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MJ Acoustics Subwoofers v. REL.

REL has been the first name for many when it comes to subwoofers for music.
But I'm hearing more and more good things about MJ Acoustics, which someone told me is staffed by a gang of ex-REL personnel who decided to go off and do their own thing.
MJ make a model 200 which is pitched directly at REL Strata territory and it has received excellent press in the UK and elsewhere.
Has anyone got their hands on one over here?
It's time there was some decent competition for REL whose products, in my opinion, are overpriced by their importer, Sumiko. MJ subs are apparently better priced and look equally as well made (in photos), but I'd like to hear from any Audiogoners who have bought or auditiioned MJ Acoustics subs, to find out if the sound lives up to the good looks and reports.
wrightstuff
ckorody
643 posts
 
Hi - had a 100 for awhile and quite liked it.

yes, it is the same type of amplifier tap/Speakon set up as REL - I hesitate to say the same because I don't know the pin assigns

yes, it is very well made and nicely finished

it is very adjustable with a LED that shows peaks and several filters plus 180 phase (IMHO one of the most essential set up tools)

no this one did not have a remote

yes, this one was a downshooter like the traditional RELs

I thought it integrated well with my 2 channel system and have no doubt it would have ripped in a 5.1

I bought directly from the distributor what seems to be a discontinued model - as Itball noted, they seem to be in the process of getting their US distribution together - not sure what the grand design is.

I sold the unit - must say there was little demand from the AGon community - but would not hesitate to buy another - I went the other way to bigger floor standers
plangco's avatar
plangco
158 posts
 
I have an MJ Acoustics REF100 in a 20 X 25 living room and it sounds wonderful and plenty powerful for music with my floorstanding Dynaudio Focus 220s.

The MJ Acoustics sub opens up the sound of my floorstanders and changes them into sounding like speakers that came with very tight, authoritative, and musical 10" woofers.

I had a Velodyne SPL-800R subwoofer (the supposed winner of a shootout with the MJ) and didn't like it and sold it because it wasn't musical enough for me. In fact, I have tried several subs including a Velodyne HGS-11 and a Martin Logan Depth sub and sold them because they stood out like a sore thumb on certain musical passages and didn't integrate well. No so with MJ Acoustics subwoofers. Unlike the others, you don't turn it down to get it to blend in with music, you turn it up and let it sing. I will never play music without my MJ Acoustics sub again. I am so spoiled my Dynaudio floorstanders now sound weak and inadequate without the sub. They give you the perfect "Wow, thats what music is supposed to sound like!" No, the MJ is not the best Dinosaur stomping sub around but it is adequate when you turn it up for home theater. But for listening to music and integrating with your speakers, the MJ Acoustics subs are PURE GOLD.
oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
3,803 posts
 
I have a REL R 305 and like it a lot. It wasn't cheap ($1400 street) but it was better sounding than several more expensive subs. I have a 2.1 system and the R 305 sounds better than the Velodyne HGS 10 that it replaced, and that was no slouch. The REL disappears in my system and you only hear it when you're supposed to, to me that alone makes it worth the money.
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