Rel Storm

criverajr

Polkster,

Went into NYC yesterday and found a Rel Storm original sub in mint condition, anybody had any experience with this sub or it's performance, it sounded very full and defined. Let me know.

CRj

gregure

REL subs, especially the finished wood premium line, are exceptional music subs. They are refined, smooth, accurate and non-intrusive. In a word: British. They use the wood cabinet as much as the driver to secure a warmly resononant bass, like a good speaker should. The Storm is a great mid-line unit, as it is not tremendously large, such as the doulbe 10" Studio III that resembles an end table. The Storm is perfect for a high-end two channel system in a small to mid-size room.

One thing about the ST series from REL, they are not home theater subs. They are meant to be crossed over very low, and provide support only in the lowest of registers. They aren't made for mid-bass, and will probably not have the impact in the 40-80Hz range you would expect from a Martin Logan or SVS subwoofer. That said, if your use is primarily for music, it would be a top choice. You may get decent results for HT, but again, not as forceful as a more home-theater minded company. If you like REL, and you want something that's great for music and movies, I'd recommend looking at their Britannia series. The B1, B2 or B3 are all excellent subs, all w/ sub 20 Hz responses and are specifically made to be more home theater oriented. They still have the SPEAK-ON connection for music use as well. Happy shopping!

janmike

I purchased an old REL Strata I last year and find it very smooth. It blends in with the speakers very well, almost invisibly.

Meeks32

"One thing about the ST series from REL, they are not home theater subs. They are meant to be crossed over very low, and provide support only in the lowest of registers. They aren't made for mid-bass, and will probably not have the impact in the 40-80Hz range you would expect from a Martin Logan or SVS subwoofer. That said, if your use is primarily for music, it would be a top choice. You may get decent results for HT, but again, not as forceful as a more home-theater minded company. If you like REL, and you want something that's great for music and movies, I'd recommend looking at their Britannia series. The B1, B2 or B3 are all excellent subs, all w/ sub 20 Hz responses and are specifically made to be more home theater oriented. They still have the SPEAK-ON connection for music use as well. Happy shopping![/QUOTE]"


This didnt make much sense, you say they are not home theater subs but should only be crossed over low & that they will only play the lowest notes, thats pretty much a home theater designed sub. Also you say they are good for music but arent made for mid-bass, which most "musical" subs are designed for:) Bottom line criverajr, the general thought about REL around the audio forums is that they are among the best for music but roll off a little too early(dont play the lowest of the low) for home theater use.

ohskigod

sounds like a hell of a sub for your 2 channel, arent you still using LSi9's for 2 channel? I hear nothing but good things about Rel, primarily for music. Grab it, cross it at no higher than 40-50Hz and give it a shot. if the price is fair, I cant imagine you would lose too much money if you dumped it.

gregure

Meeks32 wrote:

This didnt make much sense, you say they are not home theater subs but should only be crossed over low & that they will only play the lowest notes, thats pretty much a home theater designed sub. Also you say they are good for music but arent made for mid-bass, which most "musical" subs are designed for:) Bottom line criverajr, the general thought about REL around the audio forums is that they are among the best for music but roll off a little too early(dont play the lowest of the low) for home theater use.

Actually, it makes perfect sense. A good majority of the LFE information is acutally in the 40-80 hz range, and the ST series subs aren't really meant for bass in that range. They are meant to be crossed over at about 30 or 40 hz, and blend into the bass response of the main speakers. Most REL subs are rated to sub 20 hz, however they do not have that earth-shaking, visceral rumble that a lot of other subs have, because they are meant to be musical and blend non-intrusively. They probably would perform better than a lot of other subs, even for theater use, but that is not their intention. In a review of the Sonus Faber Cremona speakers, used with a REL Stadium III, the reviewer complained of a lack of theater-quality rumble, despite the Stadium's reported 9Hz roll-off. In a published note from Sumiko, the only US distributor for REL, they instructed that the Stadium should have been crossed over very low, with speakers set to Large, as it was not meant to handle all the bass from 80 Hz down, as the reviewer had set up. In their words, it just isn't that kind of sub, and is not intended to be used that way. That is why REL made the Britannia series specifically for Americans, who love their theater bass.

mantis

Rel subs are great for home theater. The st line is the perfect sub for the money in my opnion. They are as noted Crazy musical subs. I think the misconception with home theater is you need this high output explosive boomy sub for theater, not true. Rel subs blend in so well that it will fool you into believing that the system is producing the bass, not the sub.I perfer this design.

Martin Logan subs also are crazy musical and make killer home theater subs. They also don't boom. They are very smooth.

I would own a martin logan sub any day of the week.

Dan