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Has Rel fallen out of favor with audiophiles?

I own a Rel Storm 3. which I've had for 10 yrs or so. My new hardwood floor has really opened things up, especially in the bass area. much more pronounced bass and excellent sound stage.  I was planning on upgrading my sub after completing the floor. My Rel Storm 3 is pushing at its max to keep up in a 5k+ cu ft  room. Ten yrs ago the Storm 3 was one of the best on the market. It integrates very wall into the 2 channel system. Now, there is SVS, Rhythmic, PSA  etc which have much better specs than the Rels for less $$$. But the question for me is whether they actually integrate with the main speakers as well as the Rel? I use mine  for music 95% of the time. Music doesn't need to plumb the 16hz range as much as HT does. And most of the reviews seem to come from HT sources, IE AVS forum and the various HT magazines. From what I can tell, then Rhythmic seems to cater to the audiophile more than HT. But how about a sealed  SVS ?. And will they both integrate as well as the Rel with the high level speakon input? 

So, for audipophiles, do you sacrifice the ultra low hz for the good integration of the Rel? Or do you go with then SVS, Rhythmic, etc with their lower octave output? IOW, do the integrate as well?
Thanks for your help

arte
128x128artemus_5
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,821 posts
 

Artemus, there are two reasons some Rythmik customers choose to get a DIY kit version of a sealed or ported sub (ignoring for now the OB/Dipole Sub that Kenny chose, as it is available only as a kit) rather than a factory-finished version.

1- Yep, of course a kit is cheaper than a finished version. The kits come with a driver, plate amp, and acoustic material to stuff the enclosure with---everything but the enclosure. There are detailed diagrams of the suggested enclosure (see No. 2 below), and the user can either make it or have it made by a local cabinet shop. There are also DIY "flat pack" enclosures available from both Parts Express and a Rythmik/GR Research owner who has had 1-1/2" thick (!) MDF panels cut on a CNC machine.

2- The other reason is that the optimum enclosure size for the 15" Rythmik driver is 4cu.ft, but the factory enclosure is only 3cu.ft. Rythmik owner/designer Brian Ding is a rather frugal guy, and wanted to keep the cost to ship reasonable, so decided on the smaller enclosure size. The 4cu.ft allows the DIY Rythmik F15 sub to slightly outperform a factory-finished one, in terms of efficiency/sensitivity and maximum volume.

In addition, speaker designer Jim Salk offers both the Rythmik F12 and F15 subs in his own, custom-made enclosures, finished in beautiful natural wood veneer. They are more expensive, of course, but look really, really good. Jim makes the F15 with a really well-braced 4cu.ft enclosure. Details available on the Salk website.

The Rythmik/GR Research OB/Dipole Sub mentioned above by Kenny and myself is a completely different animal, and a very special, unique design. It’s not for everyone, but is THE sub for planar speakers (ESL, ribbon, magnetic-planar), as well as high-resolution dynamic speakers. Details available on both companies websites (the sub is the result of a collaboration between Brian Ding and GR Research’s Danny Richie), and has been discussed on the AudioCircle GR Research Forum quite a bit.

dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
Hi Arte,

Understand your dilemma. I have two Stadium IIIs and adding the second sub was a nice improvement. Really loads the room. My speakers need no bass supplementation, but the room loading improves imaging and soundstaging when done correctly.

Using a SR Tesla "REL-spec" Hi-level interconnect in place of the mediocre REL-supplied cable was a significant step up in sound quality for me.

As you say, integration is everything. That is where the RELs really shine using the Hi-level input. As you already know, proper placement and phase/crossover/gain settings of the RELs is ultra-important for best performance. I was surprised to read m-db’s statement re: the ease of setup of the Studio III vs the others in his auditions. My experience with RELs has been quite contrary - lots of trial and error necessary to get them optimized and the use of the Hi-Level input a must for proper integration.

The advent of digital room correction in some other brands has leveled the playing field, especially at the lower price points. Less picky in placement too. I will be interested to see where you land and your impressions if you make a change.

Dave

artemus_5's avatar
artemus_5 OP
1,969 posts
 
bdp24. I am somewhat familiar with the flat packs at Parts Express and the DIY kits from Rythmik. Are you saying to buy the 4 cu ft flat pack from Parts Express and the DIY  woofer/plate amp/etc kit from Rythmik? Or is the GR Research kits sold at PE the same as the Rythmik DIY? Sorry if I have confused the issue

i think you have given a good explanation for a viable way to get what I am looking for. Thanks
BTW, does the Rythmik setup allow for high level input? I think it does. But I'm unsure.
pgibby's avatar
pgibby
11 posts
 
I ventured into the Rythmik DIY sub. Went with the DS1501 kit with the DIY Sound Group Flatpack. Total cost, I’m in around $850 total, including all materials and some very high quality curly maple veneer to match my Meadowlark Nighthawks. I’m added some rib bracing to the external walls...only mod I did to the flatpack.

You would have to go VERY high up the chain to beat this sub for the combo of integration, musicality, and extension.

I’m very pleased how it turned out.

And yes, the Rythmik amps allow for high level input. Have a look at their amps available, they have quite a few options. I went with the PEQ amp and use the high level input, which also includes a single band parametric equalizer. My room had one mode that I was able to flatten out quite easily with that option.

Now, my dad has integrated a pair of REL Gibralters with his highly modded K-Horns. They integrate extremely well there too, but cost is significantly more than I was willing to do for myself...that and I can’t resist the DIY bug.

There’s no one single right or wrong answer here. Audition if you can.

Rythmik does offer returns after audition (you pay for return shipping). For $50 or so, that’s a great investment to see if one of theirs will work for you.
artemus_5's avatar
artemus_5 OP
1,969 posts
 
bdp24  I now see that GR Research is the custom install / DIY line of Rythmik
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