REL subwoofers thread

[Colglizity]

I don't know if I just can't find a thread for these guys or maybe nobody owns them, but I'd love to hear about impressions from people who've demoed them and especially members who own them!!!! Pictures would be awesome too!

[callas01]

The only person here that I know owns one is rded, he has the B2. The nice thing about REL subs is that it connects in 2 ways, one to your speakers terminal and the other thru the standard LFE input, and this is done together. They do it that way so the sub senses everything that your speakers get, plus the LFE. So even if there is no LFE in the movie, you sub still works with the low-frequencies that your speakers are getting. The amps used on the REL subs are pretty good too. They are very precise and react quickly to keep time(or the phase relationship) with the speakers.

Over on AVSforum, there is a thread in the speaker forum, Dynaudio Owners Thread,(I go there cause I own Dyn speakers) and it seems that the REL subs are amoung the favorites of subs for most of the owners there because the are quick and accurate like Dynaudio drivers, and offer a lot of texture, its not all about slam. However if you talk to rded, he'll tell you that the B2 has punch, the kind you want in big action scenes.

I think most people here will only be familiar with REL subs if they heard them at BB, and unfortunatly, the BB employees are typically uninformed and I know my BB never had them connected properly. Thus they were never integrated properly and never sounded like they should.

That said, I have considered adding a T9 or R328 in the future to my HT. However for now, that is not on the radar of things I need.

[Colglizity]

Originally Posted by callas01

The only person here that I know owns one is rded, he has the B2. The nice thing about REL subs is that it connects in 2 ways, one to your speakers terminal and the other thru the standard LFE input, and this is done together. They do it that way so the sub senses everything that your speakers get, plus the LFE. So even if there is no LFE in the movie, you sub still works with the low-frequencies that your speakers are getting. The amps used on the REL subs are pretty good too. They are very precise and react quickly to keep time(or the phase relationship) with the speakers.

Over on AVSforum, there is a thread in the speaker forum, Dynaudio Owners Thread,(I go there cause I own Dyn speakers) and it seems that the REL subs are amoung the favorites of subs for most of the owners there because the are quick and accurate like Dynaudio drivers, and offer a lot of texture, its not all about slam. However if you talk to rded, he'll tell you that the B2 has punch, the kind you want in big action scenes.

I think most people here will only be familiar with REL subs if they heard them at BB, and unfortunatly, the BB employees are typically uninformed and I know my BB never had them connected properly. Thus they were never integrated properly and never sounded like they should.

That said, I have considered adding a T9 or R328 in the future to my HT. However for now, that is not on the radar of things I need.

Thanks callas, I live in a condo and can't do the subwoofers with the big SLAM as you say or my HOA will give me the boot. But I want a sub that has all the textures and can hit all the notes, that's why I've been looking at the REL T5 and Martin Logan Dynamo 700.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by Colglizity

Thanks callas, I live in a condo and can't do the subwoofers with the big SLAM as you say or my HOA will give me the boot. But I want a sub that has all the textures and can hit all the notes, that's why I've been looking at the REL T5 and Martin Logan Dynamo 700.

Id say go for the T5, and if you can stretch it the T7. Remember that nice tight and accurate bass is much better then something boomy or bloated. The T5 got a nice write up in HT Mag recently. Many of the other ID brands may offer more slam, but if thats not what you want, and you want tight and accurate, the T5/T7 would be great.

[Reference_head]

Originally Posted by callas01

The only person here that I know owns one is rded, he has the B2. The nice thing about REL subs is that it connects in 2 ways, one to your speakers terminal and the other thru the standard LFE input, and this is done together. They do it that way so the sub senses everything that your speakers get, plus the LFE. So even if there is no LFE in the movie, you sub still works with the low-frequencies that your speakers are getting. The amps used on the REL subs are pretty good too. They are very precise and react quickly to keep time(or the phase relationship) with the speakers.

Over on AVSforum, there is a thread in the speaker forum, Dynaudio Owners Thread,(I go there cause I own Dyn speakers) and it seems that the REL subs are amoung the favorites of subs for most of the owners there because the are quick and accurate like Dynaudio drivers, and offer a lot of texture, its not all about slam. However if you talk to rded, he'll tell you that the B2 has punch, the kind you want in big action scenes.

I think most people here will only be familiar with REL subs if they heard them at BB, and unfortunatly, the BB employees are typically uninformed and I know my BB never had them connected properly. Thus they were never integrated properly and never sounded like they should.

That said, I have considered adding a T9 or R328 in the future to my HT. However for now, that is not on the radar of things I need.

Another way to hook it up that way with other subs is using the pre outs on the avr for the front L/R with a Y connector. I use to hook my old klipsch subs up that way and it worked great. The only thing bad I will say about it though is 2 things. 1. You end with a lot of bass all the time and it can get a little bit overkill (not too much but all the time). The other thing is getting a good level because having the front bass and lfe both to the sub can have moments in movies that both get a lot and that can strain your sub to clip or boom out. It has some cool moments though I did like it. But after I got better subs and big fronts the need was gone. But it can be a good crutch when you have smaller fronts with very little low end (compared to subs or big speakers).

[callas01]

yeah, the REL does it different then what youre saying.

[Reference_head]

Originally Posted by callas01

yeah, the REL does it different then what youre saying.

Speaker terminal out and pre outs are the same signal.

[Blu-Dog]

Originally Posted by Reference_head

Speaker terminal out and pre outs are the same signal.

I don't think so. Speaker terminals carry much higher voltage, which first has to be filtered. Speaker terminals carry the power to push drivers, pre-outs don't, so there's much less possibility of distortion.

You can do it that way, but it's preferred not to do it unless you have no other choice. Better to go with a Y-adapter at the subwoofer pre-out, or worst case, Y-adapter to the speaker pre-out.

If you're stuck using the speaker terminal, it's a bad day and the option that's third in line.

[callas01]

REL has ways to adjust the filtering for the mains, which you don't, while keeping the LFE seperate and with its own LFE filter. This lets you adjust it to your taste, and when properly setup you won't be clipping the amp or bottoming the sub.

[Reference_head]

Originally Posted by callas01

REL has ways to adjust the filtering for the mains, which you don't, while keeping the LFE seperate and with its own LFE filter. This lets you adjust it to your taste, and when properly setup you won't be clipping the amp or bottoming the sub.

I didn’t mean clipping the sub from a distorted signal just from level matching. When you level match the sub it only plays though the sub out (test signal). So then when you add in the front and right signals you end up louder. There is no filtering in a rel amp to fix this. I did a little reading before I posted.

[Reference_head]

Originally Posted by Blu-Dog

I don't think so. Speaker terminals carry much higher voltage, which first has to be filtered. Speaker terminals carry the power to push drivers, pre-outs don't, so there's much less possibility of distortion.

You can do it that way, but it's preferred not to do it unless you have no other choice. Better to go with a Y-adapter at the subwoofer pre-out, or worst case, Y-adapter to the speaker pre-out.

If you're stuck using the speaker terminal, it's a bad day and the option that's third in line.

Blu dog I meant same information not necessarily same signal strength. Any change in connection type will vary that some (avr manual will state it’s the same signal information). And I agree pre outs would be better than speaker terminal’s. Most subs have the lfe and the regular rca input l/r. I see no advantage to using the speaker terminal’s over the rca inputs myself. I wouldn’t be a huge fan of that.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by Reference_head

I didn’t mean clipping the sub from a distorted signal just from level matching. When you level match the sub it only plays though the sub out (test signal). So then when you add in the front and right signals you end up louder. There is no filtering in a rel amp to fix this. I did a little reading before I posted.

http://www.hometheater.com/content/r...bwoofer-page-2
The picture shows a .1/LFE input with adjustable gain, it also has a high-level input, that you can adjust the crossover so the sound is adjustable to your tastes on either one.

The review also states

Because of the T5’s speaker-level input capability, REL recommends that you not set the processor’s front speaker setting to Small even if your main speakers are low-frequency limited. The potential advantage of this arrangement is twofold. First, only the LFE information reaches the subwoofer via the low-level RCA input, and you can independently adjust that level. Simultaneously, when you set the speaker type to Large, the same low-frequency information and bass character reaches both the main speakers and the subwoofer through the speaker-level input, and it too can be independently adjusted. REL believes this produces a more seamless and musical blend. That may or may not prove to be ideal or even workable, depending upon the robustness of your small satellites, but to REL’s way of thinking, it’s worth a try. A variable crossover frequency control adjusts the T5’s high-frequency response limit between 32 Hz and 180 Hz.

Sorry, I said filter, perhaps thats the wrong word to use. But the inputs are adjustable to your tastes.

[Reference_head]

Originally Posted by callas01

http://www.hometheater.com/content/r...bwoofer-page-2
The picture shows a .1/LFE input with adjustable gain, it also has a high-level input, that you can adjust the crossover so the sound is adjustable to your tastes on either one.

The review also states


Sorry, I said filter, perhaps thats the wrong word to use. But the inputs are adjustable to your tastes.

Still won’t help for level setting and auto testing.

[Reference_head]

Trust me I ran subs this way for almost a year and tinkered with all different ways. I’m not saying it won’t work. Just saying even with infinite control of the two different signals your still going to have issues running it that way vs just the lfe

edit:
The key part of what he said was its worth a try. I do like it though it just had a few things that I didn’t like and I was able to fix with better subs and mains. One big problem using small front speaker’s as you know vs large ones is that the bass material from the front l/r channels in movies is sometimes almost lost compared to what the bigger speakers can put out. So running the sub like that helps a ton imo and if I ever ran small fronts again I would run my subs that way again for sure.
edit:

[Colglizity]

K guys, here's my dilemma... Just talked with my guy at abt.com and he said he could get me the dynamo 700 for $545 shipped, no tax. I am going to my local REL dealer in town to let him know what deal I'm getting for the dynamo and ask him what kind of deal he can put together for the on the REL T5. What kind of deal should I expect? I know there's no way to tell for sure, but I thought I'd throw the question out there.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by Reference_head

Trust me I ran subs this way for almost a year and tinkered with all different ways. I’m not saying it won’t work. Just saying even with infinite control of the two different signals your still going to have issues running it that way vs just the lfe

edit:
The key part of what he said was its worth a try. I do like it though it just had a few things that I didn’t like and I was able to fix with better subs and mains. One big problem using small front speaker’s as you know vs large ones is that the bass material from the front l/r channels in movies is sometimes almost lost compared to what the bigger speakers can put out. So running the sub like that helps a ton imo and if I ever ran small fronts again I would run my subs that way again for sure.
edit:

Could it be that if you have speakes that are unable to handle being driven LARGE that the speakers might have issues, and not the sub?

My very good friend Rhett, aka., rded on this site, has been using a REL sub for a year, and he said the bass is not overly powerful and has not had any issues with it being setup that way. As a matter of fact, the entire Dynaudio thread over at AVS swears by the REL subs.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by Colglizity

K guys, here's my dilemma... Just talked with my guy at abt.com and he said he could get me the dynamo 700 for $545 shipped, no tax. I am going to my local REL dealer in town to let him know what deal I'm getting for the dynamo and ask him what kind of deal he can put together for the on the REL T5. What kind of deal should I expect? I know there's no way to tell for sure, but I thought I'd throw the question out there.

Id expect that you could get 10-15% off. But you may have to pay tax. ABT is selling over the net right? therefore they don't typically have to charge tax.

[Reference_head]

Originally Posted by Colglizity

K guys, here's my dilemma... Just talked with my guy at abt.com and he said he could get me the dynamo 700 for $545 shipped, no tax. I am going to my local REL dealer in town to let him know what deal I'm getting for the dynamo and ask him what kind of deal he can put together for the on the REL T5. What kind of deal should I expect? I know there's no way to tell for sure, but I thought I'd throw the question out there.

Seems like a good deal have you already decided on rel?

[Reference_head]

Originally Posted by callas01

Could it be that if you have speakes that are unable to handle being driven LARGE that the speakers might have issues, and not the sub?

My very good friend Rhett, aka., rded on this site, has been using a REL sub for a year, and he said the bass is not overly powerful and has not had any issues with it being setup that way. As a matter of fact, the entire Dynaudio thread over at AVS swears by the REL subs.

I think you got the wrong impression on my opinion on this. I loved how it sounded and thought it worked amazing I was just giving the few small things I didn’t like or that someone might be careful of when setting it up that way. I’m guessing if you had experienced it you would probably had one or two things to.

[Colglizity]

Originally Posted by Reference_head

Seems like a good deal have you already decided on rel?

I am between the dynamo and the REL. I know they're not going to knock my foundation off it's blocks like a HSU or SVS, but I live in a condo and want something that's going to give me all the right notes tonally. I also think that these two subs would probably match my current def tech setup as they are smaller speakers, especially the 8" REL.