Rel Studio Subwoofer

Supposed to be very similar in build/sound to the REL's of the previous generation (before the britania models)

Btw,Norton(or anyone else interested),though I can definitely sympathize with anyone going through equipment failure problems,we ALL go through this.We simply have to get used to the fact some stuff can have problems,at times.
I've had my share,and currently one of my dear audio pals had his mega expensive tube phonostage go Crakatoa!!He was NOT happy!
As to the REL issue...before Sumiko(always a seemingly fine outfit to do business with,from my perspective)acquired REL,these were made in England,I believe.I thoroughly researched my Stentor before purchase,and looked at many contenders.My desire was to have a superb unit to "perfectly" blend with my irreplacable,(and God I love these speakers) Avalon Ascent MK II's!!These speakers have amazing (lower mid bass on up) detail and natural timbres.They are amazingly coherent,and embarrass the vast majority of the "super imagers",in that area.Easily comparative to today's absolute best,regardless of price( as long as the room is not too big).They are a sealed box design,and are bullet fast( as in accurate).One hundred and ten pounds of external crossover.So a really good blend of "very low" frequencies HAD to be a "perfect" match for my main speaker.
This is about the REL,and not an ego piece,so I appologize if it seems otherwise!
My audio friends were adamantly against me getting any subwoofer(btw,EBM,who made a negative comment on this thread is one of them,and he NEVER owned a sub,and admits to commenting just to be a contrarian,but he's a very nice guy in general)!!
I had previously owned three different BIG Infinity speaker systems,of which two of them were four tower affairs,with HUGE bass output.I was NOT looking for this,but only wanted to underpin my main lower midbass,which currently blew away my Infinity,in detail.
I even looked at the HUGE Wilson subs,but the price was prohibitive,though not out of the question.
So the Stentor II was offered by my dealer,at a money back guarantee.I got a fair price of 3200 dollars.I NEVER asked for my money back,obviously,and although it took me an eon to get right,the blend is seamless.I only use a tiny amount of gain,and come in at 24hz,with a position two feet from back wall,and side wall,in my 22x 13 ft room.
My REL manual states..."This product will probably outlast the original owner"!I believe it!!....unless you like to blow the wall down,I guess.
As to the Sumiko asking price for repair(only an opinion,obviously)..I would assume the board in question is fairly complex(crossover/amp circuitry)and maybe hard to match with the "original" REL of England type.They may be forced to give you a new board,which at the 1,000 dollar asking price,may not be out of the norm.It's a judgement call,for you,I guess.
Best of luck

I bought the REL too because of everything I read on here and elsewhere that it would blend well with my speakers. I personally don't have enough patience to fiddle with all the settings and have limited placement opportunities because of the shape of the living room. Maybe that or something else but I never felt like that sub was worth what I paid for it so maybe that is why I am balking at their 1k+ price tag for a new amp. Well you live and learn and I sure wouldn't have bought it if I thought I couldn't get it repaired.
If the local shop can't repair it I'm back to square one as I can't live without a sub and I'm probably too stubborn to buy a "new'' board so the thing will probably just sit.
Thanks for your correspondence you seem like a very nice fellow.
Norton

Norton,in today's ever expanding world "anything" can be rectified.You just have to be vigilant,and stubborn.Don't even ask me to relate the last 18 months of my life,as to this subject!Trust me...ANYTHING can be accomplished,with stubborn vigilance.
Don't give up,regardless of outcome.You deserve to get the "promised" performance of your investment.
The REL stuff has gotten a good rep,for a reason,and I am one person(though why take my word for it,as I am a total stranger)who NEVER expected this level of "quality" bass integration,with a main speaker like I have.Believe me,I am a fanatic!Sad,but true.
As I stated previously,my audio pals(some extremely experienced hobbyists)were almost militant about my NOT going the sub route,but like Richard Dryfuss,in the movie Close Encounters,I simply "knew" something!
What I DO know,now,for a fact,is that the REL products are very effective "music" subs.I don't know about home theater etc,and don't care.They are extremely well made,designed,and WORK great!I am talking about "pitch" definition,in bass frequencies,which is hard to accomplish,but I want it!Unless as you have stated,you have no patience.Then it may be time to go the I-pod route -:)
Best.

Sirspeedy, Yes I have a mp3 player and it sounds fantastic for what it is but it would NEVER replace a good home stereo.
I started in the early 70's buying what I could afford and always, to the chagrin of my S/O, had a significant amount of money invested in ''hi-fi'' equipment. That's what lead me to REL. Trying to put together a great system and since there's is a complete lack of hi-fi shops around now, my only choice was to read and study online forums and reviews. Everything I read about the REL was positive. But after bringing it home and hooking it up I thought in the back of my mind I could have done better for that significant amount of money. It sounded OK with music but when i did play the occasional movie it did not keep up with the soundtrack of action movies. It would "bottom" out and did not have the output I was looking for but since I bought this sub primarily for music I kept it and made do.
I guess in conclusion since I never really was satisfied to begin with when I found out that it was going to take that much money to fix it lead me to where I am today. I still think Sumiko just charged me the handling fee and didn't even try to fix it since they couldn't even give an idea what was wrong with it just that it looked "stressed". Not very good public relations. That and nobody would ever call me back after I left a voice mail. I would never buy any of the products they deal with again and I'm still without a sub.