Purchased this remarkable sub from a family member who has upgraded to the stentor III... and trust me i was glad to get my hands on it!!!
With this sub only being used for music, i use the nutrik cable that directly connects to the speaker terminals at the back of my amp, so the sub gets the same signal as the speakers, and after a few hours of tweeking the sub blends perfectly, the soundstage becomes believable as the music now has a foundation to build upon..
Used in conjunction with my B&W CM7's, i set the crossover to 55htz and the speakers just sing!!!
this sub goes really deep but never overpowering, making your speakers sound bigger and more expensive, as the sub never draws attention to its-self... perfect!!

Absolutly obsurd amount of bass output from a single ten inch driver! Very fast, clean, dynamic and accurate bass reproduction. A true audiophile product!

Absolutly none. Second only to a Stentor III or Studio III.

Having now used this sub for nearly a year I have to say im still in awe. Every time I listen to some music or watch a movie I am amazed with the sound. This sub truely is incredible. When watching movies it just amazes me as to just how much bass this sub produces. Its totally out of proportion from what you expect a single ten inch driver to produce.

As you can tell I am very pleased with this sub as this is my second review of it and after having had it nearly a year I still think its awesome. BUY ONE!

Similar Products Used:

REL Q200E and a Strata 5.

Stunning Speed, Build Quality, Depth, Power and above all Sound Quality.

VERY VERY HEAVY. Neighbours. Takes a little time to setup and intergrate properly. Oh and did I mention its HEAVY?

This sub is fantastic. After spending a little time properly setting and intergrating it it sounds fantastic. It plays the most subtle naunces in songs you may of listened to for years that you did not Know were there.

As for using it with home cinema well GOD HELP YOUR NEIGHBOURS.This thing can move cups of coffee across the table when the bass really gets pumping. The thing I like about this sub best is that it only draws attention to itself when required. Other than that it perfectly blends in with your systems sonic picture.

When listening to music it does so much for your systems sound its unbelieveable. With orchestral pieces it relays the recording venues sonic picture as well as relaying the cues from the instruments themselves making them sound more natual and realistic. Big drums sound like big drums. With other styles like rock and jazz the same cues are relayed for the recording venue and instruments but it also makes the overall sound more solid.

To sum it up this sub does everything a sub should and nothing it shouldn't. It is FANTASTIC. The things it improves in your system more than justifies the pricey outlay. Buy one!

Similar Products Used:

Rel Q200E and a Strata 5.

Power, fidelity, size, finish, color choices, hand made, warrantee, British quality, simultaneous hi/low hookups, flexiblility.

Pricy, but is there such a thing as cheap high end? People who don't like reading manuals will have a challenge with proper setup.

I first heard the REL product line when shopping for speakers for a complete system upgrade. After hearing some OK results with the company's smaller models, my dealer recommended the Stadim as a perfect match to my B&W 802s. Granted, I was coming out of a very conservative Polk rig, so there was really no comparison there. But the thing that really got me was the ability to hook up to high and low signals simultaneously, which allowed for seemless integration when playing 2 channel stereo through mains only, but I was most impressed with the sheer power, and I mean effortless power of the conservatively rated class A amp. It had no problem pressurizing the room with LFE signals from DVDs like U-571, etc. I love it. And it fit perfectly in the room scheme.

Similar Products Used:

Polk (not really similar, but they make subs and I bought one once)

Gives drums and organs real weight, without sounding overblown. Effective in a small room. Effective even though set up in a way which goes against what is normally recommended - indicates to me that this is a transparent unit. Plenty of power in reserve within my system set up. The port does not chuff. Clearly very capable for films and surround music too.

None, but I wonder what a Stentor III will be like, or an ATC one.

Prior to buying the Stadium III I had been using the Storm (original version) on and off for about 2 years. I was never quite convinced of its ability. The Stadium on the other hand is a fine piece of kit, even if some might bulk at the price and also mistake it for a storage trunk in the corner of the room as some recent visitors have done! Don't let either of these points deter you, if you read pages like this you are more than likely to be a Hi-Fi enthusiast and can except such minor points. It really is worth it too. I became restless with the original REL, as I struggled to integrate it into my system. I felt this was mainly due to the filters and volume control which are poor compared to the Stadium - basically they are not as flexible or accurate. In a larger room than mine the Storm works fine by the way. Having bought the 568.2 back in Nov 02, I really wanted to pursue a proper 4.1 set up (a centre speaker is not pratical at the moment) and so I tried a REL Quake from Audio T, feeling that my room was too small for a larger Sub. Wow! All things considered this is a fine little unit, but ultimately I felt that it was not quite refined enough for my needs. I listen primarily to Classical/Jazz/Pop/and typical heavy duty 5.1 DD and DTS films, so I am quite fussy over the sound. Audio T had a demo Stadium, and I thought I would give it a go, assuming that this would just be a complete overkill. At this time I was more than convinced that I just needed the Storm III which I had yet to borrow. My room measures (LxWxH) 3.9m x 2.9m x 2.4m, and its an upstairs room.... It took no time for the Stadium to integrate, and such was the subtle ease at which it drove my room, I could not quite believe it. This was after a very quick set up based around the other 2 RELs settings. Within about an hour I knew that I was going to buy it! Due to having active front speakers, I can not connect the sub as REL recommend. Instead I can either connect the sub in parallel with the main speakers utilising the spare L & R phonos or via the sub out on the processor. Both methods work well, yet amazingly using the sub out option on the processor works really well, and that is the route I took. The other reasons are follows: 1) The room has a nasty room mode at about 44Hz which is roughly were the ATC's cut off. The idea of filtering the bass to the Stadium at this point seemed like a good idea, and in fact the filter is set to 50Hz. 2) Low frequencies require more amplifier power, and although the ATC's are awesome, I am happy with the REL handling these frequencies. The ATC's thus have greater headroom. There is also the fact that the REL is 'driving the room' by its design. My thinking being that the REL is working with the room rather than against it, within this set up. 3) It does sound rather good this way, even though I am applying a filter within the processor prior to the sound going to the speakers. I would never have had tried this route first, which just indicates how sound is not an exact science. It also confirms how good the REL is, since the ATC's are very accurate and transparent in the bass. They just lack some bass weight and absolute extension, which is no fault of their own, just design for what is a nearfield monitor. The REL fits in the missing gap without blurring the already excellent sound. Finally, the Stadium (which is spiked) is used with: ATC SCM 20A Pro speakers L & R ATC SCM 10 Passive Speakers SL & SR Meridian 568.2 Surround Processor Meridian 518 Digital Audio Processor Meridian 500 CD Transport Meridian 556 Power Amp for the 10's Pioneer DVD 717 Pioneer CLD 2950 Videologic Tuner DRX 602 ES Power cables are Kimber High Current power cords, with 6 and 8 way distribution blocks. Analogue and Digital cables are care of Transparent (PDL for digital connections, Musiclink Super XLRs for the 20's, Musiclink for the Stadium, Musiclink Plus between 556 and 568) The LD player to 568 uses the Kimber Optical cable. The DVD player uses Chord Company Prodac Silver. The tuner runs with cables from the box.

Similar Products Used:

REL Storm (original version) REl Quake

Rel Quality and strength. Fulfills its promise, amd shows competitors a clean pair of heels. Good Looks (mine is in cherry wood veneer) Easy connections and set up from manual. A natural upgrade path to those with excellent hi fi systems

They are not cheap!

I recently acquired the REL Stadium III. The aim was to improve the overall sound stage of my already good system benk Arcam 85 and P85, Bi amping B & W speakers CD9 NTs, using CD player Arcam Diva 92. The REL ia a big beast to look at and heavy to move around so positioning is difficult. The manual was easy to use though and I used the high level unbalanced connection as recommended. After some experimentation I set the roll off at 30hz and the gain control at just over half way. Every piece of music I ahve played has benefitted from it. It opens up the sound stage dramatically but is very subtle in use. You often don't even know it is on and it does not interfere with the music at all. It underlines and shades in the sound from very gentle ambience in a string quartet to awesome authority in orchestral crescendos. I lstened to Mars from Holsts Planets and you could actually hear what a bass drum soumds like. Also listen to Bach's Toccatta and Fugue in D major and the organ sound will have your room vibrating with the low notes. Once you have this sub bass system you will not want to part with it.

As stated in previous review.

"

I don't understand how/why anyone would pay $4200. for a Stadium III when the full retail price is only $2995. For $4k+, you can get yourself into a STENTOR III, which, (as I've stated below in an earlier review), is far superior to even the Stadium III's very good performance. Maybe "harleyx" did a typo error? If you're in the $2500. price range, the Stad III is an excellent model. If, however, you can afford to go up to the next price level, the Sten III is one of the VERY FEW options for truly "Class A" bass performance on the market today -and IMO it's THE choice in $4k-5k subwoofers.

Similar Products Used:

"

Integration with electrostatics is very good

Goodness it was expensive

I never thought I would ever purchase a subwoofer. They were always too slow, too boomy, and introduced all sorts of weird changes to the midrange from the crossovers. I have always had electrostatic speakers and phase shifts are so easy to hear with them I thought I was doomed to a live of stunning clarity of midrange and treble and bass that was, well nonexistant. When I first heard the REL line I was surprised how well they were integrated in to the system. I could not tell there was a subwoofer until it was shut off and their was this huge hole in the sound. I was thrilled that you can attach the subwoofer without introducing a crossover into the path of the main speakers. My electrostatics still sound wonderful (no new funny stuff). You can get the REL to sound terrible if you have them too loud or crossed over at a too high of frequency, but with a minimal of effort they blend in beautifully. They are fairly quick but still rarely they lag the electrostatics. This is becoming less noticable as the unit breaks in and might become a nonissue over time. For the first few hours of use the sound was thick and quite disappointing. Then suddenly it just bloomed. Im not a big bass person so really haven't tried to shake the house but so far it has never sounded stressed.

Similar Products Used:

None

Power, Accuracy, direct-to-amp hook up, appearance.

Can be tough to tweak at first, but this becomes easier over time as you get used to it. Foundation cracking depth.

I NEVER USED A SUB TO LISTEN TO MUSIC! That being said, it seems I now have to lay the blame on inferior products, not personal taste. I use the REL for music all the time now. It doesn't 'mud up' the music, or confuse it at all. It rolls along perfectly complimenting my speakers & system. I ran the REL and a Revel B-15 side by side for a week...I wanted the Revel, but when I discovered how incredible the REL was I went with it. It is accurate and perfect for music and my home theater is now like I've always imagined it should be. THE RACK: Proceed AVP Proceed HPA2 Anthem MCA 30 Teac VRDS9 Marantz SR-18 MKII REL Stadium III Revel C30 center Monitor Audio GR 60 fronts JMLabs S30 surrounds Cardas Neutral reference interconnects & speaker cable Cardas Gold Reference Power cables (pre & amps) Enjoy

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm PW-2200, Revel B-15.

Depth, powerful dynamics and ability to blend with main speakers; very flexible settings for use with music and home theater

Setup - might takes weeks of tweaking its position to get it just right.

The REL Stadium III is a great looking sub, with wood veneers. It's heavy, but not too big. It is much better looking than the Storm with its "Gritex" finish (current models have other options). It has a 10" Volt driver, and a new 200 watt power amp. The unit doesn't create any heat at all and can be left on all the time. It has two sets of inputs: high-level and low-level. The high-level connects to the amplifier speaker terminals and is the recommended connection for music (cable included). The main stereo speakers will continue to play the full range, there is no filtering of the mains. The low-level is recommended for home theater where you have a ".1" connector (RCA). You could also use a pre/pro to send bass information on this connection as well. (You can read more about their design and philosophy on their web site www.rel.net).

On the back of the unit, you can set the low-pass filter from 22 Hz to about 100 Hz. On mine, I set it to 30 Hz. That seems to give me a perfect blend. There are also two level controls - one for the high-level and one for the low-level. Where this sub excels is in it's flexible settings; it gives the option to bypass this filtering for the low-level. For home theater, you don't want the ".1" channel to be filtered in any way.

Now for its performance. The REL Stadium III picks up where the REL Storm leaves off - and then some. Compared to the Storm, the Stadium goes deep with little effort and stays musical. Impact is impressive with deep organ and home theater. I get excellent response to 20 Hz which is as low as my test disc will play. Even though I can't hear the 20 Hz very well, it registers on my SPL meter and I feel a sensation - but I wouldn't call it sound. There is no huffing or other noise that shouldn't be there.

On music, using Pomp & Pipes, the room is flooded with very musical bass notes. Some of these notes wouldn't play on the Storm. There is plenty of power; the Storm always seemed to have enough with its 100 watt supply, and this has twice as much. Even on piano music, the Stadium contributes in a subtle way. Often, it sounds like the sub is turned off, but putting an ear to it confirms it is still working - producing the ambient noise from the hall, foot pedals being pressed, etc. It also has a way of reinforcing the "non-bass" instruments even when no bass would seem to be present. It's difficult to describe. On Holst, "The Planets", bass drums sound like bass drums and organ notes sound like organ notes. Everything sounds just right.

On movies - WOW! In the lobby scene of The Matrix, the guns and explosions are intermixed perfectly with the electric bass that plays in the background; something I never heard with the Storm. On Saving Private Ryan (DD), it feels like you are riding along as the waves crash into the transports (which is a chilling sensation). The sub is very capable of shaking the entire house.

Even though the sub has the power to leave bruises, it is very well-behaved. It never sounds loose or over aggressive, unless the music calls for it. It sits quitely in the corner minding its own business until suddenly it kicks in; either explosively or quietly. It is never distracting and sounds perfectly integrated.

I really didn't know if it would be worth the money, but I have no regrets living with it for almost six months. I think its value is obvious once tested. But keep in mind the only other sub I've lived with is another REL and only listened to a Sunfire at a local dealer. So if you think you might like this, arrange for an in home audition where you can take it back if it doesn't work for you (as with any trial).

Other Equipment:
McCormack DNA-1 (Rev A.) Power Amp
McCormack HT-1
Sony EP9ES Pre/Pro
Sony S7000 DVD
Vandersteen 3A Sigs and VCC-1
B&W 302 (rear)
Silver Audio Hyacinth I/C
MIT T-4 (low-level to sub)
Audioquest Forest/Crystal S/C
Other tweaks

Similar Products Used:

REL Storm