Which Sub. Rel B-1 or Fathom F-113

speed of the JL Audio drivers.

"speed' is a good description of the JL design. What does this mean in practice?

It means low group delay - which means critically damped design and generally a sealed box.

Compare the Group Delay and response plots from HT Shack Subwoofer Tests.

SVS PB13 ports open

SVS PB13 Sealed

Notice that a port can raise output level, reduce distortion however the trade off is Group Delay. Basically it allows the use of a cheaper driver and a smaller cheaper box to get the same undistorted output as a more expensive sealed box design.

Most subwoofers are intended to make a profit for the manufacturer and therefore you can guess which way most designs go......ported!

What is the downside to group delay. Well it means your bass will sound 'slow' like it does with bass bins folded horns at a concert...for each bass note you are getting an extra cycle or more from the subwoofer and hence it lacks "musicality" and there is a loss of accurate timbre.

A glance at the REL Storm 5 shows that it too has low group delay and is indeed a "fast" or musical sub. (I have seen no data on the B-1)

If Richard was still in the sub game the 'bassmeister' would without question have one in his range to conquer all subs that would be put before it.A really sad day in hi-fi Mr Lord's retirement. The Rel name will mean nothing now. Big sigh.

Well I suppose that one can then have a look at the new Thor's Hammer by Wilson Audio

Hello gentlemen,

REL started out in Wales and like Dynaudio, another European speaker manufacturer, REL focused on a typical European set up (smaller room, brick building, 220 V electricity, etc...) It makes sense for an audiophile who has a small-mid size listening area to go with REL where REL power subwoofers would do best.

I have heard of JL Audio years before they entered the home audio market and indeed it is a reputable company. But keep in mind that unlike REL, JL Audio started out as a car audio company based in Florida and its design philosophy is totally different than that of REL. Since JL Audio focused entirely on American market where the majority of the market demands are bigger means better. It makes perfect sense if you have a listening area the size of Brazil to use JL Audio powered subwoofers rather than REL.

A million dollar system would not sound great in my man cave (I am a dirt poor accountant who could only afford Hsu or Outlaw power subs or TOTEM if I am lucky to come across a great deal on audio) but of course this system will definitely sound great in Mr. Oneobgyn's house. A hometheater system that costs less than $20K will not do his listening area justice.

REL is a good company and it still has many serious audiophile followers. However, REL is no longer the little mom-and-pop company like TOTEM or maybe JL Audio (I am not too sure because I assume JL Audio is) so the quality of REL products have been somewhat decreased.

Kind regards,

Mr. REL sold his company to Sumiko several years ago and REL design and marketing philosophies have changed a great deal since the time Mr. REL still was in the industry.

Kind regards,