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Natural sound (REL Subwoofers)

I am looking for a natural sounding subwoofer, and I hear that REL makes some of the best in the business. I am interested in the REl Stadium and Stentor. Has anyone had the opportunity to try these subs or make comparisons to similarly high-priced subs? I have heard less expensive subs like Sunfire and Velodyne and they seem too boomy, and therefore not worth the money...I am looking for something that will add ambient "space" to my music. I have heard the Snell 18" subs that go with the reference "A" speakers ...very nice sound but too big. Others that I am considering are Audio Physic, and Talon. Please tell me about your experiences, preferences, and biases. I have an aleph 3, proac 2.5s and plan on running them straight from a resolution audio cd55. Thanks
souporhero
bmpnyc
713 posts
 
My REL Strata III doesn't have that boom, boom thud that most subs have. It sounds like I have a full range pair of speakers. When I first heard the REL I was really shocked, it was the first time that I had ever heard a sub that stayed in time with the mains. I was a "sub-hater" converted. You also have the advantage of setting the REL's for 5.1, and 2 channel from the speaker terminals with separate settings for each.
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
I have the REL Storm III. Highly recommended for music. I am another former sub-hater converted.
dqez20a0d29
3 posts
 
I'd also take a listen to the NHT Sub 2. I know, I was skeptical too at first till I heard it.I use it with Newform Research 645's & it blends in great, fast, tight& musical with no boominess at all.
gbros16d7
1 posts
 
With all due respect to you sub guys (and yes, I have owned a REL), I wouldn’t put a sub anywhere near 2.5’s (assuming they are in a small room). If you have a larger room, you should be putting that sub money toward 3.8’s, and keep subs away from those as well! The RA 55 is a great player, but it never sounded right to me unless I put it thru a decent preamp.
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
I also always assumed I would upgrade the speakers eventually, and would never consider getting a sub. The problem was I liked the sound of my speakers and of course the whole system, since the sound produced by those speakers depends on what powers them. I was only not satisfied with the low bass. Well the REL Storm III filled in the bottom perfectly, and also improved the entire spectrum of sound without changing the basic sound I liked. So the sub was the perfect sollution. Some would think higher frequencies are unaffected by bass, because "they contain no bass". This is not true. If it were true, the "exact" same note would sound exactly the same whether played on a piano, violin, clarinet, human voice, etc. These instruments all sound different and can be distinguished from the other, as do person's voices, because the frequency and harmonics surrounding the particular note embraces a much wider frequency spectrum. So anyway, if you like your system overall try out a sub and see if that works for you before changing your system. IF YOU GO TO www.audioreview.com you will find lots of reviews by actual users on various subwoofers and all the the REL models.
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