Rel Q108 vs. Polk Audio DSW Pro 400

[dickbarsky]

Has anyone heard either sub? Unfortunately, I can't seem to find either in-store near me, and I'm afraid that if I can find them one will be at one place and the other in another store. I'd like to get peoples feedback regarding these subs. The freq response specs on both are respectable, they're a good size for my setup, but while I know I can get the Polk for around $350 it looks as though the Rel will be closer to $750.

On the one hand, I like the inexpensiveness of the Polk, but am afraid that this is a case of you get what you pay for. On the other hand, is the Rel worth the money?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[dorokusai]

Has anyone heard either sub? Unfortunately, I can't seem to find either in-store near me, and I'm afraid that if I can find them one will be at one place and the other in another store. I'd like to get peoples feedback regarding these subs. The freq response specs on both are respectable, they're a good size for my setup, but while I know I can get the Polk for around $350 it looks as though the Rel will be closer to $750.

On the one hand, I like the inexpensiveness of the Polk, but am afraid that this is a case of you get what you pay for. On the other hand, is the Rel worth the money?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Isn't the Q108 discontinued? I believe it was replaced with the T series(1/2/3). I've owned a REL T2 and Polk DSW400 but never did an A/B since I owned them at different times.

I thought the REL was really nice and musical...blended very well with my Tympani's. I was taken back by the wood frame around the subwoofer as it seemed fragile. I think they could have designed something better to accomodate the bottom driver. The fit and finish is top notch and the seams are flawless. The customer service never sent me anything I requested thru the website.

The Polk isn't very pretty in flat black but it's pretty solid and tight in performance. I think the room correction works well and the remote capability is handy. I abused this thing in my HT, vs my SVS, so it can be killed but I was impressed by the overall performance.

Like I said, the crew has FINALLY made a subwoofer you don't immediately laugh at anymore. I'm sure that doesn't go too far with you folks but it means a whole lot to those of us on the ground level.

That's all the comments I have. I'd suggest getting the Polk thru Crutchfield or similar return source....if you think it sucks, send it back....no harm no foul.

Mark

 

[dickbarsky]

Mark – Thanks for the reply. Sumiko Audio still lists the Q108 on their website. According to Rel's site they currently produce the Quake/Q, T, R, B and Reference series.

My current setup includes an aging HK AVR 10, which I plan on replacing in the nearish future. I haven't decided if I'm going to go with another HK or something else. I am also the proud owner of an HK FL8300 5-disc changer which is slated to be replaced by a Mac mini pulling audio duty, maybe. That is also scheduled for the mysterious "near future". This all depends on whether or not I decide to bite the bullet and drop a few Gs on a dedicated media player. I would only do that if the audio quality coming from the mini's audio subsystem was absolute crap.

As for speakers, I have a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 9.2s and plan on building out my surround system with other Diamonds, possibly 9.1s or the 9SRs.

I'm looking for something musical. As for HT use, musicality is the number one thing I look for, I figure a good sub will handle explosions just as well. I guess my biggest question so far is whether or not the Rel is worth $400 more than the Polk. Any other suggestions are welcomed, of course.

 

[j_garcia]

There are definitely other sub choices out there besides Rel and Polk, so you might consider asking a slightly different question: What subs are good in the $XXX price range for a room size ??? x ???. You are correct in my opinion that a great sub that is musical will handle HT duty fine, though that does not always mean it will also dig deep into the infrasonic range with authority. Be prepared for a lot of opinions/suggestions though

 

[dorokusai]

There are definitely other sub choices out there besides Rel and Polk, so you might consider asking a slightly different question: What subs are good in the $XXX price range for a room size ??? x ???. You are correct in my opinion that a great sub that is musical will handle HT duty fine, though that does not always mean it will also dig deep into the infrasonic range with authority. Be prepared for a lot of opinions/suggestions though

Absolutely. I'm just commenting on the original post and those are solid questions.

Mark

 

[audion3wb]

I dont know about the Rel Q108 but I did have the DSW Pro 500 and considering I paid $425 for it I was not pleased with its performance. When I first purchased it I thought it was great because I lived in a little 1 bedroom apartment. Then I moved into my house that has a 4000k + cu ft living room that has large openings into other rooms and the poor little Pro 500 showed its weakness very quickly.
If you want to power up your sub and be blown away by its performance then I suggest you look elsewhere than polk. If you want a good sub you should be considering something in $500+ price range and definitely go internet direct.
When I upgraded from the DSW500 I went with an Outlaw LFM-1 EX and I love it. They have good subs for good prices. SVS and HSU have really good products aswell. I may have gone with SVS or HSU actually but I couldnt find a way to get shipping costs to Alaska under $250 from either company. Outlaw helped me out with discounted shipping and a great product.
Based on the price ranges of the subs you listed you should take a look at the SVS PB12 NSD. The reviews are good, SVS is a good company, and the response graphs are great for a $600 sub.

 

[dickbarsky]

Thanks for the responses. As for room area/size, the biggest problem I have at the moment is that I'm planning on moving in the next few months. Into what, house or apartment, I don't know yet. So, I have no idea on room sizes.

Right now, though, I'm in a loft space with a ceiling that angles up from 9 ft to about 20 ft. The living/dining room area is open with concrete floors, is something like 17 x 15 ft or thereabouts. The sub I have now is an old 8" unpowered Sennet (Sonnett???) (forget the model # and not home at the moment to check). It's surprisingly good for something I paid $100 for 15 years ago.

I'm looking for a good sub that not only passes the wife test (not terribly big and ugly), but is musical with good slam and can handle a wide range of music genres with aplomb. If I had the money, and my wife didn't mind a sub/coffee table I'd go with something from Rel's reference line.

I'll check out SVS and HSU. And, before I forget, as for price range, I'm somewhat open and willing to spend in the $1000 range for a good, solid sub. Spending less, of course, would be better.