How to set up REL Subwoofer?

The Speakon connection routes from the speaker outputs on your amp, sending to the REL the same full-range signal that your main speakers get. The REL then applies a low-pass filter to that signal -- which you adjust on the REL for level and frequency -- and plays the lowest bass to supplement your main speakers. (Alternatively, you can send a pair of RCA interconnects to REL from a preamp output, but the Speakon is the preferred method.)

The .1 or LFE from your AV receiver is a separate channel in the mix, which contains Low Frequency Effects. While the Speakon connection is filling in the lowest octave that your main speakers may be missing, the LFE channel is supplying special effects created in the mix just for the subwoofer. You can hookup the REL with either the Speakon or the LFE, but the great thing about it is that you can hook them both up and they give you both bass supplement and LFE.

I know I haven't done the best job of explaining this. I hope it's clear.

If you think your main speakers would benefit from additional low end support from a sub then use the neutrik in conjuction with the .1/lLFE, if you feel your mains are adequate you can just use the .1/LFE by itself. The nice thing about the Rel you have is that you have separate gain controls for the LFE input and the neutrik/speakon input. You could always use the speakon connection for your center channel and use the LFE input for effects. Some people don't prefer this setup because of how the LFE track can interfer with dialogue coming from the center channel, experimentation in your system is the only way to know.

That helps... I thought the LFE connection did everything necessary for the sub. Adding the Speakon cable just added confusion even though I had a vague idea that it was supplementing the main speakers low end.

Since my speakers (Dali Motif LCR) don't reach very low (78-25,000 Hz) and would benefit from additional low end support then I should use both LFE and Speakon. And as suggested, I was going to try it all three ways.

Although another REL owner said I shouldn't use the Speakon with LFE unless my speakers are full range. More confusion. ;-)

What about dialog playing through the sub? I've read that with LCR speakers that don't have very low range, and depending on the x-over point, that low male voices could play through the sub. That just wouldn't sound right to me. How do you avoid that?

What about a better Speakon cable? I've come across a couple of them. Is there an improvement to be heard? My REL will be plugged into a BPT CPC HCF-30 via PS Audio PW AC5 power cord. That will give it some good clean power.

Yes male voices could play through the sub if you have the crossover set high enough for that to happen, will it sound "right?" Maybe yes maybe no, if the sub is crossed over perfectly, is positioned correctly and gain is set correctly you should never know the sub exists, the sound will be seamless and balanced. If your running a center channel and the sub is not hooked up to the center channel the chance of voices being transmitted throught the sub will be on the rare side. In my 3.1 setup, the sub is hooked up to mains, there is rarley dialogue from the mains, its all handeled by the center. The mains are transmitting music and effects with the occasional voice if its off center of the image. Contact me through email if you have more specific questions, i will try to help the best i can. If you hook up the speakon and LFE inputs and get a hum out of the REL i can tell you how to eliminate it, I dont beleive the REL manual describes waht to do when this happens.

As far as aftermarket speakon cables, i heard a differenece. Since your just getting the sub i would wait and get famialir with the sub, play with postioning it etc. RELs are easy to make sound "good" with little time setting them up, once you get familair with them and really start tweaking is when they really start sounding great. Take some time setting it up in the beginning, let it break in for a couple hundred hours then come back to it and dial it in.