REL T9 subwoofer test

Gorgeous, curvy and tight bass, compact, high-level connectivity.

Requires proper placement, for smaller rooms.

Specifications

Technical commentary C.p.

When asked about the best British manufacturer of subwoofers, REL brand is the first thing that comes to mind. The company has been in the active bass business for many years – and only with them. The products tend to serve as benchmarks in their classes, but they also cost commensurate with their merits. By REL standards this model can be called a budget model without any sarcasm.

The first thing that catches your eye is that the designers have finally paid serious attention to design. The time when low-end models were styled like industrial electrical appliances is gone, now it has an Apple-style polish. There are two trim options – black and white. In addition to the standard low-level RCA inputs, there is a Speakon port.

This is actually a proprietary way to get a signal from systems where a special output to the subwoofer is not provided. The kit includes a cable long enough to connect directly to the terminals of the stereo amplifier.

By the way, the engineers of Rel company recommend to connect subwoofer exactly to amplifier’s outputs, as it, in their opinion, allows to “join” range of subwoofer and frontal speakers and provide deep bass in all modes.

Volume, cutoff frequency and phase controls are traditionally located on the rear, power management is automatic.

The design draws attention to high-quality class A B amplifier with a capacity of 300 watts and the presence of a passive radiator. The main active speaker has a diameter of 254 mm and is aimed at the floor. Optional, similar in diameter, front-mounted subwoofer. Both this option helps to reduce in-box resonance and provides extra depth in the bass.

In practice the device clearly proved the advantages of the used technologies. Absolutely no unwanted noises and a truly three-dimensional, well defined and tangible bass. The best result in the test and a clear recommendation to buy. For a typical city home room, you wouldn’t have it any other way. The only clarification – to achieve the best result, the placement of the subwoofer should be taken seriously, taking into account the acoustic properties of the room.

Sound A.v.

This subwoofer handles the lowest register well and faithfully reproduces the sound of instruments that extend all the way to the bottom of the range kettledrums, the big drum of a symphony orchestra . But some notes sound not quite even and a little bit harsh, apparently, there are problems with resonances.

But the subwoofer is highly sensitive, because it captures dynamic changes well in the low end, like crescendo and diminuendo to bass instruments.

43 500 Dollars