Quote Originally Posted by abstracta
The Adire Rava is the best sounding sub I've heard in that price class.Very musical, detailed, and has superb extension. Reminds me a bit of the classic M&K's that gelled so nicely with main speakers.

I've owned HSU's and actually met the president of Velodyne once at a party - I'll still take that Rava anyday. I've built HT subs around Adire's 15" drivers, and they'd scare the peanuts out of HSU owners. Try a free air resonance of 17.5 baby.

The original poster is correct that side firing subs are preferable for music tastes than downfiring. The typical vertical cylinder with downward firing sub si fine for replicating explosions and dinosaur fights, but not for transient music response.
I too feel the front forward subs will be more musical than downfiring, although my original feeling was because of the wood floors that several here don't feel like that is true/accurate or makes any sense. It does stand to reason that both will sound good, and even though bass is supposed to be omni-directional, and for HT it probably is, but for music, I think some bass notes (like th string bass I used to play) it is not omni-directional. I can detect and feel where bass is coming from in my room. But as Woochifer has also pointed out, I need to calibrate better (I will promise!) using an spl meter, and I do intend to play around with placement some more. Especially when I get a new sub.

Thanks for the Adire recommendation as well. Funny thing is, I think this is the sub the wife likes the most because it could look more like an end table than the traditional black box I have now. Also same dimensions as a side table we currently have. It is not in a corner but, sort of close. I am hoping this will be in a good location. It is on a side wall (and almost in line with the front two speakers. But placement will be critical, I realize that.