Price Paid:  $649.00 from HUGHES ELECTRICAL

Summary:
I FIRST HEARD THE Q200E ROUND A FRIENDS AND WAS VERY IMPRESSED BY THIS SUB ABILITY TO INTERGRATE WITH MUSIC AND MULTI-CHANNEL SOUND.WITH MUSIC USING THE HIGH QUALITY NUETRIK CONNECTION IT INTERGRATES SEAMLESSLY AND IT WAS THIS INTERGRATION ABILITY THAT SOLD ME.I WENT TO SEVERAL RETAILERS TO BE DISAPPOINTED BY THE FACT THAT THEY DID NOT STOCK THE Q200E.I THEN CAME ACROSS HUGHES WHICH HAD IT IN STOCK AND GAVE ME A DEMO.I ALSO LISTENED TO THE STATRA III WHICH SOUNDED GOOD BUT WITH MOVIES IT LACKED THE OVERALL CHARACTER AND PUNCH OF THE Q200E.SO I BROUGHT THE Q200E AND PAYING ONLY £649.99 I FOUND IT TO BE SUPERB VALUE FOR MONEY.ONCE I GOT IT HOME AND SET IT UP IT CHANGED MY SYSTEMS ABILITY TEN FOLD.WHAT MEAN IS IVE NEVER HEARD SUCH A FINE SOUNDING PRODUCT. THE WAY IT ADDS THAT ALL IMPORTANT DEPTH AND DRIVE JUST HAS TO BE HEARD TO BE BELIVED.AS WITH MULTI-CHANNEL USE THE NUCLEAR EXPLOSION IN THE SUM OF ALL FEARS WAKES SATIN UP FROM THE DEPTHS AND THE PRECISION DRIVE AND TIMING IS SECOND TO NONE. A POINT I SHOULD MAKE IS WHEN SETTING THIS BEAST UP MAKE SURE YOU SPEND PLENTY OF TIME ADJUSTING THE CROSSOVER TO GET THE BEST INTERGRATION.BASICALLY IF YOU CAN NOT DISTINCTIVELY HEAR THE SUB ITS INTERGRATED.AS FOR THE SUPPLIED SPIKE DO NOT USE THEM AS ALL THE LOW FREQUENCYS AND SOME INTERGRATION DISAPPEARS.THIS IS BECAUSE USING THE SPIKES DE-COUPLES THE WOOFER FROM THE FLOOR WICH LEANS OUT BASS RESPONSE IN RELS WORDS.THE MAIN THING THOUGH IS AS LONG AS YOU FOLLOW THE SUPPLIED INSTRUCTIONS YOU WONT GO FAR WRONG. WHEN USING THE LFE INPUTS I TRIED THE +12db INPUT TO FIND IT WAS LEAFUL.BY THIS I MEAN IT NOTE ONLY BOOSTED THE LOWER FREQUENCYS BUT THE OVERALL SPEED,DEPTH AND CHARACTER IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY.

Strengths:
WHERE TO START IS THE PROBLEM THERE IS NOT A POINT ABOUT THIS SUB YOU COULD NOT SAY IS EXCELLENT WETHER YOU WANT TO USE TO IMPROVE YOUR SYSTEMS SOUND OR DESTROY YOUR FOUNDATIONS IT WILL DELIVER THE GOODS WITH ASTONISHING POWER,CLARITY,CHARACTER AND FINESE.

Weaknesses:
TO BE HONEST THE ONLY WEAKNESS FOR THIS SUB IS THE SPIKES SUPPLIED.USING THEM IS LIKE PUTTING THIS SUB IN YOUR SHED AND LISTERNING TO IT INDOORS.BUT THATS MY ONLY MOAN.

Similar Products Used:
I HAVE TREID OTHER SUBS IN THE PAST FROM THE LIKES OF B&W AND MONITOR AUDIO AND TO PUT IT FRANKLY NOTHING COMES CLOSE TO A REL.

Price Paid:  $839.00 from (euro) Arnhem NL

Summary:
It sounds perfect, takes a while to setup with the amplifier to get it right for music and on the other hand for sound effects in DTS DVD movies. I do not use the Neutrik Speakon Input because my amplifier send it together with the RFE info.

Strengths:
Nice sub sounds (everytime you have to look after things in the room that vibrate on the sound) gna gna...

Weaknesses:
With the DVD Hypnotic (also known as Docter sleep) during the heart beat in the end of the film, the housing makes a fibrating noise. When sitting on the sub the noise disappeared. I found out that when using the spikes the strange sound is gone. Only I miss somthing to put between the spike and my wooden floor. Now I uses coin's but these will not centre under the spikes and sometimes they are not right under the spikes (after my wife vacuum's the room) and then the spikes will damage the floor. For the price of the sub I think they should included it. It costs nearly nothing and to find something in black that fit's is difficult.

Similar Products Used:
B&W

Price Paid:  $1200.00 from Ettema Boelens Leeuw

Summary:
This is one sub that is absolute top notch if set up right! If you don't mind to tweak for some days or weeks till you are satisfied a angel will come in you're room (or maybe the devil himself!). This is one peace of high tech! This sub can go very low without giving a glimp. Tip Place the sub behind you're right speaker in a corner if possible. Place it on a flat peace of rock and also on top...the result is that the sub goes even lower and the bass output is without any distortion and the slam is.....a knock out!!

Strengths:
You can tweak till it's hurts!!

Weaknesses:
Set up difficult for people who want to plug and play right away....

Similar Products Used:
Crap!!

Price Paid:  $1100.00 from Tweeter

Summary:
[[This is a review of the Q150E, posted here as there is not a section specifically for it]] In almost every sense, the Q150E is an excellent subwoofer. Musically, it is difficult to top. I have used it in conjunction with Klipsch RF7 and RF 3 II floorstanding speakers, and have tested it with Mirage and Vienna Acoustics speakers, as well. In every case, it blends nicely, filling in where the mains leave-off. That is its strength, really, its ability to blend musically with your main speakers, giving you a seamless transistion from lower-mid range down to sub-audible. In the proper sized room, it plays nice and deep (more on room size momentarily). The controlability of the REL is exceptional. There is the typical roll-off adjustment, combined with gain control not only for the LFE input, but also for the high-level input, making it quite useful in 'bypass' or 'direct'mode. Others have commented that modification of the Neutrik high-level input cable, specifically improving the conductors to actual speaker wire, improves sound when using the high-level inputs. This may or may not be true, I have not actually done it myself. I would be quite surprised if the improvement would be worth the trouble, but perfectionism is perfectionism. Be sure, when you take this thing home, that you test it both with and without the supplied carpet spikes. Being on rather thick carpet, they made quite a difference for me, especially given that the subwoofer weighs considerably less than most other models I tested. When tested 1-1 verses the Klipsch RSW10 and RSW12, the REL sounded superior, in volume, non-directionality, and in musicality. I personally can not imagine paying the cost of the RSW12, when the REL is available for quite a bit less. The RSW15 is obviously a superior subwoofer (though not the best at its price). Beautiful looking, and beautiful sounding, it destroys the REL in an open room. Room size is of great importance. The room into which I placed my REL Q150E is 2300 cubic feet. I managed to adjust the unit so that it played sufficently loud for my original purposes, and was quite pleased with the sound of it. At first. Later, I started to play at higher volume levels, especially for effects-oriented movies. I quickly found that the REL could not keep up with my Klipsch RF7 setup in a room that size. There was no........impact. From a musical standpoint, the REL still sounded quite nice, but it did not shake my floor the way I wanted. I should note also that the room has lousy acoustic properties, absorbing a great deal of signal quickly. I moved it to a much smaller room, and had much more success. Had I intended to keep my HT system in that room, the REL would have been more than enough, especially given the great sound of it. In order to maintain my system in the larger room, I purchased an SVS PC Plus 20-39, for $825, considerably less than the Q150E. The impact was immediate. The floor shook, the walls shook, stuff in the garage below shook. Where the REL could not keep up with my Klipsch high sensitivity speakers, the SVS blew them apart. It is more than I need, but I will keep it for impact......it is nice to be at half gain and wonder if you need to turn it down. I still have my REL. I am going to make it part of a secondary system in the smaller room for now, as I am quite in love with the quality of the sound that it produces. Its small footpritn helps, too. In all honesty, the quality of sound from the REL is as good as or better than the SVS; where quality and not volume is important, this sub is very nice. It is intended to fill in for your main speakers, not blast the windows out in a THX setup, and that is exactly what it does the best.

Strengths:
Excellent musical sound. Outstanding control of both gain and frequency, allowing perfect blending with your existing setup.

Weaknesses:
Lacks power in large, poor-acoustics rooms.......if you like a lot of bass. If you do not want your walls and floor shaking, this is an excellent subwoofer indeed.

Similar Products Used:
Klipsch RSW10, RSW12, RSW15. SVS PC Plus 20-39

Price Paid:  $599.00 from sevenoaks

Summary:
i have my REL200E sub for nearly three years now. I use it mainly for my 6.1 set up, but on odd times use it on my chord elt cpa4000 hifi.Build quality is outstanding. To get the best results out of the REL use the digital output on your surround amp and plug it into the right side phono plug, select mode 3, turn the gain to around the 9,oclock position, then the rolloff around 45hz, try keeping it away from corners of the room, have it facing you next to your front speakers, but not near your tv. IF you can place the sub on a small paving stone, then use a bit of bluetac to stop it moving, try not to use the spikes it came with.

Strengths:
for its size, it can push out those low bass notes, feel them rather, given time to set it up correctly you will always amazed it how this little sub can handle those LFE bass notes. DTS sound tracks will blow you away, try GODZILLA on SUPERBIT, those footsteps have got to be true 30hz, feels like it anyway, it can handle them no problems. For its price you cant by better for 5.1 or 6.1 and so on.

Weaknesses:
Just two things to say, its a bit slow for normal two channel setups, the other thing is that my girlfriend packed her bags, aint seen her since, oh well thats life.

Similar Products Used:
My rel is used along side with my M&K 750THX suround speakers all driven by the Denon avc-A1SR and Toshiba SD-9500