FYI. Alan Shaw of Harbeth hinted that a subwoofer was in the works.
I can’t imagine the upcoming subwoofer from Harbeth to be as versatile as a REL, KEF or SVS subs though, so looking at your setup connecting to the terminals (speaker or power amp) it surely is the only way to go. I’d probably look at a sub which allows you to use a high-pass filter which in some cases will allow an easier integration into your system. With low-pass you are basically counting on a bit of luck to make it all work.
I found that the options to connect a sub are not straightforward, so take your time in reading about the different options available to decide what suits you best. There are plenty posts in the forum.
I decided to go against the high-pass filter in my system because having additional speaker cables hanging around between the components is not really a sight to behold…
I am a bit surprised that you feel the need for a subwoofer with the SHL5. I suppose you have already optimized speaker placement to get a more bass in your room?
I have removed the link. Please respect and abide by forum rules. Thanks.
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Connecting directly to the speakers works absolutely fine and also avoids the high cost of the BassLine Blue cable (and it’s weak stackable banana connectors). All you need to do is split the supplied cable. The handbook shows which cables to connect where. Works a treat in my system with no negative side effects at all.
That’s certainly the cheapest solution as it uses the cable supplied with the sub. Probably also the best way if your sub is reasonably close to the speakers, but not so much if it’s on the other side of the room.
The supplied cable (with mine, at least) was a good 10m long, so it shouldn’t be a problem unless OP lives in a converted church!
Still a potential eyesore or trip hazard in some rooms.
Many thanks for all the replies. Some food for thought there. I’m liking the idea of using a Rel with the Designacable version of the Bassline so I can connect directly to the power amp. I’ll have a think and do a bit more research, maybe see if I can borrow a sub from somewhere. Thanks again.
I have a 252/SC/250 set up, so similar to you. I use a single Totem Storm sub, which is wired direct off the second output on the SC, using a Din to RCA cable. My speakers are Totem Forest Signature, so I went with the Storm as the natural combination - being designed to be used with the main Totem speakers. It all works very well in my set-up.
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T series are not recommended for the Harbeth SHL5. On REL’s subwoofer pairing guide, the S812 is the minimum requirement. You can still try the S510 but I wouldn’t drop to the T series if I were you.
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FWIW I have the SHL5 Plus and REL S510 but the sub is currently used with the Marten Duke 2 in the main system. I haven’t tried the REL with the SHL5+ yet.
I have a REL S/510 with ProAc’s , setup right it will make a huge difference. If it’s too much $$$ a REL T/9X would work fine. Also I’d just split the OE REL cable and tap off the speakers, much simpler than trying to hook up to the Naim speaker outputs.
Was wondering if adding REL subwoofer would stave off the desire for a speaker upgrade. However the REL site recommends a pair of S/510 which would take us (with trade in) almost to a pair of Kudos 606!
So no quick win 
Many thanks for pointing this out, I hadn’t realised.
I would like to use a REL T/7x with my NAP 500, but don’t quite understand how the Designacable works in that situation.
Can anyone enlighten me?
Never mind.
Finally found the answer on Designacable’s website. Thanks!
Presumably you are aware that the 500, being a bridged design, has slightly different connection requirements to other Naim amps?
I would be very careful if trying to connect a subwoofer to the NAP500;
Thanks. I will give up on the idea of a subwoofer connection to the NAP 500.
Sounds good enough, as is!
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