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REL is dead. Long live REL

Hi Guys,

REL Acoustics has been sold to Sumiko!!!

Per a recent press release:

It’s all change for REL. The UK ’s best known subwoofer brand has changed hands, having been bought out by its US distributors, Sumiko.

Richard Edmund Lord, the mastermind behind all the company’s previous award winning products, and affectionately known as The Lord of Bass, is no longer involved.

Rising from the ashes of REL is an entirely new company, REL Acoustics.
Its upcoming 'R' series subwoofers have been conceived by Sumiko and will be built in China . Further distancing themselves from previous REL products, they will utilize digital amplification.
jdog428
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aldavis
202 posts
 
I recently spoke to Sumiko about the Britannia series and they stated that they were designed and built by Rel. The reason he gave for not importing Strata 5 and Storm 5 was that they believed that the remote feature diminished the sound and that the Britannia build was better at fast,articulate upper base He stated that the B1 would "wipe the floor with the Stadium 3". He did state that the Stentor 3 in some respects was still better. This might all just be marketing crap but I thought I'd share it with you. - Jim
seandtaylor99
1,262 posts
 
Sugarbrie, having said that I agree with you in my previous post, I think the fact that Sumiko has bought a brand name and feels that this will sell is a sad reflection of our society (where "brand recognition" has become more important than substance), rather than any negative reflection on REL or Sumiko.

I gather Mr Lord simply wanted to retire, and Sumiko want to continue to offer "REL" subwoofers.
prpixel
876 posts
 
Hasn't Sumiko been the US distributor for Rel for quite some time?
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drubin
3,274 posts
 
a sad reflection of our society (where "brand recognition" has become more important than substance)
What a strange, naive comment. Do you imagine yourself "immune" to brands?

Think about the investment Sumiko has made in building the REL brand in the US. Think about how strong that brand is and how much "substance" audiophiles associate with it.
rel
224 posts
 
I'd just like to report that the rumors of my death, if not greatly exaggerated, are at the very least, mostly untrue.

And while Richard Edmund Lord's claim to the initials REL likely predates mine by quite a few years, I still lurk proudly here on the 'Gon, posting now and again as time allows and the spirit moves me (although the moderators have seen fit not to post my last three entirely innocuous submissions for some reason).

And for those of you who might be curious--no, my (primarily non-audiophile) friends do not refer to me as the "Sub-Dude"!
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