Rel Strata III versus Rel Britannia B3

Artman,

When you say "color" do you mean unfaithful reproduction (as the term is often used here) or do you mean more vivid and textured?

I'm not trying to be an arse - I'm doing lots of research on RELs and the Velodyne DD series, and one of the things the Brits tell me on their boards is the REL subs measure horribly, suggesting they may color the sound (negatively) a bit, so the meaning of "color" in your post is very important to me.

Thanks,
Howard

Howard,

I would be curious as to what you find out regarding your concept of color...

Cheers

Froody, I haven't found much out so far. I'm seeing some appealing prices on the Britannia series right now, so I'm actively researching the issue now. I'll let you know what I find.

Howard

I know Artmaltman and when he says "color," he is not referring to coloration. I don't want to put words in his mouth, but I believe he is talking about tonal color or saturation. He and I have had conversations about the sonic equivalent of the color dial on your TV. Turn it down too far and approach black & white. I think he's saying tha his REL sub seems to add to the saturation (in a good way) across the board in his system, including perceived tonality in the treble.

I've tried the DD from Velo and just recently bit the bullet on a the B3.

The DD from Velo is nice because of the remote. But it stops there. No matter what the dealer did, the sub just called attention to the sound therefore it colors the sound. The salesman may not know what he is doing but I sure didnt like the way it gave bass. It was a bit hard for my taste. Too much. It could be break in issues but it wasnt for me. Powerful yes! but still, not for me.

Next stop I went to the store who carried Rel. It only took a good 5 min to convince me that this sub was for me. It integrated well with whatever speakers it was hooked up to. It seems the bass was coming from the main speakers rather than from the sub itself.Its terribly expensive but at the end of a two week period of thinking. I bit the bullet and got the Rel B3 in cherry.

I suggest that you listen to the Rels before giving up on them.