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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
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shadorne
7,477 posts
 
Dave,

You have an amazing system and I agree that used together in stereo the REL subs will have enough SPL so I stand corrected by you. However, why buy 2 REL when 1 JL can do the job and even better....
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artemus_5 OP
1,927 posts
 
phusis
  In other words, from what I can gather, you can have your cake and eat it too with the present state of subwoofers.

Lots of good posts in this thread. This may be the most succinct answer to  my question.

I haven't been in the subwoofer market in many years and was wondering if Rel had cornered the market in integration.  Apparently not. Thanks

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artemus_5 OP
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Wolf-Garcia
  I never drive my RELs to compression, ... I know compression, don't like it, and won't allow my poor little RELs to partake in it.

Wolf. I'm not sure what you mean by "compression"?. I understand compression as in Mp3. And as limiting dynamic range. I don't play Mp3s and have no control on the compression used in recordings. Can you please elaborate?
BTW, I play drums and sing so I understand what you are saying about the pro sound 18" subs 
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artemus_5 OP
1,927 posts
 
Shadorne
  I suspect REL work best with speakers that have 6 inch or smaller woofers.


dlcockrum
  You suspect wrong as usual shadorne. The strong positive response to REL on this thread once again obviates your delusive opinions on audio


I recently read on Rel's website that they do not recommend using their subs with small woofers such as those found in monitors

From Rel setup guide
REL products are not traditional subwoofers, but true Sub-Bass Systems. A REL is designed to augment the performance of FULL RANGE speaker systems in order to provide, in certain cases, linear response below 15Hz.
https://relsupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115006046688-Two-Channel-Tuning-Guide

wolf_garcia
6,695 posts
 
When a driver is driven to extreme levels it can "compress" meaning it limits its own output by no longer responding to dynamics, having zero to do with recorded compression which is simply limiting extremes to squish loudness dynamics generally for higher overall volume...also, I don't care what REL publishes on their website regarding which mains work best with RELs (my main speakers use a "D'Appolito" array with a tweeter surrounded with equal output magnesium/aluminum woofers that are 3.75" with very large magnets in a tuned and ported column…surprisingly good bass within limits…flat to 50 hz, and rated to maybe 38hz which is somewhat misleading) as they have no idea what speakers you're going to use. I've always thought REL's use of "sub-bass" as opposed to subwoofer is silly as all you need to know is what they're doing…taking the speaker signal and filtering out the high frequencies…if you have small monitors that deliver bass to 60hz or 80hz or something, you adjust the REL to that frequency and that's it. The "not traditional" part of their hype is just not an actual thing.
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