Given you are able to centrally place the sub right smack in the middle, not sure I’d bother with adding another one. IMO another would subtract the visual appeal you currently have - which again, just looks sublime.
I run passive ATC stand mounts off an olive 250 and have thought about adding a sub. Or more precisely, getting rid of my Klipsch sub I exclusively use for HT, and swapping an ATC in that could connect to the HT and the HiFi. Not sure how to do that and not screw up the NACA 5 optimum lengths I have on the 250.
Since you’re in active mode, is the SNAXO filtering low frequencies only to the REL? Are the 800’s receiving a slightly higher lower frequency, I.e., instead of seeing signal down to 20 Hz, are they seeing their first low frequency signal at 50 Hz, etc.?
No the supercap powers and sends the audio signal via a burndy to the SNAXO which then splits the signal into 3 paths BMR (upper midrange & tweeter), Low Frequency 1, Low Frequency 2. The BMR crosses over to the large bass drivers at 380Hz which I believe have the same frequency range as each other going down to 20Hz.
I don’t take the RELs signal from the SNAXO, but from the supercap so the REL is getting the full frequency range that is being sent to the SNAXO before the SNAXO then splits it up, therefore the REL has bass, mids and trebles sent to it . The funny thing is that the uppermids and treble are affected byy the sub - I don’t know how but they do
I guess at some point after you’ve gotten used to the sub you might take it out and see what you think.
It’s odd (to me anyway) that with both the Ovators and REL playing across the same frequencies - presumably the sub tops out at 100-200 Hz - you’re not getting a drowning out effect where the lower bass dominates the rest of the music. How seamless does it all sound?
I don’t think the Ovators go down to 20Hz in the real world, they might in controlled test facilities, but I certainly haven’t experienced a really deep bass.
I have the REL crossing at 64Hz so it’s quite low down and finishes off where the bass is rolling off. It’s really cohesive, sounds natural and balanced.
I might have mentioned it above somewhere above, my wife came in the other day to see what all the fuss was about and asked why I’d turned ‘the big’ speakers off. They have literally disappeared so I’d say that they’ve integrated very well.
I’ve done a bit of A - B testing turning the REL on and off on tracks and I definitely prefer the music with it on.
I only have the S510 REL (for aesthetic reasons) on a high level connection via Airship to a Gryphon Diablo 300 amp, and it makes a noticeable difference. The Reference 25 must be very special indeed, congratulations.
Occasionally I’ve forgotten to turn on the Airship transmitter and sit there wondering why the sound stage collapses and ambient cues disappear, giving a more lifeless sound. Good subs. certainly make a difference and you have the best.
Thank you CAJDM I haven’t enjoyed listening to music so much as I have over the last few days.
I am so surprised at what the sub has done to the whole frequency range not just the bass. As you say the sound stage is phenomenal and has been hugely expanded forward and backwards.
I played ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ last night, it was incredibly three dimensional, presenting the music more like a quadraphonic system than a two speaker set up. It was just mesmerising.
He was for the UK print Ad but not for the US or the TV Ad. The TV ad was shot by Steve Steigman who used the make-up man on set because he had the right look and long wavy hair - and is only know by the name Jack
The guy is sitting on a Le Corbusier Grand Confort LC2 high armed chair ( I have one of those too!)
Sitting facing JBL L100 left speaker
Since the sub needs to be connected at the speaker ends and not the amp, what connectors do people use. Not ideal with an SL2 crossover with a speaker that should go up against the wall. Most plugs stick out too far and add unwanted stress on the PXO sockets where the solder joint can break
I’d check with REL but I’d connect it at the amp end which would save you that trouble. This is what it says in the REL manual:
’ High - Level connection, using the enclosed cable with Neutrik Speakon connector, is always the first choice. This connection can be made without affecting the performance of the amplifier because the REL’s amplifier input impedance is 150,000 ohms, in effect producing NO additional load on the rest of your system’
I’m sure that REL have connected many of their subs to NAIM gear, they have a support page and you can email for advice, they were very helpful to me.
There are a couple of options. One is to solder both speaker cable and sub cable into the same plugs. If you use Naim’s right angled plugs the wires hang straight down, don’t stick out very far, and avoid excessive stress.
Another option is to connect at the amp end using the cable specifically designed for this purpose by Rel. These use stackable bananas which do stick out quite a bit. Again, if you want to avoid this you could solder them onto Naim plugs, or any other plugs with a decent sized solder bucket that will take both sets of wires.
REL is usually fed off the speaker posts with a special cable. I have a REL 212 SE wired from my Tannoy Definition DC10A’s The REL is a beast (1000 watt amp and 4 twelve-inch drivers). The 212 coupled with the speakers and my Naim ND5 Xs2 and Super Nait 3, I have lost the urge to upgrade!
Great to hear and yes the subs are astonishing. The usual way to run REL if from the amp, I had Rob from REL here setting mine up and he said you get the best from REL if you use the High Level from the back of the amp.
In my case that wasn’t possible, so we took a feed from the Supercap that powers the SNAXO as described earlier in this post. To be honest I can’t see how much better it could sound from what I already have
Hi,
I don’t have a REL sub. It is a B&W ASW610. For sure using stacked banana plugs at the amp end would be easier than at the Naim SL2 PXO. As you say or imply, the sub has a very high input impedance and I assume “seen” as a parallel load, so in theory I assume it should be ok. Then again it would be good to have advice before doing this because Naim do not recommend certain loads on their power amps.
Regards,
Mark
In that case you would almost certainly be fine connecting at the amp end, perhaps you would benefit from the modified lead that Rel make specifically for Naim amps.
The cable Rel make is called Bassline Blue. There is a modified version of it which contains a little circuit that makes it compatible with Naim power amps so that you don’t have to connect at the speaker end.
There is also a version of this Naim specific cable made by Designacable. Maybe worth talking to them as you wouldn’t want the Neutric plug on the other end that Rel use.
