Anyone hear the REL HT-1205 sub?

[Matthew J Poes]

I can raise/lower sub levels via the avr remote or apply different eq. I don't use a sub specific app for that so was curious just what the use in this case was for the sub's app. Changing settings for different content is something a lot of folk do I would assume.

Ah I forget normal people can do that. I have my setup such that it’s not possible so it’s exceptionally complex for me.

It seems like a lot of people debate the utility of making such constant changes. I think it’s fine. Seems like some think there is some absolute truth that they have achieved and they don’t want to mess with it.

 

[Steve81]

I don't use a sub specific app for that so was curious just what the use in this case was for the sub's app.

In SVS's case, I'd imagine the phone app is a lot easier to use/navigate than the single knob and tiny screen they had previously:

Plus you don't have to wrestle the sub out of position to access the controls, which is a bonus if you're dealing with a 150+ pound brute like the pictured PB13U.

 

[Matthew J Poes]

In SVS's case, I'd imagine the phone app is a lot easier to use/navigate than the single knob and tiny screen they had previously:
View attachment 27297

I think the phone apps are easier to use than any subwoofers rear panel. In many cases, once a sub is in position, getting to its back is a pain. How many of us have sat in a poorly lit room with a sub in a corner or against a wall with a flashlight looking upside down trying to determine if that is a 0 or 10, volume, crossover, or phase. I think apps for setup are great!

 

[lovinthehd]

Good point, I'd forgotten about digging for access to plate amps (using rack amps for most of mine). I have a Klipsch sub that I could use my universal remote to access but access to the panel was on top of the sub so never found that one particularly useful when I was using that sub.

 

[Matthew J Poes]

Apps for sub control are not a bad thing, but their usefulness is pretty conditional. Most adjustments to the sub should be made from the AVR, not on the sub itself. Once the sub is dialed in, any changes you make on the sub itself takes it out of calibration. Most users don't really dial their sub in that good to begin with, so I don't see that as catastrophic. I think sub app controls are something that most people will fool around with for about 30 minutes or so and then forget about afterwards. It can be a useful feature, but it isn't a game-changer for me, at least, since most of what it control really should be done from the AVR instead.

But we need features that provide levels of precision that allow us to obsess AD nauseum.

The only issue with a statement so absolute about using the receiver as the “right” place to make adjustments is that it presumes that the receivers bass management is appropriate and that you are using only one or at best two subs. You know my opinion (and @gene seems to echo this) is that all receivers do not have “correct” bass management facilities and do not allow the correct setup of a home theater. Anyone using a 3+ subwoofer setup is SOL. At least with these apps, setting them up becomes much easier.

 

[shadyJ]

But we need features that provide levels of precision that allow us to obsess AD nauseum.

The only issue with a statement so absolute about using the receiver as the “right” place to make adjustments is that it presumes that the receivers bass management is appropriate and that you are using only one or at best two subs. You know my opinion (and @gene seems to echo this) is that all receivers do not have “correct” bass management facilities and do not allow the correct setup of a home theater. Anyone using a 3+ subwoofer setup is SOL. At least with these apps, setting them up becomes much easier.

I agree, but the challenge of bass management for most people is just taking proper measurements. You can do a lot to manually integrate the sub into the rest of the system with the controls available on most AVRs. Sub app controls makes certain parts of calibration easier, but that isn't addressing the tough part of subwoofer calibration. The tough part is learning how to take proper measurements and using them to figure out optimal subwoofer placement.

 

[Steve81]

I think the phone apps are easier to use than any subwoofers rear panel.

No doubt.

SVS was just a special case since those old PB13's packed in a lot of features beyond the basics (port tuning, 3 channels of PEQ, variable high and low pass filters for integration w/ mains, room compensation curves). Configuring everything with naught but one button/wheel was time consuming. Trying to do even a minor volume adjustment with the sub pushed against the wall was problematic if you couldn't see the screen. At least with a more conventional amp, you could do that much if you knew the lay of the land.

Fortunately for me, my subs since that beast have been app controlled

 

[Mark M]

I heard it and it sounds pretty good