20hz using the Stryke basszone test c.d and an spl meter (i really couldn't go louder as my windows were bulging to such a degree that i feared the seals or the panes themselves would simply burst, for the money i paid (even if i had paid twice as much!!) this (and i hate using the word) is awesome.
I have now settled on the Rel Storm's acting as stereo left and right to my main speakers with the Servo on the L.F.E output, with the L.F.E signal sent to both main and Servo. A lower cross-over setting would have been nice but after spending real time with my test equipment this sub (costing almost half of a Rel) is delivering lows that the Rel's just weren't remotely interested in!!! I am not convinced of the Servo's abilities with music to my ears it sounds a little "thick" nor am i convinced it has the timing of the Rel's but with a much large driver and my "acoustic problems" i am not overly surprised and am happy to not use it for "music nights".
I am not "quite" sure as too complaints of it's dynamic abilities but as i don't live in an "earthquke/volcano" threat vicinity perhaps i simply don't know any better, suffice it to say if i buy another one in NO way will this be based on issues of a dynamic impact/spl matter.
I am a jaded, experienced (in the U.K market at least) A.V enthusiast and this IS an honest review.
Paradigm Servo 15 - fantastic L.F abilities - big box - not really IMHO an audiophile hi-fi product but without peers anywhere near it's RRP for the "home theatre" experience.
P.S. The X30 although "tacky" in construction is a joy to use a, very steep slope (far better than the Rel's in terms of "slope/leakage") and daisy chain capable.
I am not exactly a Paradigm fan, their products are not exactly held in high esteem here but will unreservedly recommend anyone to at least audition this great sub. I always wondered how i managed without before owning the Rel's and now apply the same affection on the Servo.
Regards.
Steve.

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Rel Storm, Rel Stadium

extreme dbs at very low frequencies. Good Price.

Huge Size, Can only be bought in Uk & Ireland from richer sounds who are very un professional to deal with. (More than 1 expeirence)

Have been using a REL q200e with my B&W 603's and CC6 up until this monster arrived in my living room. Monster sub in size. Took 2 people to lift. Irish and UK readers of this review will have to understand this is made for Canadian households which in general are a lot bigger than our houses over here. It is about the same size as my 29"tv.
My girlfriend nearly had a heart attack when she saw the size of it. BUT its when you turn off the lights and turn up the volume that the magic REALLY begins! Its so Powerful and Clean that the first thing you hear is distortion. I couldn't believe it! Strange thing was it wasn't my sub or speakers, It was the doors windows and walls shaking like crazy!!! Ultra clean bass right down to 14hz. 115db @ 40hz as the manufacturer states. U cant hear 14hz but the structure of your house will respond to it. loudness is all well and good but the effect it has on atmospherics is truely wonderful. For the first time I got caught by effects. Restaurant scene in "Heat" on DVD thought somebody was bangin plates in my kitchen. It completly opened the overall sound of my system. I have read a previous review saying that this sub isn't much good above 140hz. That is true. I have it set at 90hz. But I have to say that asking any TRUE sub to preform above 100hz means you need better speakers as fronts,centre etc. A sub means SUB BASS. Below 100hz. So dont knock it for what it doesn't claim to do. The X-30 is a great little box allowing you to control the sub from your amp rack with ease or even your seat if you want. I've put my REL inline with my fronts to give them that extra bit more. Leaving the LFE all to the Servo 15.
Overall I am very happy with my purchase. U know its good when kids run scared from Toy Story 2. Was gonna buy a second REL but this thing is as good as 3 of them. All for the same price as 1 REL. I would say its the best sub for the price here in Ireland and UK. p.s. the REL is very good for the money too. Built for people with less space though. If u dont have the room the REL is best choice.

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Rel

Very responsive and goes deep, nice look

A wee big /heavy .....

My old Polk 10 speakers went pretty low and thus I never had a subwoofer. However, little did I know what I was missing !

While this bigun' can eat up some space, it has yet to disappoint me. I never knew even commercials had such bass to them and quickly realized that without a subwoofer I had a lot of movies / dvd's to re-watch !! It's a 10+ for HT and at least a nine for music. It has yet to disappoint me. I am just not yet sure if I've put it in the right spot for ultimate deep bass. And now we've bought a new home, so I'll leave it be for now and figure it out again in our new digs.

U-571, End of Days, and Jurassic Park really made this baby work (but no sweat). My 8-yr. old son was taking a shower late one night during U-571 and he thought a tornado had hit. Little did he know it was the Servo at work, but he thought he was hearing thunder and walls shaking. Maybe the walls were vibrating, but luckily my wife can sleep through a freight train !!

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None

Very good build!

No real dynamic impact!

I loved the Servo-15 but my wife hated its size. I happened to hear about the new HSU Research for $499 and thought I would give it a try to add a separate sub to my rear channels. Wow! When this reasonably sized sub arrived it actually made my Servo 15 sound anemic on movies. I'm kicking myself since I will immediately lose so much money if I try to sell the Servo-15. My wife wants the little sub in and the monster out. I also think my old Def tech was pretty good and wish I could put it in the rear and use the HSU up front.

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Def tech, HSU Research

I decided to upgrade my Paradigm PDR-10 because of the lack of punch it had. My Paradigm Studio/80's had lots of good clean bass to play with, but I felt that the music I was listening to lacked something. Being somewhat of a bass enthusiast I decided to shell out the 1600 dollars (canadian) to buy a servo 15. I now know what I had been missing for years. This active servo controlled subwoofer is absolutely staggering. Bass is so clean and tight and seemlessly integrated with the studio/80's with a Paradigm x-30 control. The 400 watt (rms) amplifier creates so much bass that I don't turn the volume passed about 40%, but it goes all the way up without distortion.
The subwoofer does make a low volume sound (like listening to a sea shell) when there is no music being played but the auto off feature takes care of it after a short time.

If you are looking for clean, concise bass this subwoofer should be on your short list. Be aware though that you must buy a control box to match to your main speakers. Other notes: large footprint, buy a detached house

This is a great sub! I urge everyone to listen to this sub before you buy anything else. This sub will handle everything from jazz to Jurassic Park with ease. I was amazed at how clean the bass was. One of the few subs I have heard that can be both musical and shake the walls. Go buy one from your local Paradigm dealer cause you can't get this baby mail order.

I've had one now for a year, for both home theatre and music, and to this day it's never left me wanting more. I'm somewhat of a bass freak, so I put subs through it's paces. When I play music with pipe organs, you can literaly feel the sub, it shakes the clothes on your body, with not a notice of distortion.

Having just purchased the servo 15 I can catagricaly state that this is the most versatile sub I have ever owned! It will follow a string bass line with stunning acuracy, and with my home theater explosions rock the house. 10/10 for a great Canadian speaker.

BONE CRUSHING!!!Clean, tight, fast, musical if you want it to be. Certainly one of the very very best out there. Some folks have told me there are better ones. When I think about that I get scared.