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Subwoof differently
An audiophile approach to subwoofers
By Michael Jones
May 2001
REL Storm 3 subwoofer. $3499 in black, $3899 in wood.
It isn't easy wanting deep, quality bass. In days of old deep bass meant very large speaker enclosures and large drivers. Deep bass is easier these days, and it's all because of home theatre-driven demand for power subwoofers.
But that's just deep bass. Quality bass is another matter. There's a lot more down in the lower regions than just "thump". More musically aware audiophiles found that most subs can detract from the music, as much as they add to the frequency response.
Except if you talk to REL owners. Consistently, REL owners tell that their subwoofers add to their musical enjoyment. So I had to investigate. A REL Storm 3, courtesy of Tokoroa's The Listening Post, arrived.
Subwoof differently
REL
subwoofers work a little differently from most others. While many subs
are designed around removing the low bass sent to your speakers through
a crossover or using the sub output from an AV receiver, a REL subwoofer
eschews that approach. Instead, REL recommend that you connect the speaker
outputs from the amplifier to the subwoofer via a cable they provide.
This runs in parallel to the main speaker cables, which means that the
normal signal transmission from an amplifier to your speakers is kept
intact.
So why do this? The idea is that you don't want anything to interfere with the feed from the amp to the speakers. The Storm 3 was placed in a corner opposite to where my Epos ES14's reside. Once connected to the power and to my amplifier (a Plinius 8150) the setup process began.
Basically, what you're trying to do is to bring the volume level of the REL into line with your main speakers, and then set the roll-off point of the REL. Using the Active Bass Controller (ABC) in the REL, you slowly raise the REL's rolloff point, until it matches up with the roll-off of your main speakers.
That may sound difficult, but you should get it fairly close within an hour. Within a couple of days it should be spot on.
Using the bass tones from the Stereophile test CD, the REL effortlessly reproduced the 25Hz track, which is extraordinarily low. The Storm 3 didn't sound completely happy with 20Hz at highish levels, but the vibrating windows in my lounge were even less happy!
So we have bass extension, but what does the REL do to the overall sound? Every audio-orinted visitor had the same response Even though my Epos were doing the same work as before,there was a notable increase in the "ease" of the sound, as if the system as a whole was not having to work so hard.
Coupled with that was a remarkable improvement in soundstaging. The sound of a hall on classical recordings or the ambience created from various "black boxes" on rock material was notably superior with the REL. The extra bass was portraying "room sound" in a way that I didn't know I was missing.
On old favourites such as Michael Hedges' Aerial Boundaries that scale of sound expanded remarkably to fill up the space between my speakers.
A few years back I saw the NZSO play Ravel's Concerto for the Left Hand in Auckland, which made a huge impact on me. The piece starts with the double basses rumbling away, the contrabassoon coming in and finally, after a build-up, the pianist pounds on the lowest notes on the keyboard. I've never heard a hi-fi system come anywhere close.
Although I enjoy a recording of this piece, I must admit that my Epos ES14's sound like toys on the opening. So I was looking forward to listening with the REL. The first thing I noticed was the sound of the large hall. The double bass had considerably more authority and seemed grounded on the stage floor, rather than floating unattached. The orchestral buildup was without strain and the piano intro explosive. Extraordinary stuff!
I also tried the REL as a home theatre sub, fed from the subwoofer-out on my Denon 2801. First up was a hard test. The opening of Toy Story 2 has some very loud and low bass, enough to make my Epos speakers completely lose their composure when used on their own. With the bass routed to the REL, my Epos' retained their composure (that's important - they are British after all!) while the huge wods of bass came through the REL. Nicely done.
The Storm 3 weighs 30kg and is taller (620mm) than it is wide (415mm) or deep (330mm). A 250mm long-throw woofer in a cast chassis is mounted on the bottom of the cabinet.
A bass-ic conclusion
Yes, the REL does initially look expensive compared to the multitude of
cheap subs available, but the Storm 3 performs as no other cheaper sub
I've come across. It offers more than bass extension - scale, soundstaging,
a sense of ease to the music - that you won't find with most subwoofers.
Recommended to the audiophile customer.
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