Blending that can be fine tuned for ideal integration with mains. Solid, quick bass performance with no overhang or "one-noteitis."

Flat to 20HZ in my room. (not much of a weakness) but 16 or so would provide more fundimentals with about 5% of what music in my collection.

This REL Strata III was purchased to augment the bottom octave of Magnepan 1.6 loudspeakers. I originally tried a Strata II (vented design with low crossover frequency cutoff of 30HZ) and found it to provide too much blend into the 1.6's. The Strata III is a totally superior instrument which provides cutoff of 22 HZ and adjustable in increments of 1 to 2 HZ up from that point. It allows the sub to be perfectly tuned for main speaker blending and room interactions. I have modified the 1.6's with Jensen caps and Alpha-core inductors and after this change I didn't think I needed a sub so the Strata II went to a new home. The Strata III provides a completeness in the presentation that is vital for the experience of "there you are." The main speakers are greatly improved with the addition of that additional bass. Imaging clues, focus and dynamic range are greatly enhanced. It is hard to imagine a single component that makes this much positive improvement.

Similar Products Used:

NHT - REL Strata II

Superb sound, even with music. Beautiful (cherry) cabinet is like art. Compact yet plenty powerful. Both high- and low-input connections.

Cannot relieve the mains of the low frequencies when using the high-level connector (which is the better one).

While I upgraded from a decent PSB Stratus Subsonic 7 sub mainly for the smaller size and gorgeous appearance, I was amazed at the improvement in sound quality for a sub with such modest power spec's! Couldn't live without it now. Previously, music didn't benefit from adding the sub, but the Rel is now essential for all listening.

Similar Products Used:

PSB Subsonic 7 > Klipsch KSW-12.

Excellent built, quality parts and versatile.

None that I have noticed thus far.

This is an excellent subwoofer for those interested in bass extension that is tight, controlled and deep. It does not have much punch, but it makes up for this in its ability to produce bass that is articulate. Overall, the Strata III improves the sound across the frequency spectrum. Somehow, vocals sound more lush and the soundstage is expanded. This is a very musical sub and I would highly recommend it to anybody looking to add to the foundation of their music.You get bass without the boominess and muddled effect associated with some subs that cannot be integrated into your sound system. With the Strata III, it is a seamless integration.

Similar Products Used:

Velodyne, B&W, Yamaha, Paradigm.

Sound, sound, sound and build quality

None

I used to own a pair Quad ESL 57s, but triplets and the need for more space meant that they were replaced by Epos 12s. My system then consisted of the Epos 12s bi-amped with Quad 606s, through a Quad 44 pre-amp with a Quad 67 CD as the primary source. It all sounded very good and controlled but somehow there wasn''t that element that pulled you in to the music. After reading several reviews on the REL I was tempted enough to find out who the local dealers were. I was suprised to find the local dealer had an ex-demo Strata III at a good price. I took my Epos speakers to the dealer and listened. Within half an hour the deal was done and I hadn''t even told my wife I was going to the dealer! Three months later I am still very, very pleased. I''m spending much more time listening to the music (not the hifi). The added bass has transformed the sound far beyond that which I could imagine. All kinds of music have been revealed in greater depth and clarity no matter what type of music. Choral, Arvo Part, Antonio Forcione (Acoustic Guitar), John Surman (Jazz and String Quartet) and various artists such as Pink Floyd, Neil Young and Groove Armada have all become so much more involving to listen to. The REL somehow affects the whole audio spectrum and brings the entire sound stage in to better focus. Setting it up was easy and it is unobtrusive in the room. My wife who was unaware of my purchase of the REL until she saw it in our home; listened and was won over. Praise for the REL indeed!

Rounding out a sound stage for bookshelf speakers and creating a dynamite satellite speaker system. (In conjunction with Tannoy S8LR)

When Sub used with poor FM broadcast reception, noise is magnified the delutes the lower Hz music. Requires changing from High level input to Low level input with LFE. Annoying thump at start up.

Opened up a sound stage void below 50 Hz. Sting instruments now send their message of sound and vibration. Percussion instruments have found their way into my living room. BBC broadcasts have come alive

Precison and Damping

Phasing challenges because of Active Amp

I have really enjoyed this component so far. In as much as the source material effects the overall sound of a composition, so does the Rel perform on bass as a function of how good the source material was mixed as well as the musical style. In addition, I am thinking that different mixing studios attenuate the bass in their mixes very differently, and I seem to hear bass truncation that may be a function of the studio or to shortcuts in the recording. This is because the Rel will bring you and your room painting, glass panes, etc right down to 20 hz. If someone cut out the bass or if the instruments dont go very low, you can feel the difference. Try listening to Stanley Clarke''s Picillo Bass for a demonstration! However, the Rel seems to do all that you ask it to do. The definition in bass is excellent with good sources. There appears to be so little coloration that comes from the cabinet itself, that I do not know if I can say that I have heard coloration from the Strata. In fairness, the Strata is the best quality component in my current system. I have a pair of Heybrooke Helios, and the calibre of the Strata would indicate that it would work even better with a pair of Harbeth P3s, or perhaps even Spendors. Keep it British! Other Comps: ARCAM AVR100 Sony DVD 550 Heybrooke Helio

Clean, deep bass. Very configurable.
Good looking piece of furniture.

Difficult to set up initially.

I have recently upgraded to home theatre, buying a Sony STR-DB930 amp and DVP-S725D DVD player, largely on the strength of various reviews, both of which have turned out to be excellent. This is despite the fact that most hi-fi dealers turn their nose up at the amp, recommending instead something like an Arcam, which sounds dull to my ears.
By this time I'd worked out that my trusty E30s had just about had it. I auditioned KEF Q35s and Q55s, listening primarily for the treble, since I knew that a subwoofer would take care of the deep bass. Couldn't pick the Q35 and Q55s apart, so it was starting to look like the Q35s, on sound at least. Along the way the KEF Concertos (models one and two) had entered the picture. Since, reading between the line they were similar except for the bass response, I auditioned the Concerto ones and was blown away.
I had originally intended retaining my front speakers, an 18-year old pair of Wharfedale E30s. These have brilliant detail in the treble but lack something in the bass, which is why I added an AR passive subwoofer over 10 years ago.
First I auditioned the KEF Q95c v Mission 77c1 centre speakers. No contest; the Q95c's. Only auditioned the Mission 77ds rears, but since these came in white (they're mounted up against the ceiling) AND sounded briliant, I didn't bother trying anything else.
I had been lent a KEF 30B sub with the centre and rears but this sounded absolutely AWFUL! I had intended auditioning the REL 100E or 200E but when I said that my listening was primarily music, and mostly classical, I was steered towards the Strata III. And was this a good move!
The REL manual (more of a leaflet really) is v. poor, and is difficult to follow. A call to REL and they explained the various switches:
modes 1&2 are in phase, modes 3&4 are 180 degrees; modes 1&3 are affected by the roll-off (filter) setting, modes 2&4 by-pass it.
My connections are as follows:
5.1 sub-woofer out (single phono) on the Sony to the twin phono (low level) inputs on the REL.
the high level (Neutrik Speakon) connector is bi-wired onto the front L+R speaker terminals on the Sony, which to my cloth ears made a marked difference.

My two scenarios are now as follows:
Music=mode 1 (I think I've still got to tweak the REL's high level rolloff, but I'm getting there) with both level controls set to flat. The deep bass is not overwhelming the fine detail (like the KEF sub did) and you can keep turning the wick but the bass still sounds 'clean'. For fun, try Rachmaninov's Prelude in C# minor, realised by Stokowski, on Telarc CD-80129.
DVD=mode 2 (rolloff frequency ignored), low level setting at 2 o'clock. Quite telling is 'White Knight' in 'Tomorrow Never Dies' (Yes, I know it's corny) or try 'Enemy of the State', especially where the helicopter flies over your left shoulder in chapter 21.

The bottom line is that, unless you've got front speakers that genuinely go down to 20Hz, the Strata III will make your existing setup sound totally awesome.

Set-up:
a-v receiver=Sony STR-DB930
dvd player=Sony DVP-S725D
front speakers=Kef Concerto one; cable=QED Profile bi-wired
centre speaker=Kef Q95C; cable=QED Qudos original
rear speakers=Mission 77ds; cable=QED micro
sub-woofer=REL Strata lII; low level=Bandridge 2 phono-1 phono, high level=bi-wired off front speaker terminals

Similar Products Used:

KEF Q30B active sub, AR passive subwoofer

Very Musical Subwoofer; Accurate bass response; fast, quick bass attack. Excellent quality workmanship.

No automatic On/Off switching.

The REL subwoofer is perfect for MUSIC. The REL Strata produce accurate bass articulation with abundance of mid-bass attack in my music listening.

There is now "more" air and open soundstage in my music system ! There is "no more" grain [harshness]in my music.

What is happening to my music system; I can't explain.

This sub intergrated very well with my speakers ! Almost seamless.

I recommend audiophiles to try out the REL Strata III with their system; you will be surprised.

Happy Customer,

steve

ps The Cambridge SoundWorks Cube 15 is an inferior subwoofer; Warning: Made In China

Similar Products Used:

Cambridge SoundWorks Cube 15

Superb articulation, integration

Still looking...

First a comment about Dennis' review below. It is not a surprise that a system that integrates well with the Bag End might not work quite as well with a REL. The design philosophies of the two products are very different. Where the Bag End is designed to supply the bass in a system, the REL is meant to augment the lowest frequencies of the main speakers. His dealer should have recommended the REL Q100, which is a closer match to the Bag End, and is really more of a home theater-compatible product in that it works very well with crossover points even up to 120 Hz. The Bag End is a good product, but since its controller has a fixed crossover point of 90 Hz, integration can be more difficult unless matched with a main speaker that works perfectly with that 90 Hz crossover point.

Now, about the Strata III. FIVE STARS, but there's more. Let me preface these comments with a system description:
Main speakers: Merlin VSM-SEs, used without the BAM
Amps: Atmasphere M60 mk. II mono tube amps, 60 wpc
Preamp: CAT SL-1 Ultimate
Phono: Well Tempered Reference
Cartridge: van den Hul Black Beauty
Cables: JPS Superconductor biwire speaker cables; Harmonic Technology interconnects

I have been using subwoofers - and have designed and built a couple - for about 20 years. Integration can be a royal pain in the tush. Without going into an involved technical treatise, the RELs have what it takes to do it right. Fast rolloff, low crossover points, and phase adjustment are keys to success, and REL has the right stuff. (FYI: the Velodyne is "integration challenged.")

I had a REL Stadium II in the music system above and a Strata III in the HT system. Just for fun one day, I tried the Strata in place of the Stadium in the music system. Lo and behold! A big - and unexpected - improvement with the smaller sub: significantly tighter, "faster", cleaner sound. Much better integration. I ended up with a crossover point of 38 Hz. The Strata does not go quite as low as the larger Stadium (the difference is really slight), but is still excellent. I think the port on the Stadium contributes to the sound and makes it "fuzzy" sounding, as if each note has a halo around it. The sealed Strata is much cleaner sounding, and perfectly matches the superior articulation and definition of the Merlins. I ended up selling the Stadium and buying a 2nd Strata III for the music system.

The next experiment was to bring the Strata III from the HT system in to the music system. So now there's two Strata IIIs augmenting the low end of the Merlins. Result? Bliss! (Okay, I’m trying to be clear about just how good this really sounds.) So here's a suggestion: try using two Strata IIIs instead of one Stadium (or larger) sub.

To sum up, the Strata III is the best sub I have heard in my system, and by a large margin. I also think it may be the best sub REL currently makes. Maybe in another room and/or in another system, the results would have been different. But now I suggest that with proper adjustment and room placement (not necessarily a trivial task), the REL Strata III subwoofer is one of the very best subwoofers you can buy, and a terrific bargain, too. Enjoy.

Please see my (non-commercial) site at http://www.21stCenturyServices.com/Audio.

Thank you,
JerryS

Similar Products Used:

REL Stadium II, Velodyne F-1200R, Kinergetics SW-100, RH Labs, others

Musical and extended bass, beautiful cabinetry, easily integrated with main speakers.

The 10" woofer may be inadequate for home theater.

Introduction

I just received a REL Strata III (in walnut) direct from REL Acoustics UK earlier this week. I haven't had much of a chance to play around with it yet, but thought I'd share some initial impressions and experiences.

By way of background, I'm using a pair of Eminent Technology LFT-VIIIA's as my main speakers. All electronics are Accuphase, and all wires are Silver Audio (balanced interconnects, biwired speaker cables). My listening room is rather small (12 W x 17 L x 10-14 H or so). The ET's are placed pretty much according the the Cardas method, and go down to about 30-35 Hz in my room. I wanted to get that last half-octave of bass, but it seemed like a no-win situation. I'd tried a powered sub (Paradigm), but didn't like what the crossover (or maybe all the long interconnects) did to the sound from the mains. There was an obvious loss in transparency, imaging, textural detail, and treble smoothness. The alternative was to go with an active electronic crossover, but I'd read that they aren't completely transparent either, and the expense of a high-quality crossover with balanced I/O's, more (long!) silver interconnects, and possibly another power amplifier seemed prohibitive.

It was a thread at this site a while ago that clued me in to REL subwoofers. (Thanks guys!) I checked out their homepage, and found their design philosophy extremely appealing. Basically, REL subs are designed to be run in parallel with the main speakers, thus eliminating the high-pass crossover and avoiding any possible degradation of the sound from the mains. In REL's words, their subs should be adjusted so they "come up beneath the main speakers".

Based on the information at REL's homepage and a conversation with Stuart at REL in the UK. I decided to take a chance and ordered a Strata III, never having had the chance to listen to (or even see) one. It took about a month for REL to build my sub, and as mentioned above, it arrived last week.


Physical/Electrical Characteristics

The Strata III is quite compact and is not too heavy for one person to carry (310 W x 416 L x 518 H, 23 kg). It is a 40-liter sealed cabinet that is constructed of 30-mm-thick MDF and contains a single 250-mm down-firing driver and a built-in DC-coupled MOSFET power amp (100 W continuous, 200 W peak). The walnut finish is absolutely gorgeous, the build quality and cabinetry are first rate, and all switches, connectors, and controls appear to be of very high quality. The Strata III is supplied with screw-in floor spikes, a thick 3-pin IEC power cord (detachable), and a 10-m 3-core signal-sensing cable for connection to the speaker posts of the power amp. The cable is quite thin and can easily be cut to the desired length. Connection at the sub end is via a Neutrik Speakon connector, which was new to me. It is a twist-on locking bayonet-type connector that looks something like a high-pressure hydraulic coupler.

As mentioned above, the sub is connected directly to the speaker binding posts that drive the main speakers. The three thin wires are simply stripped and connected the left positive, right positive, and right negative posts. The impedance of this connection is 100 kohms, so the sub does not draw any appreciable power from the main amp. The wires are only used to sense the signal output from the main amp in order to drive the dedicated amp in the subwoofer.

From the above description, it is obvious that the main speakers are run full-range. The REL has a built-in adjustable low-pass filter allowing the sub to be adjusted so that it "comes up beneath" the main speakers. Coarse and fine control knobs are provided, making it possible to set the filter in very fine steps. (Okay, I'll list them all! -- 22, 23, 25, 27, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 41, 43, 46, 49, 53, 56, 60, 64, 69, 73, 78, 83, 89, and 95 Hz.) The control panel also has a gain control with a range of 80 dB and a phase control (0 or 180 degrees). I should mention that both the high-level (Speakon) and low-level (RCA) inputs can be used simultaneously (and are provided with independent gain and mode controls), which means that the sub can be used for both music and home theater without having to reconnect any wires or mess with any control settings.

As a final point, unlike many subwoofers, the REL does not turn itself off when no signal is received for a specified period of time. Instead, it is always active, but the circuitry is designed so that it draws only 7 watts at idle. It can therefore simply be kept on all the time. I feel that this is a great feature, since it avoids the common problem of the sub turning itself off during quiet musical passages, only to turn itself on again (usually with an annoying delay and a thump) when the music gets louder or goes lower.


Setup/Integration

Electrical connection took about 15 minutes (including cutting the sensor cord and stripping the wires), but based on my previous experience with subwoofers, I was expecting endless hassles getting the Strata III positioned optimally in the room and adjusted properly for good integration with the main speakers. However, this was not the case at all. I simply placed the sub in the corner behind the right speaker, set the filter to 27 Hz, and set the gain control to its minimum position. After that, it only took about half an hour of playing 1/3-octave warble tones and low-frequency sweeps to get everything dialed in (filter at 25 Hz, gain at about 2 o'clock, FWIW). After listening to some music, the only change I ended up making was to reduce the gain by a click or two.


Sound

I think the REL Strata III is an excellent subwoofer for the "audiophile". It has good low-end extension (20 Hz), and the bass sounds tight and (for lack of a better word) fast. The Strata III doesn't generate any unmusical sounds, such as port chuffing, panel resonances, pops, buzzes, boom, or hum. In addition, since it rolls off at a very low frequency (25 Hz), it doesn't seem to excite any of the resonance modes in my small listening room (lowest room mode:38 Hz). Integration with the main speakers is perfectly seamless, and of course, the sound from the mains is completely unaffected with the REL connected to the amp. Furthermore, given the extremely low filter setting, the subwoofer literally disappears, and it is impossible to localize its position in the room by ear. (Although it is often said that frequencies below 100 Hz or or are nondirectional, I was always able to hear my previous subwoofer as a separate sound source.) With the Strata III operating, my system sounds exactly as it did before in terms of imaging, soundstaging, transparency, and textural detail. The only change is that the music now extends down to the deep bass. In fact, it doesn't sound like there is a subwoofer in the room at all. Rather, it just sounds like my main speakers have really great bass.


Summary

The REL Strata III is a truly excellent subwoofer for the music lover. It is relatively compact, well built, intelligently designed, beautifully finished, and reasonably priced. The Strata III calls absolutely no attention to itself, and meshes seamlessly with my main speakers (which are planar-magnetics, a speaker design that is notoriously difficult to integrate with subwoofers). Most importantly, connection of the Strata III does not entail any of the compromises usually associated with subwoofers, such as the need for an electronic crossover, and the attendant possibility of degrading the sound of the main speakers.

PS. I also didn't really care for the telphone manner of the person I dealt with at REL Acoustics, who seemed rather flippant. However, the sub was exactly as I specified and it was delivered on time, so I can't really complain.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm PS-1000