small, cheap and good quality

finish

the quake is a good sub and quite cheap. However you need some time to get the right setting especially with music. Bass is not fat or warm but neutral. I use the high input channel for music and the low input channel for dvd. the finish is not so good i think. i rate it 4 stars.

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none

cost depth size

power output colour

I think this is fantastic. its small and powerful and above all it's pretty cheap. it makes my setup a plesure to listen to. i also have the rel Q200E but because this is half the price i think it is worth the money. My setup: Sony STR-DE685 amplifier Sony SS-LA300ED souround sound speakers Sony SS-LAC305ED centre speaker Rel Quake Subwoofer

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Rel Q200E

Quake's strenght is obvious: it's a very small case with the very, realy very low (don't mind the neighbours)sound

1 There's no output for the main spaekers, so my B&W's get all the signal 2 There is no on/off switch 3 ofcourse it's not that cheap, but worth all the money

Wow, it's realy very, very low this Rel Quake serie 2002 and very small indeed You can not imagen how they can do this and how it works It completes my setup perfectly Delivary was good, although in the brochure said there was no speakon cable included, actually it was included My Setup is: NAD 370 Ampiflier Marantz CD 62 player B&W P5 speakers

Satisfying subsonics, 20Hz is a reality with this little REL

Not as much subsonic resolution as the bigger and more expensive REL models.

Experiencing and appreciating the all the strengths, (its few weakness) and versatility of the REL Stratas and Strata II's , obviously the next step for me would have been upward to say a Strata III or a Storm. Instead this time I settled "downward" for 2 REL Quakes.
Though the Strata and Strata II's were very good, what I wanted most now was not just deep sub bass, but lots of control and accuracy.
Control and accuracy only an acoustic suspension design could give, and superior room loading that only two subs can.
In my "downgrade" I reasoned that two 50 Watt Quakes would still give me a combined 100 Watts of sub bass, allowing me a wider choice of placement and set up configurations (stereo or mono); something one Strata III couldn't possibly do. So 2 REL Quakes it was for me serving the bottom end of my B&W CDM 2's working in a long but 20Hz friendly room.
Setting up 2 subs, I must admit, wasn't as easy as setting up one as I had been used to all along. Configured in Stereo, i.e. one Quake per channel, I soon realised that having the benefits of "separated" components of this nature demanded a clear headed understanding of my systems characteristics and the conditions it worked under i.e. my own room acoutics. The REL Volume and Crossover pots were indeed precise that every click provided a noticeable difference in the overall portrayal of the final sound; which was good for it gave me absolute control in achieving my desired sound. A stereo configured subs provided a very dynamic and extremely wide soundstage. Music and Home Theater took on a big and effortless feel, just like an abundantly powered system, while tonality remained neutral across the entire bandwidth. But deep sub bass was a little faint.
I later experimented configuring boths subs to mono and placed in the most bass friendly spot in the room which was to the side of both speakers. (It's in this same spot where my previous REL Strata and Strata II's worked it's best). This shift forced me to re-set the Active Bass Controllers on both Quakes to work seamlessly in it's given position and with both my B&W CDM 2's. The previously portrayed huge as life soundstage of the stereo configured sub set-up shrank a little while tonality took on a slightly different sonic portrayal. But deep bass, I received in abundance. That all around helm-holtz resonance sensation proved good for certain types of material.
In the end, I left both subs configured to mono and in its best performing location in the room where the REL is, I presume, designed to perform its best.
In the end which is correct? Mono or Stereo sub configuration?
It depend on my mood and expectation. Given the versatilty of the RELs, you can be sure it won't remain in this configuration or this position for long.
Or as said in the REL Owner's Manual,"If it sounds right, then it is correct".

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Triangle 60 Watt subwoofer

I have gradually upgraded my system, starting with a Cyrus 3 amp to drive B&W CDM1 speakers. First a PSX was added and then a XPA to drive the tweeters.
The system sounded quite good to me and I did not really feel the need to upgrade again. However after having read several articles on the positive effects a subwoofer can bring, my curiosity was raised once more.
I did not want to spend a fortune and my wife restricted the size of any additional speaker to come. Furthermore it should not add more boom but improve the sound of my system in general. Noticing a Quake on sale, I decided to bite the bullet and get me one.
The Quake was run in for 24 hours after which the integration of system and sub proved to be fairly easy. More boom could be obtained by turning the output level or frequency up, but the sub was finally set to a unnoticable level. With my ear close to the sub it is possible to hear some vague rumbles but in general it is difficult to hear it at all. That is until it is switched out. Then the sound stage suddely seems smaller, high may be a tad sharper and there is lesser bass. It seems like the whole sound is thinner. Needless to say the sub is switched constantly on, even with music without obvious bass lines. This relatively small box fullfills its promise and confirms the excellent reputation of REL.

Incredible Bass from that tinny sub

I don't think that anyone will find some

Well, I have a small combination at home, with B&W 602 S2 front speakers, NAD C320 amplifier and NAD C521 CD Player. It worked very well, but there was in my small room not the punch I expected from the frontspeakers with their 180mm Kevlar woofers. I thought of buying a subwoofer.

The first subwoofer I wanted to by was the german CANTON AS25 with its 10" woofer and I think 150watt power.
I tested it with a friend in an shop with a DVD, Matrix and a Canton Surround System. The Sub had a strong Punch and in some scenes of the film it shot like a jackhammer. The sound was great for a surroundsystem. The 10" woofer made long excursions on a still low volume level.

I was given a REL Quake for a test at home, with my system a few days later. First it wasn't hard to configure the little sub. Only the small box, the tinny 50watt sinus and the not the toughest looking 10" woofer hit my first impression a bit. But then, configured, I listen to my favourite tracks on CD (a very good Bass test CD is the Soundtrack from the film "The Fifth Element"). Suddenly, my system had a real deep punch and the room on the CDs seemed to grow. A concert hall was no longer a room but a real concert hall, with all the deep grumbling of the crowd standing in it. It was amazing.
I loaded something with a really deep bass, a trance track. The woofers of the B&W 602 S2 started pumping. I looked at the REL: its excursion reached, eye-measured, not more than 4mm. That's a point I don't understand. How can a small closed box, the woofer pointing to the wall, with a small woofer and no great excursions produce such a loud, deep and fast bass?

I went to the shop and bought it.
2 months ago, I tested my sub with a much bigger hifisystem in a 30 m2 room (my room is only 12 m2 small and has walls made of wood. I disrecommend these type of walls because they are real bass killers). The system was a Thorens amplifier with 2x170 watt sinus and B&W CDM7 SE frontspeakers. The speakers have even without a subwoofer a strong and deep bass. The only thing, they are a bit soft in bass (that means a bassdrums sounds not like a punch but more like a deep bass only without the bassdrum punch) Loud can they go anyway (ask the neighbours).
The REL Quake gave these amazing speakers the punch they needed and it showed me, that even for a 30 m2 room, the REL isn't to small.

It is a great sub for all those who don't like to move walls but to listen to details of music. But when you want to look a great DVD ( Mylene Farmer - Mylenium Tour ), the REL will do it, with the REL method - with a deep, deep punch.

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Canton AS 25

i was looking for a SMALL subwoofer that can go really low and i ended up with REL Quake. i almost went for Yamaha YST-SW300 but i was intimidated by the size of it. it is as big as our sony 21" kirara basso tv! i had a listen to it though but it is really more for HT.
anyway, as i looked at my list of subwoofer candidates, some of the small ones like KEF is only rated down to 35Hz!!! (they call it a SUBwoofer?!) and the other units in my list (within my budget) that are rated below 30Hz are big - Paradigm PDR-12 & PS-1000, Yamaha YST-SW300 and YST-SW150, B&W 800ASW and other models from Energy and JBL! I noticed that more expensive subs do not have good specs as well. the MORE expensive units however have very good specs - like there is sunfire but the price is way over my budget. i've thought of going for HSU TN1225 but i have to go to U.S. just to get it. HSU has a lot of good reviews and the unit is so light and the footprint so small and it can go down loud to 20Hz!!! i checked Yamaha YST-SW150 which had quite a good review from Widescreen Review but the paper cone drivers are not really attractive. this goes down only to 25Hz.
so i really ended up with the REL Acoustics' Q-50 and Quake. Looking at the specs (size and freq response and weight) alone - these are really impressive so i had to go down to the dealer and check them out. the Q-50 was not available so i had to listen to Quake. the Q-50 was quite big though (it has the same dimension with Q-100) so it was out of the question anyway.
first audition to Quake - i was knocked out! REL's reputation on quality subwoofers has been carried down to the smallest of their unit! what a quality company! (though the website has not been updated for quite sometime now). i've listened to my cds at hand and i was impressed. on my second visit, i run a test tone and it was really clean (based on hearing only) down to 31.5Hz. i can still hear/feel something at 25Hz and 20Hz but i guess only an SPL meter can verify the output it can give at this lowest frequencies - usable or not, that is. nevertheless, getting a clean audible output at 31.5Hz from such a small cabinet is already an impressive achievement. i've listened to more of my cds and i was really impressed. REL subs are known for improving the soundstage and the over-all presentation of the current system that it is used with. this is still true for the Quake. the sound from my cd sounds great and better. instruments and vocals have more body and the system sounds like a bigger set-up. the improvement is really amazing. it is indeed very musical and the integration is seamless.
i brought the Telarc Fantasy Album cd to test the HT capability of this little CUTE quake. i played track 3 and 21 which is the jurassic lunch - t. rex having a good lunch. the t. rex footsteps which starts in a very very deep bass (from 5 Hz probably cause i can see the front channels' driver going in and out like crazy) - had a good impact on me. based from quake's size, the bass that it presents is awesome. again, the soundstage was more open with the sub. (i critically watched Jurassic Park, Terminator II and Clear and Present Danger with it and it is very satisfying. the deep bass is awesome. if i only have my aladdin disc with me!!!).
after this test, i was prepared to do the last item on my test checklist. i have to listen to the system in a soft volume. this will show me how well this sub really do integrate with the system regardless of the volume setting. boy, was i dumbfounded! loud or soft, the bass is always present! it's not even boomy but it's just there! turning the sub's volume all the way down confirms that it is working (the sound becomes 'thinner' - specally the 'bass' materials).
this sub is HIGHLY recommended. i suggest that you have a listen to this sub (even Q-50) before getting anything. if cash flows in again, i'll be getting another Quake for a stereo set-up!!!
check out these site which i encountered during my search:
http://www.best.com/~eriko/www/bass/wsr_sub_comparison.html - i really wanted a HSU but i guess i am very happy with my CUTE and MIGHTY transparent QUAKE sub. i am more than satisfied. after i set it up with my system (the set-up process was no-sweat! this is light and small! and the 'tuning' is indeed very easy - it will integrate into your system like you bought the BASS and not a SUBWOOFER!) it's like i have a new, bigger and far better system!
it will not disappoint you even in HT use. however, if your priority is HT, check the Q-50/Q-100 first like what the dealer told me.
do remember however that the last judge should be your ears. i gathered a lot of info based on reviews (in internet and magazines) and i ended up with a unit which has not been reviewed anywhere yet! i still have the info with me and you can e-mail me if you want to have a look at it. i guess i'm the very FIRST person to post a review regarding Quake!

enjoy your gears and be one with the music!

my gears:

Tannoy Mercury M2.5 for front channels
Tannoy Mercury M1 for rear channels
Yamaha AX-570 integrated amp
Marantz VCD-500K VCD/CD twin tray player
Sony MDP-A2 LD/CD player
Chase Technology HTS-1 <= please e-mail me if you have this product. i intend to create a website for this underrated passive 'ambience' decoder.

Very very deep bass, size, setting options.

none

This subwoofer is just great. I went to the store to listen to some subwoofers and they had the QUAKE in there showroom. I listened to the THX trailer and the beginning of independence day LD. I listened to several subs but the QUAKE was really superb. I could feel the very low frequencies through the wooden floor!!
So, I bought the REL, installed it in about half an hour. Then I played some DTS music, I couldn't believe my ears! The soundstageing really improves and it seemed like the whole sound of my system got better, even the higher frequencies. This sub goes really to the bottom and no boomy bass, except if your set the frequency cut off to high. With this sub you have defenately a great sub for Dolby Digital and DTS but also music sounds great. The whole sound improves. It's unbelieveble with it's size.