Subwoofer addition

I dont uae dsp never have never will i have my rels connected via hilevel …fir my naim gear …next to my sopra s …and also connectsed to my avamp for lfe …and very happy with the sound …also easy to integrate with speakers …and once i done that i done lfe …and i dont use dsp …like i said im not getting into a debate about it u have ur views and knowledge …i go by maker and manufacturer advice and my ears …

Also can i leave this here if not feel free to delete High Level Circuit Explained | REL Acoustics

I have used REL subs for 2 channel for 15 years. Current set up is with a six pack of S812s high level wireless with the Airship. Works amazingly well with Sopra and Naim 300-DR.

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Sorry, in tat piece of marketing blurb there’s way too much marketing speak not enough factual information.
Mostly it sets up straw man arguments and then demolishes them - a sure sign of something written by marketeers who want to misdirect people who may otherwise be observant or knowledgable enough to see what the marketeers want to hide.

As you’ve said you don’t have sufficient knowledge
As I said, if a high level connection works better for your system then continue using it, however that’s not the case for a lot of systems, which is why people should try both connections.

Incidently without using a DSP or other notch filter in the signal to the sub it’s almost certain that either you’re excessively exciting the room resonances or you have a very uneven bass response across the lower bass region - that’s simple physics, you can’t get away from it.

And again ur entitled to ur opinion as i am also …il leave it at that as we both niw just because its on paper doesn’t mean much …your ears n ur room is different from my room n my ears …dsp is to me the same as a graphic equaliser …i prefer speaker and equipment to be played how they were designed my view …thanx for ur information …

The trouble is, that’s not how subwoofers work - in reality you’re not listening to the subwoofer itself, primarily you’re listening to the interaction of the subwoofer and the room. Not using a notch filter in the signal path is a really good idea… but only if the subwoofer was designed for rooms precisely the same size, shape and RT60 at resonance as for your particular room.

If you don’t believe me you could try using some modelling software (such as REW) )to prove it to yourself.

I use audesey on m av amp …n after setup …and after listening to it i tuned it of an mostly use it on direct for music …and when i watch a movie it do does its thing …sum ppl like dsp …sum dont …i am in that dont group …dsp is not a necessity

Beautiful :sparkling_heart::loud_sound::loud_sound::notes::notes:

I kike how u highlight ur opinion …n slate well regarded brands …and mebtion uv built and know what ur talking about and then surmise about my room when uv no idea about my roim some one adked advice n because irs not what u agree with u go on about stuff…n marketing …like i say its all explained on rel sites and naim will explain to you aswrll as i dont think naim would want thete equipment compromised …and as ull know rel build n design thete subs differently …and the are lots of ppl also that have amazing results with the way rel suggests …and if not if u reach out to rel they will quickly get back to u …and explain stuff to you …and help if ur having a problem …as some ppl do …but pplz stop banging ur way n thoughts down …and surmising what iv donw or nit done ur entitled to ur opinion yes …am i entitled to my opinion yes .do i need to bring ur equipment and roon into it and fault something uv never seen or heard no …and like cables on paper …awsum installation in sum sum equipment …no so good …ebd off …thanks for Your knowledge …enjoy ur day

Again, that’s not what I was suggesting: that forms a straw man argument. I never suggested using DSP in the feed to the main speakers - I tried that and, like you, for music reproduction, I didn’t like it. I was suggesting DSP only for the signal for the sub.

For most rooms less then 7m in the smaller dimension, then when installing a sub, a DSP or other notch filter in the signal to the sub (only) is the only way to avoid excessive excitation of the room mode resonances. If the sub has the same output at these frequencies as it does at other frequencies excess excitation of the room mode resonances will occur, this is simple physics and is unavoidable in any normal domestic room (note that, for instance it doesn’t apply in anechoic chambers above their lower cut off frequency).

(Caveat: If you have a room larger than 7m in the smaller dimension or a sub that has very limited bass extension, then excitation of the room mode resonances may not be a problem for you. If this is not the case, then the DSP or other notch filter will improve the sub/room integration.)

I have done neither of those:
1 I have pointed out the effect of the principles of physics as applied to acoustics (fact not opinion).
2 I have not slated well regarded brands - only the marketing blurb of REL. Their products are good, their marketing “information” not so.

I haven’t summarised anything about your room (other than assuming it has walls and is not an anechoic chamber), I have put in caveats concerning the range of rooms to which those physical principles apply within the range of sounds associated with the range of human hearing).

It’s not all explained on the REL website.
As you state that “rel build n design thete subs differently”(sic), perhaps you could explain what this ‘difference’ is and how this affects the physics of the sound waves generated.

I don’t doubt that, however most of them haven’t tried using a customised notch filter to deal with the room resonances, hence they don’t know the advantages that can be gained. Some people still position subs in the corner of the room (to accentuate low frequency effects by exploiting the room resonances) and are unaware of the gains to he had from positioning the sub to optimise for music reproduction (you can look to modelling software to see the potential improvement).

I haven’t been “banging ur way n thoughts down”(sic) I have been highlighting established facts from the fields of physics and acoustics. I have also been trying to avoid insulting you or REL (… other than their marketing blurb).

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To get your opinion informed, would you think it would be better to connect to the low level inputs of an SVS subwoofer, with built-in DSP like the SB3000, or connect to the high level inputs of an REL subwoofer without DSP?

It’s hard to generalise here. If you need DSP, you need to use the low level connection.
I had a couple of Rel subs on long term loan from my dealer and in both cases I found that using the high level connection following their setup guidance produced very good results, much better than I could achieve using a low level connection without DSP.

Firstly, its difficult to compare a SVS SB3000 with an unknown model of REL subwoofer.

Secondly as with all speaker systems, the only real way to compare them is in your room. With speakers, and with subs in particular, you are, in the main, listening to the integration of your specific sub into your specific room.

I would advise experimenting with some modelling software (such as the REW room simulation screen) to experiment with positioning of the main speakers and the sub in a room of the same dimensions and absorption characteristics as your own. You may be able to find a combination of positions that may not require a notch filter.

REL subs are known to not perform well using the low level connection. For REL using the high level connection and accepting the increased excitation of the room resonant modes is the correct solution.

Many (most) other subs have effectively identical performance using either the high level or low level connections.

If setting up ‘by ear’, you may find that the ear - brain combination does quite well in masking these resonant peaks, the only time you really notice is after filtering them out. If you take the filters out again, only then do you really start to notice how disturbing those resonant peaks can be with some music signals. Of course as pointed out before, it also depends on the room: it’s an interplay between the sub, the room, and the music signal, in reality the effect varies depending on all three.

My interest is in a REL S510, I’ll try to borrow one with a suitable cable for my SN3.
But I fight with my room which is far from ideal, only my ears will give me the verdict :slightly_smiling_face:

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I also have a far from ideal room (nearly square) but I found that setting the sub up using an instrumentation mic (minDSP UMIK-1) and REW (software) and only then fine tuning by ear was much easier and much more effective than trying to use my ears alone.

This will also clearly show you if in your room you really need to use a DSP in the signal to the sub.

Please be aware that the S510 uses passive radiator - that causes a further delay in the phase response - you may or may not be sensitive to this delay slowing the acoustic signal and the effect this has on timing.

I bought a S510 just over a year ago, I use this with my PMC Twenty 26’s, the REL site matched me with the next model up but looking at the specs, cost and size, this was never an option in my room. Got to be honest, this has taken me some time to get the best from this, finally using a system disc from Nordost which really helped. I also use super tweeters from Townshend and both have just benefited the whole range bringing a real sense of realism to recordings. I upgraded the cables both power and speaker and this brought about further improvements, as with any other component. I have owned an far inferior sub in one of my early systems and this never sounded anything other than a loudness effect, the beauty of the REL is the connection through the amp speaker terminals really does support it feeling like one sound rather than a delayed effect. I know they recommend 2 subs and this does of course makes sense given most recordings are stereo but I do not find the sound unbalanced, a sub definitely brings a sense of presence and control. The only thing I don’t like is the look so keep the grill on, in terms of price, lots of interest free options, other than that, they keep changing the ranges so a used no doubt will be at a much lower cost.

Thank you to both of you for your answers. I’ll have to try using REW, I already have a mic that comes with an antimode that I bought a while ago. But it’s going to require a bit of…concentration :shushing_face:

FYI, I didn’t really appreciate the addition of the antimode, I prefer to have control over the parameters, because, I always come back to my ears, they have their own requirements (and their age!) surely different from other people!

And my background as a bass player complicates things: I know what I would like to hear, but I’m sure I’ll never get there…

Hi guys…

Right… got the sub it’s a REL S/3

How do I connect it lol… I’ve tried just the red and yellow on the positive and I didn’t work??
Then I put the black into the negative and it sounded awful!

Shall I just go straight from the amp?? The REL instructions only reference the amp in their connection details…

Soz… I know this thread has been done to death. But I fancy a bit if boom this evening lol