What Makes a REL Acoustics Subwoofer Different? Lead Designer Explains What Sets the Company Apart.
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- čas přidán 20. 12. 2020
- Join REL's Lead Designer and discover the features that set REL's home theater subwoofers apart from the competition.
Learn more about REL Acoustics at rel.net/
Hi, John Hunter with REL here. Let me walk you through a little bit about what makes REL different as a super subwoofer supplier and the things that make us unique. The way we approach this entire endeavor is completely different than anybody else in the world of subwoofers. First of all, what's really difficult to do is to get a subwoofer to seamlessly blend with your existing speakers.
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To sort of chameleon-like adapt to it and simply extend the low frequencies down in a way that's natural, holistic and allows you to hear the entire universe of that recording in a way you've never experienced before.
How does that relate to home theater? All of it, all of it translates over to home theater. Here's the problem with home theater sound, in many cases, the special effects you're hearing you've never, if you're very lucky, never experienced before. In many cases you’ve never heard the sound of a two 23 round going by your ear, but in the movies, we get to hear that effect.
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You get to start with that big, fast crack as the gas comes out of the barrel and then you hear the zip as it goes by your ear. The concussion of a bullet exploding out the end of a gun barrel is unbelievable. And if we get it exactly right, it makes you duck.
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All of those things happen when we get music right that's the funny thing. Why? Because all of the sounds we're used to hearing in real life have their basis in this kind of organic naturalness by doing what we do. You ground all of the movie in naturalness so that when the special effects happen, they're startling.
So, let's talk in specifics about some of the things that make our approach to subwoofers very different than anybody else's. Right off the bat this connector, which is different than you're used to seeing, most subwoofers of course just plug in with an RCA into one of these.
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We also offer something, it's not unique other people are starting to copy us, it's called a high level input. A high level input actually takes this plug connected up back to your main amplifier, to the exact same terminals that feed your loudspeakers. Why? Because that is the signal that your ears ultimately are going to hear.
That's what's actually presenting the signal to the speakers and we derive that. And it's the only way to get it as complete and natural as possible. There are plenty of engineers that will argue that the only way to do it is to use these little RCAs.
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We offer those too, and that's fine. And if that's how you'd like to do it, you can do that, but it costs nothing to listen does it. And if you do it our way, we can guarantee you that you'll hear immediately a great deal more naturalness to the presentation of the entire system. So, starting with how we connect going through our filters, going into the amplifiers. Our amplifiers typically are not multi thousand watt behemoths.
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Boy, when I read some of our competitors stuff I’m like, oh my goodness, why does that person need a 3,500 watt amplifier? Pretty simple, there are no free lunches. If the moving parts, this driver, is the element that actually makes sound right. It moves back and forth. This pistons in and out, and the moving parts of this on a REL are vanishingly light. Why is that important? Because that's the amount of amplifier you need to excite this, to get it moving.
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If we built it, like everybody else built theirs, very, very heavy, what you'd wind up with is something that requires hundreds of watts just to get it moving the first little micron. So we're wasting energy, and we're actually producing something that's really slow. Why does that matter?
Because your speakers are not slow. The speakers in your main speakers, the drivers in there are very light. Even on a relatively inexpensive pair, a little five and a quarter inch or six and a half inch driver in an almost any speaker that cone weighs nothing. It weighs far less than an ounce.
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So when you start looking at some of these things that our competitors do, where they have these massive magnets, really rich and butch looking and you start going, wow, that's really impressive ask yourself why they're doing that.
In many cases a subwoofer is the least welcome element in a person's home. Why? They're inherently larger than people want them to be. People would love them to be the size of a baseball and be hidden underneath the couch or tucked behind an occasional table in the corner.
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We work as hard as we can to do that, but we work really hard to make sure that this may be the best looking thing in the living room. The physical structure of these all takes its cues from exactly what's needed and then reinterprets them in a way that's both functional and physically beautiful. So, what do we do? We actually tune the... - Jak na to + styl
Knowing about you(REL) might be one of the best thing happened to me and in 2020 , Thank you JHON for all the effort . defiantly getting a pair for my home cinema
Thank you for the support! If you have any questions regarding which model will be the best match for your home theater, feel free to write in to contactus@rel.net and we will be happy to help.
Took delivery of a pair of S/812s about five months ago and they continue to blow my mind every time my system is switched on.
We are glad to hear it! The S/812 is an excellent subwoofer, and when used as a pair their performance is dramatically improved. If you have any questions regarding setup or tuning, feel free to reach out and we will be happy to help.
My two carbon specials are just amazing. Bass is so well integrated, transparent and spatial in my 2CH setup.
Thank you for the feedback, and we are glad to hear that you are enjoying the performance of your Carbon Special subwoofers!
This video might have sold me on a REL subwoofer. Job well done can’t wait to see what REL has to offer in a real world application.
We are glad to hear that you enjoyed the video! If you have any questions or concerns about our subwoofers, feel free to write in to contactus@rel.net and we will be happy to help.
Man! I bought REL T9I just recently because my HECO SUB Signature
gave up, 16 year old system with ARGON 70 front speaker
and ONKYO TX-DS797 Receiver.
Only using it for 2 cannal stereo to day, don't need 5.1 anymore
It wass fun at the time!
Was about to upgrade TX-DS797!
Now I can save money to a higher end receiver in 2023 + Front speaker!
REL T9I really made my old system sound totally different!
Peace and Love to you all, and a excellent 2021.
We are glad to hear that you are enjoying the performance of your T/9i subwoofer!
Good summary.
And this is why I own two Rel 1205s with 50-50 focus on cinema and music
Thank you for supporting REL and choosing our subwoofers for your home audio system.
I have 2 1205 ht
I own 1 S5 and love it with a long bow
Hi John. I’m just in the process of breaking in, and fine tuning my pair of T/5i’s. I have about 8-9 actual hours on them at the moment, and they have really opened up. I’ve dialled back the level a little, and now trying to get the crossover right. With my speakers rated to about 60hz, do you have an approximate position to set my dial? I’m on 12 clicks at the moment. They have added so much depth to my music, and seem to go very well with my tubes. Kind regards, Scott.
We are glad to hear that your pair of T/5i subwoofers is improving the performance of your system! The ideal crossover setting for a system is highly dependent on the room and how both the speakers and subwoofers are placed in the room, which is why we recommend tuning and adjusting the Crossover by ear, though 12 clicks from minimum on each subwoofer is within the range that we would expect for such speakers.
Hi John
I have 2 x Sumiko S10 with Yg Carmel’s and very happy but I am wondering if there is any differences between REL S5 vs Sumiko S10
Thank you
Both models have similar sized drivers and amplifiers, though in our experience the S/5 is noticeably quicker and more articulate in it's output compared to the Sumiko S.10. For more information about our subwoofers, feel free to write in to contactus@rel.net and we will be happy to assist further.
Hi John...I have a rel s5 and iv had it for few years...I'm using the high level connection and the lfe...my question is what crossover do I need to use on the av reciever...thanks..
Thank you for reaching out. To get the best possible performance from the High Level input on your S/5 subwoofer we recommend setting your main speaker channels to "large" or "full-range" within your AV processor, so that no crossover is applied. If this is not possible, then it will be best to set the crossover for the main speaker channels to the lowest possible value.
John, I wish you would make a video using the new carbon special and how the airship wireless hooks physically up to it both at the speaker end and at the amplifier end.
Thank you for the feedback, we will consider this for a future video. In practice though, connecting the Airship wireless to your amplifier will follow the same procedure as when connecting a subwoofer directly to your amplifier.
@@RELAcoustics John, I recently bough the S/812 from Music Direct per Bes recommendations to supplement my new JBL L100 with the bassline blue connectors and cant put into words how happy i am with it and the looks are amazing also. Now I want to get the new carbon for my home theatre. I am using the Klipsch 15 inch wireless and not happy at all with their performance. So that why I am a little worried about the airship. I may just order the baseline blue to avoid any issues.
@@mrrandy1 If direct wired connection is an option then the Bassline Blue will be a great choice, though the Airship wireless does deliver zero compression wireless signal transmission, which is indistinguishable from the direct wired connection.
Let’s just say I’m glad I am an owner two REL subwoofers.
We are glad too, and thank you for the support! Let us know if we can be of any assistance.
I've owned a REL 8 inch sub for years and it kills! REL subs are no joke!
Thank you for your support, and we are glad that your REL subwoofer is working well for you!
@@RELAcoustics Thank you for making great subwoofers!
it's an absolute pleasure to be one of your customer's soon.. I have a question please should i get 1 rel ht 1508 or dual rel 1205 ? of course many say dual are better in every way but will I miss something on the 15-inch ? room dimensions are 20L*18W*11C ft thank you..
The best choice of subwoofer for your system depends on a few additional variables, in addition to the dimensions of your room. At your earliest convenience, feel free to write in to contactus@rel.net and we will be happy to provide a subwoofer pairing recommendation specific to your system.
Do they have anything under 1k that goes down around 20hz or below?
Hello Brandon, our HT/1205 subwoofer has a low-frequency extension spec of -6dB at 22Hz, though once fully broken in and when placed well in a room these subwoofers can reach even deeper than this mark. For additional information about our subwoofers, feel free to write in to contactus@rel.net and we will be happy to help.
Does using the high level out connection remove the ability to remove the bass for smaller main speakers?
With the High Level connection, it is necessary to have your main speaker channels receiving a full-range signal. This will result in your main loudspeakers naturally rolling off in their low-frequency extension where they are no longer capable of producing strong bass output, and the subwoofer being crossed over below that point. This is different than the speaker-level connections on some other manufacturer's subwoofers, where low-frequency signal is filtered away from your main speakers and sent to the subwoofer. For more information on our High Level connection, feel free to write in to contactus@rel.net and we will be happy to assist.
I miss my old REL Stadium sub.
At what volumes does your 'pitch' start to make sense?
I am a REL- anatic. Since my neighbours are not do they add anything at lower volumes?
Thank you for reaching out. A REL subwoofer can benefit the performance of an audio system at any output level, and can especially make an audio system sound more full and dynamic when listening at relatively low output levels.
@@RELAcoustics Thank you. And my neighbours thank you... 😉
John ht1205 does top acrylic says rel removable??? Grant granger
Thank you for reaching out. The top badge on our subwoofers is not designed to be removable.
Thank u sir
Just placed an order for a S/812. I've been without a sub for too long.
We hope that you love the performance of the S/812 in your system! Once it arrives feel free to reach out if you have any questions regarding setup or tuning of the subwoofer.
I would never want to stand next to the concussion of a 5.56NATO you speak of without hearing protection. But overall all I agree most will not have head that sound unless they have first hand experience.
I am the proud owner of 2 S/5 SHO’s that are paired with Harbeth Super HL5’s via Primaluna mono blocks. The difference before and after adding the REL’s is like night and day. This is by far the most dramatic change in my 2 channel system than any other single piece of hifi gear that I own. This is my “forever” set-up! As an aside, I would highly recommend upgrading the high level connection cables. It made an already sterling sounding system sound even better if that is possible. And for those that complain about REL not including the cable I would suggest that you ask yourself if any speaker manufacturer provides premium cables? Thank you John for making a wonderful product!
Thank you for supporting REL, and we are glad that you are enjoying the performance of the S/5 SHOs in your system!
Any plans for car subwoofer line?
I will be the first to buy.
At this time we do not have any plans for launching any models designed to be used in cars.
@@RELAcoustics you will definitely have an amazing "Sound Quality" market.
Is new 31 waaaaay better than ht 1205
Yes, very much so.
Of course all sub manufacturers make their subs differently, and while I really like the RELs I have heard, most have only been woofer boxes, not sub woofers.
Well, I finally auditioned an S812 and a Rythmik F12 believe SE model for music purposes only. The REL for a non-servo sub was quite fast, but after much listening I found the Rythmik faster (controlled) and it definitely went lower.
Is REL going also to make a servo controlled sub in the near future?
Hello James,
At this time we do not have any plans for including servo technology in our subwoofer models. We believe that improved speed and responsiveness can be achieved by using lightweight-but-rigid drivers, fast filter circuits, and specially designed amplifiers without the need for servo technology which can in some cases add latency to the subwoofer's output.
Adorama had a special for their REL HT15 at 1100 this past black friday....I feel terrible not buying it!
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Rel is the only company that makes subwoofers that are completely different then any other subwoofer. No other subwoofer on planet 🌎 earth is anything close to a Rel subwoofer! This is no sales pitch. Not at all. Raul makes subwoofers. In fact, the only subwoofer you should ever own no other subwoofer in the universe for that matter is like a Rel subwoofer. Imagine going down to 0 hertz? Rel Subwoofer can go a thousand times lower then human ears can hear. While ever other subwoofer does it completely wrong!