Are REL the most Musical Subs?


Forgive me if I have created a redundant thread.  I don’t usually post in the Speakers area.

  I have a Paradigm sub in my basement HT that has apparently given up the ghost after about 20 years.  I’m not a huge bass listener.  We used to use the area for movies but lately a different room of the home has taken that over.  I listen to classical music and the system gets used primarily for SACD and Blu Ray.  No desire for multiple subs.  The front speakers are full range, setup is 5.1

  I added a REL sub to my 2 channel system a few years ago, an REL, and have been delighted with the results.  It doesn’t boom at me.  What it does do is add the low level percussion effects that composers such as Mahler, Shostakovich , and modernist composers add to reinforce bass lines.  I never realized, for example, how many gentle tympani and gong effects are in Shostakovich Babi Yar symphony.

The REL integrates all of this naturally without calling attention to itself.  The Paradigm in the basement never did this but it was an older design and more budget friendly.

  So I am inclined to replace the Paradigm with another REL in the basement but was wondering what the current thinking is with subs.  I haven’t paid much attention lately and the stuff that I have pulled discusses multiple subs, Atmos, etc, and doesn’t seem to address my needs.

  Placement will be different as well.  The current sub is placed between the front speakers, and the gear rack is on the other side of the room.  20 years ago I had the energy to bury the cables next to a baseboard heat along the all, after schlepping the sub over the basement testing placement spots,but with advances in DSP I’m now hoping to place the sub next to the rack

mahler123

For 2 channel listening, once I heard RELs (as others have said, make sure to go with a stereo pair) connected directly to the high-level amp output, I was converted. 

To my ear, these are the most “integrated” sounding subs I have ever owned, because they are taking the entire signal from the amp. 

There are plenty of other great subs with great specs (especially for theater applications), if you are chasing lab measurements. FWIW, I used to be a Velodyne fanatic, but have changed to REL when I got intrigued by their approach. 

REL has done something different and amazing with their direct connection to the amp. Once you audition it, you’ll either like the sound or you can save some money with other manufacturers. 

@lono24 There are plenty of other great subs with great specs (especially for theater applications), if you are chasing lab measurements. FWIW, I used to be a Velodyne fanatic, but have changed to REL when I got intrigued by their approach. 

lono24  May I ask witch Velodyne models you're referring to?

How did you determine their position within your room? 

@m-db - I’ve owned many Velodynes over the past 20 years, in both home theater and 2 channel configurations. My first was an HGS 10 back in the late 90s and most recent were DD18s.

They all sounded great at the time - those are fast, punchy subs. But I’ve also had power supply and/or circuit board issues over time. Maybe I had bad luck, but Velodynes have not aged well for me. They seem to have a 7 year or less useful life before needing major repairs.

Back on topic, I use old-fashioned trial and error to optimize speaker placement in each room. I hear more detail and ambience (especially in percussion) from the RELs than any other sub I’ve trialed or owned. The best way I can describe it is that the RELs, when properly configured, dramatically widen my sound stage and open up recordings in a way that I really enjoy.

It isn’t about bass - virtually any sub will give low bass.

@travbrow wrote:

I thought the OP was interested in a good option that’s available to buy, not a DIY approach thats out of reach to most everyone? It’s interesting to read about the possibilities with DIY though, but to imply any other way is lacking enough not to be worth it is wrong IME.

The thread title and OP’s "... but was wondering what the current thinking is with subs" to some degree - and for good reason - opened a can of worms with regard to whether or how musicality applies to subs. You’re right, 20cf. behemoths are likely not what the OP has in mind to pull off LF-duties in his home, but from my chair what aids overall realism/a sense of being emotionally involved (and thus "musicality") in sound reproduction is exactly a more all-out approach with DIY subs of higher sensitivity, incl. considerations on (outboard) amp choice, DSP, etc.

While a brand like REL is often lauded for making subs that integrate smoothly with existing main speaker setups, my focus is to point at mechanisms behind this that aren’t exclusive to or even accommodated by popular sub brands because of their smaller size and other, and so saying there are in effect more successful ways to have subs aid overall realism and musicality. I’m not implying the OP can’t be happy with a REL or similar solution, however... sometimes what you’re asking can produce answers that seemingly go off-topic, but are nonetheless in accordance with what’s being brought up.

@bdp24 wrote:

On the Rythmik Audio website designer Brian Ding provides exhaustive technical information on his subs. I believe details on the servo-feedback compensation for voice coil temperature variation and other functions may be found in the site’s Technology section. Mr. Ding is not your average hi-fi designer, having a Ph.D. in electrical engineering.

I’m sure Mr. Ding is very capable in his field, but I’m calling out the relevance of servo-feedback in a different context of subs. People seem to believe small subs are everything - and yes, subs from Rythmik, REL or other are small in light of the frequency range they’re called to reproduce - and thus that the likes of servo-feedback is a qualitative measure in every regard, when it isn’t.

I do own another sub I use in my recording studio. It’s a Mackie HR120 (no longer made) with 500 a/b watts, an EAT pro 12" driver and a 12" passive radiator. Good to a very real 19hz, and many more adjustment possibilities than most home audio subs. Look it up as it's interesting. 92lbs makes it a pain to move anywhere but I have schlepped it into my hifi rig and man...what an effortless bit of woofing it woofs. That said, it’s unnecessary (one of the RELs gets into the low 30s) and the 2 RELs work so well that I’m happy as a clam in the sand with those things. Like I said...bought used el cheapo and I pat myself on the back and feel slightly superior for my sensible taste. You could do the same with your back, but don’t touch me. I’m sensitive.