Price Paid:  $1200.00 from Audiogon

Summary:
It has been an ever-ending obsession of finding the best subwoofer under 2K. After four years of experimenting different sub, more than ten years of the audio hobby and more than ten subwoofers came and left my system, I have learned a lot about the different characteristics of subwoofers, placement and setting up.

To make the story short, the REL Stadium II recently came to my system and I couldn't be any happier. It's difficult to understand what makes the REL sounds so good. It definitely sounds better than the Storm III I had before, even though it has less rated power! By far this is the most impressive subwoofer I have the pleasure of owning.

Strengths:
Natural sounding, open and airy bass, enhancing the mid range of the system. Deep extending bass. The deep and extended bass are chilling when it is set up right. Just the right amount of slam, preventing from listening fatigue. I had too many cheap subs with too much slam leading to listening fatigue. Perfect blending with the main speakers. Beautiful cabinet.

Weaknesses:
The REL Stadium is expensive. It takes a while to set up and tuning to the system. REL is somewhat more room dependent than other subs I had before.

Similar Products Used:
REL Storm III, Bag End Infra sub 18 (twice), Velodynes-HGS 12 and ULD 15, Paradigm PDR 12, Definitive supercube I (twice), Outlaw and have heard too many too list.

Price Paid:  $1300.00

Summary:
I decided to buy this after auditioning it at the dealer's shop. Initially thought of upgrading to the Storm III from the Strata, but after doing A-B tests on the Stadium II. There is an obvious tonal improvement on low freqs. The ARM loading gives the Stadium an edge, even though the power rating was lower than the Storm III.

At the same time I was testing out the Stadium, I also had the opportunity to listen to the M&K. The M&K's had more punch and was great on dynamic tracks. However, they also tended to produce some low-mid bass which drew attention to the sub as a source.

Certainly responding down to 12hz -6db has its benefits. I'd reckon that if anyone can't hear the diff between the Strata/Storm III and the Stadium II, its probably due to improper setup rather than the product's performance.

Strengths:
Wonderful deep and well defined bass.

Weaknesses:
Not as impactful as M&K. Needs careful setup.

Similar Products Used:
M&K, REL Strata

Price Paid:  $900.00 from audiogon

Summary:
I got an incredible deal on this sub and
would pay more if I had to,it's that good.
Unfortunately,some people don't realize that
sound character is based on your complete
system being able to produce it's part of the link in the music signal. Using highend components this sub is awesome.
It improves the sound out of your front speakers so much that you will be bewildered.If you could'nt see the sub in my listening room, you would not know I was using one, it's that good.

Strengths:
Has the speed to match any speaker period
Improves your two channel sound so much that it's like turning a light from the off position to the on position.

Weaknesses:
Absolutely none. That there isn't a higher rating on this site, because this
sub deserves much higher rating then 5

Similar Products Used:
Velodyne, Bag End, Jm Lab,polk,psb etc

Price Paid:  $1300.00 from Privately

Summary:
Bass is totally dependant on the room you are attempting to get good sound out off. It took me 6 months to get this sub working correctly in my room, it was worth it. But when I added another Stadium II the effect was awesome. If you can,t afford two good ones drop down to the next level and buy TWO. Two Rel Studio,s must be incredible. For the average lounge Stadium,s do the job, for home theatre as well without the boom. If you are running these on suspended wooden floors you must place them on granite or similiar surface, on top of a spiked subframe to get the best out of them. A sub for music buffs who also appreciate the odd movie(most movies contain music). You must run them off your power amps though, even for home theatre as directed and be prepared to play around with room positioning.

Strengths:
Clean,quick bass,good control in the low end,well built, adjustable crossover frequency and volume.

Weaknesses:
None unless you attempt to use them in to larger room.

Similar Products Used:
Never used any other subs for music, none up to spec.

Summary:
This is a follow-up to my review below dated 9/8/98.

I had the REL Stadium II in my music system and a Strata III in the HT system. Just for fun one day, I tried the Strata in place of the Stadium in the music system. What's this? A big - and unexpected - improvement with the smaller sub: significantly tighter, "faster", cleaner sound.

I think the port on the Stadium II contributes to the sound and makes it somewhat indistinct and "fuzzy" sounding, as if each note has a halo around it. Logically, I am thinking that a 4" port right next to a 10" driver, as on the Stadium II, may be the cause of this "halo effect". Visually, it would be like looking at the moon with a halo around it. The moon is very clear, but there is also the added light signature which adds to the moon's image. The sealed Strata is significantly cleaner sounding, completely eliminating this halo.

I ended up replacing the Stadium II with another Strata III. Then, I tried both Strata IIIs in the music system - WOW!!! With one sub, you get the bass notes; with two, you get the power and the majesty of the low end. The improvement going from one to two subs is extraordinary! Instead of buying a Stadium, I strongly recommend getting two Strata IIIs. This is about the same cost, but the quality of the bass is significantly better.

Note: I tried this in two very different rooms and the results were the same. See http://www.21stcenturyservices.com/audio for more information. Thanks, JerryS

Strengths:
Goes Low, Looks Great

Weaknesses:
Somewhat indistinct and "fuzzy"

Similar Products Used:
Velodyne, REL Strata III, Kinergetics, several others