Im not repeating u asked how and why …so i explained simply for u …the video with john hunter is on the site regarding his take about connecting to speakers …and …amp …im sorry u don’t get it …but if u have the time u will find it …ur not the only one to use rel for years as they are good subs …
Hi @Shadowcat. I’ve got two Rel T5s and have hooked each of them up to the speaker terminals using the supplied 10 m high-level speakon cables, which was the recommendation from both Naim and Rel support after I contacted them.
An added piece of advice from Ben at Rel, "With regards to connection - Join the red and yellow and connect to the positive terminal on one speaker, Connect the black to the negative terminal of the same speaker - You would do this on each speaker.
Sometime when we join red and yellow we can have very high output - if you find this, Remove the red or yellow cable and only connect one to the positive terminal , Tape the disconnected wire up to secure. This will give you less output and more control. "
In my case, twisting the red and yellow wires together and connecting to the speaker terminal was fine. YMMV.
There’s also a decent blog post from Rel, specifically about connecting its subwoofer to Naim equipment. Just Google " What’s In A NAIM" and you should find it.
Hi,Thanks for all the comments.As I expected it certainly creates some die hard responses.In my original post I was trying to ascertain why rel actually produce a naim version of the BLB.It seems the majority of users actually dont use the naim version because we are all connecting at the speaker end,thus if that is the case we use a regular BLB instead.I have the opportunity of purchasing 2 naim BLB cables at a good price,if I bought these could I adapt these to become speaker end terminations should I decide to later on.Are these cables directional by any chance if I did buy.Is anybody out there in favour of amplifier end connection???
When I had just one Rel T5/i, I used the supplied high level cable and connected at the amplifier end (I had a Nait 5si at the time) and had a grounding issue (hum). I contacted Rel Support and they suggested purchasing the bassline blue OR a cable from Designacable here in the UK specifically designed for Naim equipment. I couldn’t justify the cost of the bassline blue so went with designacable. Worked a treat.
When I got the second Rel, I switched back to the Rel-supplied cables AND connected via speaker terminals instead of the amplifier.
I don’t know about directionality of these cables but I suspect not - I am guessing however. Good luck!
I think perhaps the best directionality is to use the Neutrik plug at the Sub end. By the time you’ve finished trying to hammer it into a banana socket it’s not going to sound great, whether that’s on an amp or a loudspeaker.
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fair call! 
LOL…you beat me to it, but with an even better response.
Understandably, there seems to be some confusion about how to best connect a Rel sub to your Naim system. FWIW, here’s my 2c on the issue.
Rel subs come supplied with a standard, black, Speakon terminated high-level cable. For Naim amps there is the blue (
), “Bassline Blue”-high level cable at quite a significant additional outlay, which lets you connect a Rel sub to Naim speaker terminals as with any other amplifier thanks to an integrated circuit or resistor in the cable itself. To my knowledge there are no different versions of the “Bassline Blue” cable available, only one, which is blue () and meant to be used this way with Naim amplifiers specifically.
I haven’t personally tried the Bassline Blue but I can attest that when I connected the regular REL cable to the speaker terminals of my Nova, it did in fact run warmer to the touch. This would indicate that for some reason which is unbeknownst to me, the default REL connection method of standard cable from amplifier speaker terminals does not work optimally with Naim amplifiers.
You then have two options:
- Buy a Bassline Blue cable and connect it to the amplifier terminals as normal.
- Use the regular cable and connect it to the speakers binding posts. If you use a single Rel, you will have to strip the cable in order to connect it to both speakers. This is not an elegant solution but this is how I’ve done it and my Nova runs perfectly cool. I intend to buy some cable sleeve to make it tidier.
2.5: Similarly, if you use dual Rels, just connect them to the back of each speaker using the regular, supplied cable and presto: Stereo subs!
I contacted Naim about this and they kindly sent me a PDF which I’ve attached a screenshot of.
Hope this helps in clearing any confusion.
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Ok I guess that did sound a little dumb after all.Full marks for the witty responses.I guess what I was trying to say is that if I bought these naim cables which are designed to fit at the amp end,could I then fit them at the speaker end if I decided to.Would any directional issues come to mind because havent these naim BLB got some sort of resistor built into them.Does that make better sense or have I let myself in for the proverbial ****take.
There are two versions of the Bassline Blue. The standard one is just an upgraded version of the regular cable they provide, suitable for use with any (non-Naim) amp, or for a Naim amp where you want to connect to the speakers. The Naim version is modified to allow users of Naim amps to connect at the amp end.
Ok, thanks for the clarification! Adds to the confusion then 
It’s a public forum, we all need to learn to take it on the chin occasionally when someone indulges in “proverbial ****take” - no offence intended on my part!
The modification to the Naim version won’t make anything explode if you connect it to your speakers. It will just be redundant, and I guess might hypothetically affect sound quality, but that is just speculation on my part.
It will teach me to think things through before putting pen to paper.Anyhow the $64K question.Why would I not want to connect at the amplifier end if I had NaimBasslineBlue.Answers on a postcard please.
I can think of no reason as the NaimBasslineBlue is specifically designed to be connected to a Naim amplifier.
Once you have optimised the sub you will know where in the room you want to put it. That will help you decide whether it’s easier or neater to connect to the amp or speakers.
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If you connect a stereo pair of subs, connecting at speaker terminals can be the difference between a 1.5m tidy cable from speaker to sub, hidden away behind them, vs 6m or even 10m cables you have to run from the amp out to the subs. If you have your system rack between the speakers then it may not make any difference. In my case it really the difference between running 10m and 1.5m cables in my room.
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Looks great … AND you have beer!
Yes, and the cost of a Bassline Blue upgrade can fund an awful lot of lovely hoppy IPAs, and it’s well known that’s the superior upgrade anyway.
Did u get the link i sent you
If h connect at the amp end u get the signature sound of the amp …connect at speakwu get the bonus of the signal through ur speaker cables …set up subs …n try …n see what u prefer …i use bb …at speaker end