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Can anyone hear the difference when you add REL subwoofers when playing two channel

I wonder if anyone else has had problems hearing a difference when adding REL subwoofers to their two channel systems?  I have gone back to a reputable dealer in town to listen to a pair of Vienna Acoustic Mozart's paired with a REL S3 and I couldn't detect a difference when they added and subtracted the REL.  I wonder if this was because the Vienna Acoustic Mozart's are already can extend down to 30 Hz.  I have also read reviews on the Mozart's and they said one of their criticisms was they felt the Mozart's to be too boomy in the bass.  

The dealer keeps telling me I am expecting to hear a more punchy pounding bass sound and that is not what I should be listening to.  He keeps saying I should be listening for greater depth and space to create a larger sound stage.  He went on to say if I had a subwoofer that delivered too much bass, they would eventually drive me out of the room and spoil my enjoyment of listening to music.  I thought I had sensitive ears to sound, but in this case I wonder if I am tone deaf.  My fear is getting a pair of T/9i's in my home and my wife telling me I wasted our money because she could not hear a difference. 

There must be a reason why so many dealers have told me their first pick would be a REL because they are so musical.

I also question why REL manufactures their subs with such low wattage?  For example, their S3 delivers only 400 watts and their T/9i's deliver just 300 watts.  When comparing them to  subwoofers like JL, which deliver 750 watts to $1500 watts, maybe REL subwoofers are just too wimpy.
128x128larry5729
m-db's avatar
m-db
997 posts
 

mzkmxcv740 posts 05-10-2019 5:10pm

It’s the same as using high level inputs. There is no “magic”. The claim is that unlike a line level connection (RCA), the SpeakOn method allows for the subwoofer’s signal to have the same sound characteristics that is being fed to the speaker. However, it’s pretty silly, what that means is you are thus amplifying a signal that already has been amplified, so it has lots of distortion/harmonics/noise, rather than amplifying a much cleaner signal.
 

Yep. Some amplifier designers are offering a direct preamplifier connection to their amps bypassing the amps input components altogether.

During our comparison using the low level RCA to the Studio III and bypassing the high level connection from the Ayre V-1xe we could hear and see a slight but definite frequency extension on the room response graph. 

In our room the most effective adjustment after the crossover point was by reducing the Studio IIIs gain. Using equalization and Room Optimization allowed a bit more gain and much better integration with the Studio III but no where near the integration of the other two DSP subs on hand.

Differences in room and environment are an important and unknown element during a casual subwoofer performance discussions on the internet. With three subwoofers in a room at the same time individual performance becomes obvious even for the most inexperienced listener.

After this comparison when I read claims of seamless or perfect subwoofer integration my first thought is, compared to what? I'll admit I'm a fanboy but I could care less if someone purchases any product that I use. 

Politely offering ones subjective experience is not bashing its merely responding. 

After a year of dialing in my main speaker positions an industry professional graciously came to my home and moved my speakers a few inches dramatically expanding the sound stage. I don't think there are more than two or three who frequent this site who have that level of expertise. One of those people is participating in this thread and he seems to be a satisfied REL owner.

Larry, good luck with your choice and have fun with it. 
rilbr
100 posts
 
The REL T9i amplifier is a Class AB not a Class A as one person mentioned.
300 watts Class A would heat up the room pretty well. And run up the electric bill!
Almost all production subwoofers use either Class AB or Class D amplifiers.
rilbr
100 posts
 
Quote:
 I've experienced the affects of cable differences in my systems but I'm at a loss here. After my experience with a REL sub I don't mean to challenge your statement, rather to understand your experience.
Could you explain how a cable with a Speakon termination at one end and bare wire termination at the other end makes a difference let alone a huge difference with music (two channel?) but not home theater?

The Speakon connector is for convenience and is impossible to hook up backwards. It is not an "enhancement" technology,  just a connector.!
rilbr
100 posts
 
Quote:      bstatmeister455 posts05-09-2019 8:21amAlthough, I do like the idea of off-loading woofer duty from the mains amp (up to 80Hz). Currently I am looking for a cheap but great high pass filter - so far, a couple folks have told me to buy a resistor and a capacitor to build one myself, DIY style, but I might prefer an already made solution. If anyone has any ideas please let me know...

**Vandersteen Audio has one of the simplest high pass filters for subwoofers.

rilbr
100 posts
 
larry5729 OP374 posts05-11-2019 10:44amI still don't know what mzkmxcv is trying to say. From what Rythmik told me all you need are two RCA cables (one for each sub) which would allow the sub to work with LFE when viewing movies automatically. Rythmik told me I can purchase the RCA subwoofer cables through Amazon for about $12 to $15. They said buying more expensive RCA cables are not necessary because I would not appreciate any improved sound quality for purchasing more expensive cables.

The construction of the RCA cable (or any other cable) will make a difference for the subwoofer. Some have better bass than others. No need to spend high dollar, but some types just have better bass.
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