REL Serie Subwoofers Take on Internet Direct Brands

[shadyJ]

This is for the t5
View attachment 27987
Not a great looking at this measurement

The only other reviewe I could find was for the $3599 sub but the pdf is too large to attach
https://www.avhub.com.au/product-reviews/hi-fi/rel-serie-s5-subwoofer-review-and-test-399133
Dosent look that great at all for the price.

The scale on that graph is not good for displaying information about a subwoofer. I don't know why they would go with a 20Hz to 20kHz scale. It's meant for a full range speaker.

 

[lovinthehd]

The scale on that graph is not good for displaying information about a subwoofer. I don't know why they would go with a 20Hz to 20kHz scale. It's meant for a full range speaker.

But it's not really a subwoofer otoh

 

[highfigh]

There is something really offputting for me to see branding on sub's feet... or is it just me or is this really tacky?

What kind of athletic shoes do you wear?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

What kind of athletic shoes do you wear?

plain gray Saucony sneakers on the weekends

 

[highfigh]

plain gray Saucony sneakers on the weekends

Not a fan of logos, eh?

 

[lovinthehd]

Just who IS a fan of logos, tho? Unless you're getting paid to sport them....

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Just who IS a fan of logos, tho? Unless you're getting paid to sport them....

exactly, high visible logos are a free advertisement for the company. It's almost like paying for a cable TV and watching ADs with a brief interruption of actual content on rare occasion.

 

[Dmantis10]

I like your avatar! I designed one of the last Tweeter stores, which was in North Dallas (just north of the Galleria, in case anyone was interested). They were just getting into home integration when they went belly-up...

And I agree about REL and two channel audio. Even though their subs can certainly be used for HT, it is interesting seeing them market as such.

Those where the day. I worked for Electronic Environments which then was purchased by Bryn Mawr Stereo and Video before they changed the name to Tweeter. I was with Tweeter up until they went out of business in 2008. Sucked I loved working there as a In Home Custom Installer.
If your design was the same all over the country, our Lawerenceville and Marlton NJ store had the same new look. It was a really nice design.

 

[Dmantis10]

Bought sound advice for custom installs then drove both companies into the ground.

isn't Sound Advise back in business? Florida I think

 

[everettT]

isn't Sound Advise back in business? Florida I think

Closed again.

 

[Mark M]

The rel comes with 4 optional rubber feet and a grill.
So the logo only shows on the top and it’s quite nice.

 

[KEW]

In what way are they "not up to snuff"? I'm not trying to be argumentative - I am genuinely curious. I've never owned any REL product, but they seem to have a great reputation. It seems like this new line was developed to be directly competitive, as far as published specs and pricing go, with SVS's SB-1000 and 2000.

I may well be wrong, but the impression I have is they are fine music subs, but do not compete in the Earthquake/HT venue!
I am curious if these new designs seek to change that (or not)!

 

[shadyJ]

I may well be wrong, but the impression I have is they are fine music subs, but do not compete in the Earthquake/HT venue!
I am curious if these new designs seek to change that (or not)!

No sealed sub is going to compete with a ported sub for deep bass output, everything else being equal. These aren't going to challenge the ported subs from Hsu or SVS or those types for deep bass output.

 

[Dmantis10]

No sealed sub is going to compete with a ported sub for deep bass output, everything else being equal. These aren't going to challenge the ported subs from Hsu or SVS or those types for deep bass output.

But if you think about it, how often are you taxing your ported sub? I've done thousands of Ported and Sealed subs in tons of different rooms and the sealed designs do just fine. I think quality over quantity is more important.

 

[shadyJ]

But if you think about it, how often are you taxing your ported sub? I've done thousands of Ported and Sealed subs in tons of different rooms and the sealed designs do just fine. I think quality over quantity is more important.

That is the point of a ported sub, it has way more headroom than a sealed sub around its port tuning, usually about three to four times as much. Sealed subs run into their limits in deep bass much more easily.

 

[GrimSurfer]

Since this is an initial review, I'm hoping to see more detailed specs before placing this in either my mental Rolodex or File 13.

A few things caught my attention though...

Talk about other REL subs recreating the “beautiful and almost impossible-to-execute decay patterns as a note descends into echoing silence in a large hall,” is laying it on a little thick. Thank-you, REL, but please excuse me for needing more than vague statements on your products' performance.

The top plate on the HT seems a bit odd. Are we talking about some kind of mass loading of the structure? If so, how is this better than the usual approach of constructing the cabinet out of really thick MDF/HDF that is well braced internally? And why on top? Is it some kind of heat sink too? Doesn't make sense for a Class D amp to generate the heat to justify such a big piece of metal. Eager to hear more...

REL faces tough competition. SVS and HSU are darlings of DI. ML and Paradigm are more upscale, but not too far outside the REL shopper's field of view (especially for shoppers pondering two entry-level subs or one mid-priced one). It's going to take more than a similarly priced product to cut into the market shares of these companies.

It will be interesting to see how these REL products measure and compete...