"Need"? YES YOU DO! I'm a huge fan of the REL stuff for hifi. A friend turned me on to 'em a year or 2 ago (he has the same main speakers as I do). I bought a clean used one (Q150E) and man...anybody who smugly claims there is "no benefit" from a well designed sub instantly destroys their audio opinion credibility and shall be forever removed from my christmas card list. Read the current issue of "Absolute Sound" for a nice REL review...I've done the experiment of turning the REL off and on to see the difference, and when off it dramatically diminishes every aspect of the overall "life" (tonality, soundstage, dynamics, odor) of my system. |
Yeah...this subject seems to engender some weirdly snarky responses to what is a basic reality: Subs make the lower freqencies audible. Is that so wrong? Also there is something to be said for the imaging capabilities of small baffle speakers that don't have much bass combined with a good sub (like a REL) that can be a magic formula, without having to spend $97,000 on a pair of Rockports (speakers...not shoes). |
NO! Say it ain't so! In spite of what "REL" says (what the hell do THEY know anyway?)...mine sounds great for music, which is all I use it for. Now I have to go look that up...damn... |
As a former full range speaker user and subwoofer hater (except for pro sound use) I found Elizabeth's comments understandable but less valid than usual when applied to a topic including REL subs..."Rock" music can certainly have a lot of bass (as does a lot of the jazz I like...Brian Bromberg anybody?) but the beauty of most RELs is the amount of gain, phase, and frequency adjustment inherent in their design. I adjust the output level frequently (in small steps...I put a "chicken head" amp knob on there so my greasy little fingers can "feel" what I'm adjusting) to fine tune the bass response for certain bass shy or bass bloated wall shaking recordings (do I agree with ALL of the engineering decisions made by the faceless strangers who messed with the sound of my recorded music? NO!)...otherwise impossible with my (and most everybody else's "high endish") preamp. It's nice to be able to do this while leaving the rest of the signal chain and main amp signal unmolested, as, for my tastes, this is all the adjusting my rig needs...plus it allows me to continue my sonic dominance over these things as, after all, I am the "decider". |
My REL Q150E is side firing. |
My REL Q150E is front firing. It sits in a little corner made by a fake fireplace behind the left speaker (firing forward toward the back of the main speaker) and that is EXACTLY where it belongs in my room (I moved it all over the place and pointed it in various directions until it seemd to lock into its current spot). |
Here's the possibly disturbing line from the currrent REL site (the "FAQ'S" section, "6. Which REL sub-bass system is best for me?":
"Acoustically, either the 'ST' or the 'Q' range work excellently in either a hi-fi or home cinema system. However, the inputs on the 'Q' range are slightly more oriented towards home cinema use."
They do say "slightly"...I feel better already. Also notice that they no longer make the "Q" series. My beloved Q150E has all the adjustments one could ask for in a sub: Phase, frequency, level for both input types, and a weird 2 position knob for disco freaks. |
The thing I posted was pasted directly from the REL site, and it seems REL stuff generally does music very well (a friend has a completely different model than I do with the same main speakers and it works fine). Also...every room differs absolutely, so a corner might sound great for some. REL subs crossover (or appear) wherever you want 'em to. I set the frequency on mine right where my main speakers lose the low end based mostly from listening...and aided by a test CD which I highly recommend if only just for fun (you can see from warble tones or whatever exactly what your room is doing to the sound at your head). It does take a while to dial it in...now I just adjust the level a little here and there. I also think they're expensive new, but, again, used they can be a steal. |
True...there are those who are ethically challenged by subs, and I would be also if I spent $6,624.37 on "full range" speakers just to discover somebody gets a similar experience from adding a good sub to a more modest speaker. My groovy sounding Silverline Prelude/REL Q150e combo was purchased (used) for less than the cost of a decent brake job. |
The "proper" sub frequency point should depend on the main speaker's low frequency capability and careful listening...if I set the REL too high up into the main speaker territory it gets muddy, untoward, unseemly, tawdry, flabby, unfocused, unrealistic, overbearing, and innacurrate, thus harshing my mellow. |
I also run my REL Q150E relatively (but appropriately) pretty low...and as an older (but still amazingly handsome) musician/soundman I also have "experience specific" tastes in this stuff (unlike the "teeming masses/great unwashed" non musicians who have irrelevant tastes...heh heh). I do adjust the level sometimes but only in tiny increments. I suggest 3 things: An angled Neutrik plug (hard to find but cool) and an angled IEC cable (Audioquest sells an IEC angled adaptor) in case you want to put the control panel side back against a wall (I do this), and a "chicken head" knob for the level pot in case it IS backed against a wall...you can adjust the level and more readily tell where the knob is set. |
Aplomb! Has anybody named an adjustment knob "aplomb" yet? That is also a great name for an audio company or product.
I have this little corner thing going on that reinforces the REL amazingly. My system is tweeked (for "active" listening anyway) to my listening spot only, as standing waves and other bass reinforcement elsewhere in the room go bananas, as well they should. |
