Which REL sub, R528 or B2

All well and good (and my trusty REL amazes me all the time, except when I'm not actually listening to anything), but I was specifically referring to having to adjust the level of the REL relative to the recording's bass output. I play some stuff that has really hot bass level (recent Donald Fagan, Peter Washington's bass on Charlap's Bernstein album, etc.). I don't adjust it too often, but I stuck a "chicken head" knob on it so I could tell where the High Level knob is without pulling the REL out from the wall (to satisfy my knob position curiosity relative to my obvious "golden ear" listening skills).

Wolf, I now see what you are saying. But it doesn't make any sense to me. The x-over and the level should be right for all of your recording's. If you are increasing the level from recording to recording, something is wrong, IMO. Again, IMHO, if the level and x-over is seamless with the mains, then the amount of bass will be reproduced as per what is appropriate for the recording. If you like a louder or more forceful bass response, then increasing that control is simply overloading the bass and probably the room for other recordings. Sounds like maybe you need an equalizer in your system or some such thing. Why are you using your Sub's control's as an equalizer??

Daveyf, 100% correct.

[" If you are increasing the level from recording to recording, something is wrong,"]

It's actually a matter of taste. Many LPs from the early eighties can have a great deal of compression applied during the mixing process. Or maybe one just wants to hear more bass for the hell of it.

I can increase my subs bass volume with only a very minor affect on the rooms EQ using either the subs remote volume for a slight increase or one of the many of its custom presets for a substantially EQd increase.

I'm talking small changes here, and my REL isn't out of balance most of the time (never an issue with classical, rarely with jazz)...my room sounds fine, and, as I assumed I explained, it is the RARE recording that has too much low end, or some old LPs that can use MORE low end...again, I don't do this often as the balance of sub level to my mains is seemless, but I refuse to allow some album engineer or mastering tech to harsh my mellow because he thinks I need low end beyond any reasonable level (if you have 'em, listen to my previously noted examples of these bass mix challenged recordings)..therefore I relish my ability to tweek it a bit. My only "tone" adjustment. I think it's a good sign of how well my system works in that it reveals subtle (and not so subtle) bass frequency level issues, and as a professional live sound mixer I have the street cred to adjust things (I say that to myself anyway). If you operate a sub at very low level you might never have to adjust it, but I'm a freak about tonal balance and love clean bass properly placed in the mix to my specific tastes. I sometimes crank stuff up to fill my house with music to hear it from other rooms (cooking) or to get sleazy drunk hookers to dance for me, and on some things if I didn't lower the sub output at (way) higher volume levels, it can sound out of balance. I decide what bass is appropriate as my rig is my subserviant and obediant slave and I am the decider.