New Rel Quake, any good?

[eddiea]

I know Uncle Eric has heard one, has anyone else got any opinions of the new Rel Quake?

 

[Joe Abbeywood]

Having recently posted some comments about the Pro 50 subwoofer from M J Acoustics I received a request for question about using either the Quake or Pro 50. The chap had got 2 Kefs he was not happy with and wanted to upgrade. You may find my respponce of some interest.

"Mark,
Sorry to here that you have had such a problem with your setup. To be honest I thought long and hard about who to support when I bought my subs. What swayed me was the ethos behind those guys at MJA who seem to have been on our side of the fence for the most part. Anyway there really is only 2 manufacturers to choose from. They be REL and MJ Acoustics. Both are British companies and both specialise in Subwoofers. Not jack of all trades like the others – perhaps that’s why the Kefs don’t perform.

The setting up of my 2 Pro 50’s was a breeze. I used the High Level input to connect each sub on its own to the amplifier output on the speaker terminals. One for left and one for right. Then with only one turned on at a time I played a track I was familiar with and tweaked the controls until the sub was just coming into play. I did the same with the other channel. Once this was done you can turn them both on and they are just about right. There’s never been any hint of boom from the Pro50’s so you will not have this to deal with. I also use the 2 Pro 50’s with my cinema setup. In this case I use the Low level lead and take the output from the sub out on the Sony amp I have and feed it to the 2 subs. The great thing is that the High and Low level inputs can be connected at the same time and only the gain controls need to be altered. It really is a simple as that.

For the record I have seen and heard a Quake which has just been launched and yet to be reviewed. It is almost 1kg lighter than the Pro 50 and so I do not think as well made. It seems strange that they release a smaller and cheaper model only after the Pro 50 has been on the market. For my personal taste I don’t think the Quake is as good. Certainly there is less connectivity as it only has one phono input and one high level input. Also the adjustments for the crossover are by switches and not the smooth infinitely adjustable control the pro 50 has.

Hope this helps and good luck."

Hope this is of some use.

Joe Abbeywood

 

[common]

I've got one and my initial feelings are positive, however I've had to 'cement' the thing with paving slabs and blu tak to get the best out of it - it's very light for a sub. It does go low - think of it as a bargain Q200 and you should be OK (unless you didn't like the Q200 !)

I've yet to set it up properly for movies so I will post back in a couple of days

 

[Matt F]

Originally posted by eddiea
I know Uncle Eric has heard one, has anyone else got any opinions of the new Rel Quake?

Just had a quick look at the specs for the Quake - REL quote (in their naughty +/-6dB way) a lower frequency limit of 23Hz so, in real terms, there's probably not a lot going on below 30Hz which, arguably, is not low enough to pick up all the LFE effects when listening to movies.

Mind you, if REL are bad for quoting +/-6dB figures then what about MJ Acoustics - they quote a frequency range of 15Hz - 240Hz for the Pro 50 but don't quantify it at all! Come on MJ Acoustics - 15Hz from a 50 watt 8" sub in a small sealed cabinet - who are you trying to kid?

Matt.

 

[common]

I was a little confused by the Quake used in the What Hi Fi 5 star review - the model pictured had a ground switch which the production Quake does not have - any ideas ? could this be a 'special' review model (wink wink)

 

[eddiea]

The picture of the Quake on the Rel website shows a ground switch.

http://www.rel.net/products/Quake.shtml

 

[eddiea]

I've now got a Veneered Quake on demo in my listening room, and Common you are right, this one has no ground switch and the manual says it does not, but the one on their website does!

Anyway, I dont think it needs one, it certainly does not hum on slam or depth setting.

 

[Member 14718]

This Quake has an earth lift switch

http://www.subbass.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/REL/inside_quake.htm

 

[Madskilzz]

Eddie

How you getting on with your Rel Quake? I'm hoping to demo the REL and an MJA Pro 50 in the next couple of days.

Cheers

Mark

 

[eddiea]

Mark

I don’t like it at all, it’s going back.

However some may like it because it is quite powerful for its size but IMO it's too fierce and uncontrolled, my listening room is quite small.

I've tried the MJA Pro 50 and IMO it is better sounding than the Quake but the paper cone put me off.

I am currently trying a Yamaha YST and I must say I quite like it and its half the price of the Rels and MJA, I got it for HT use but I am pleasantly surprised the way it sounds with music with just the LFE connected.

 

[common]

I think the Quake is great - it does require careful setting up though- i've just about got mine right now but a fraction to much on the volume and it can overpower. As I've mentioned before I have added about 40kg of paving slabs under and on top of the sub with blutak and it's transformed the sound, very tight with music and movies

 

[Stroke]

My Quake is 6 years old, now coupled with my Denon AVR-3808a. Tested it with Casino Royale opening B&W sequence. Not too overpowering. Want to get a 2nd 1, just need to convince the wife. mentioned it the other day, then said she could get a new Prada handbag too.
__________
Denon AVR-3808a, Sky+HD,Panasonic 42" Plasma Panel, Rel Quake (Sub)+ Monitor Audio Fronts & Backs = 6.1, Samsung BD-P1400

 

[HiFiRuss71]

Do yourself a favour, sell the Quake you have and just buy one slightly larger far more capable subwoofer. The likes of BK XLS-200 will outperform an armful of Quakes.

Russell

 

[Martinf419]

Don't sell it! It's the best little sub money can buy. I've got two of them plus a REL Storm 5. Place the Quake in the corner of the room, and set the filter to the 41Hz slope setting (about 12 o'clock on the 'slope' dial). Then make sure you have set the Mode to '1'. (This engages the filter). Then turn the low-level volume up to about the 1st quarter. Adjust your processor sub sensitivity until you get the right level.

I pair mine with a REL Storm 5 which has a sub line-out phono socket.

Together they produce deep, powerful and seamless bass. And the Quake can go very low indeed.

 

[HiFiRuss71]

Don't sell it! It's the best little sub money can buy. I've got two of them plus a REL Storm 5. Place the Quake in the corner of the room, and set the filter to the 41Hz slope setting (about 12 o'clock on the 'slope' dial). Then make sure you have set the Mode to '1'. (This engages the filter). Then turn the low-level volume up to about the 1st quarter. Adjust your processor sub sensitivity until you get the right level.

I pair mine with a REL Storm 5 which has a sub line-out phono socket.

Together they produce deep, powerful and seamless bass. And the Quake can go very low indeed.

Russell

 

[Martinf419]

The other thing about all the "Richard Lord" era REL subwoofers is that he never cut any corners in his products. They were certainly not the cheapest, but you got what you paid for -- nothing less. (I paid £1,000 for my REL Storm 5, and worth every penny.)

Fast-forward to today, and I see there is a huge following for the BK range of low-cost subs. This company evidently is eager to fill the void (but at a lower price point) after the ‘original' REL was bought out by its new owner.

Regarding BK, I will not blindly follow the herd, unlike many others here. My RELs have given me years of sterling service. RELs are flexible and fully tuneable – both for high-level (Neutrik connector) and low-level LFE input(s). Moreover, unlike BK, on the RELs these inputs can be mixed simultaneously. If you know how to position them, and tune them, RELs sound amazing. Or rather, the overall result sounds amazing. They don't advertise themselves. It's only when you turn them off and the bottom falls out of the sound that you realise – whether during music or films – what they have been contributing to the whole.

Reading through the many BK 'fanboy' threads I note they are prone to sudden overload / destruction if you inadvertently get some settings wrong, or if your Audissey eq boosts some frequencies by a bit too much. No such worry with RELs with their “Safe-set” excursion protection technology, and also heat-sensitive auto-shutdown protection (saved my subs on a few occasions, when they could otherwise have fatally overheated).

M.

 

[KhalJimbo]

Hi

Not sure if this helps at all but every hi fi shop I have been to has said that althought the quake is a cracking little sub you will be better off upping the budget a bit a going for the T series or something, I would though rather suggest something bigger like the BK XLS200

Cheers

 

[Martinf419]

Hi

Not sure if this helps at all but every hi fi shop I have been to has said that althought the quake is a cracking little sub you will be better off upping the budget a bit a going for the T series or something, I would though rather suggest something bigger like the BK XLS200

Cheers

f.w.i.w. I have 2 Quakes + Storm 5

One Quake is in the bedroom where it is perfectly powerful enough for my 'mini' system.

In the living room, the other Quake nicely supplements the Storm, and I tune the Quake to fill in any gaps in the bass spectrum -- depending on the music/film. i.e. sometimes I take the filter off to blend more of the mid-bass from the from the centre & surrounds (from my Onkyo/Integra PR-SC886 processor's bass-management redirect). Other times I put the Quake's low-pass filter on to just boost the LFE's 20-30Hz range.

Altogther I've got a combined 300 Watts RMS (600W peak-to-peak) of quality mosfet power spread over a larger combined cone area (i.e. two separate drivers) that I'd get with one 300W sub. Also 2 medium-sized cones with separate drivers give better control than one big one.

 

[dUnKle]

Don't sell it! It's the best little sub money can buy. I've got two of them plus a REL Storm 5. Place the Quake in the corner of the room, and set the filter to the 41Hz slope setting (about 12 o'clock on the 'slope' dial). Then make sure you have set the Mode to '1'. (This engages the filter). Then turn the low-level volume up to about the 1st quarter. Adjust your processor sub sensitivity until you get the right level.

I pair mine with a REL Storm 5 which has a sub line-out phono socket.

Together they produce deep, powerful and seamless bass. And the Quake can go very low indeed.

bugger

mine is in the attic after I spent £500 or so on a SVS PC12-NSD

now im going to have to go up there, dig it out and see if I can intergrate it along with my new sub

any suggestions on how best to use it with the svs

 

[HiFiRuss71]

Altogther I've got a combined 300 Watts RMS (600W peak-to-peak) of quality mosfet power spread over a larger combined cone area (i.e. two separate drivers) that I'd get with one 300W sub. Also 2 medium-sized cones with separate drivers give better control than one big one.

Total and utter cobblers on so many levels, it actually hard to know where to start, but I'll point this out first; All subs have their strengths and weaknesses. The interesting bit about running multiple subs is that the weakness of one sub will dilute the strength of the other, thus you get the worst of both, not the best. This is subwoofer 101 stuff BTW.

The other thing about all the "Richard Lord" era REL subwoofers is that he never cut any corners in his products. They were certainly not the cheapest, but you got what you paid for -- nothing less. (I paid £1,000 for my REL Storm 5, and worth every penny.)

Fast-forward to today, and I see there is a huge following for the BK range of low-cost subs. This company evidently is eager to fill the void (but at a lower price point) after the ‘original' REL was bought out by its new owner.

Regarding BK, I will not blindly follow the herd, unlike many others here. My RELs have given me years of sterling service. RELs are flexible and fully tuneable – both for high-level (Neutrik connector) and low-level LFE input(s). Moreover, unlike BK, on the RELs these inputs can be mixed simultaneously. If you know how to position them, and tune them, RELs sound amazing. Or rather, the overall result sounds amazing. They don't advertise themselves. It's only when you turn them off and the bottom falls out of the sound that you realise – whether during music or films – what they have been contributing to the whole.

Reading through the many BK 'fanboy' threads I note they are prone to sudden overload / destruction if you inadvertently get some settings wrong, or if your Audissey eq boosts some frequencies by a bit too much. No such worry with RELs with their “Safe-set” excursion protection technology, and also heat-sensitive auto-shutdown protection (saved my subs on a few occasions, when they could otherwise have fatally overheated).

M.

Nobody is questioning the build of REL subs, which always has been and remains of the highest order and some of their subs are superb examples of their types, but there are some points you should note in you headlong rush to promote the products you bought:

1. With the exception of the Monolith, all BKs have dual simultaneous high/low level inputs exactly as per REL. As indeed to MJ Acoustics subs too

2. All of the early Richard Lord era RELs (including all of the Q Series) were manufactured for REL by BK, so who's build quality are you commenting on? Indeed RL received more than a bit of design input from BK along the way. BTW, did you know that BK used to flog Quake drivers for under £30.

3. All BKs have Mosfet powered amps that they actually manufacture themselves. I'm not sure why you think Mosfet Watts are any better than any other sort though.

4. There are no RELs this side of a Stadium (and even then) or B1 that are remotely capable of even approaching the SPLs at the frequencies at which the Monolith can run into trouble. Certainly 2 Quakes plus a Storm (of any era) can't.

5. In a sealed sub, the driver is protected against over excursion by the air it has to compress in the cabinet. If the amplifier of a sealed sub is activating thermal protection in order to save itself, its under spec'd.

A lot of the members on here who own BK or SVS subs have previously owned, or worked with REL subs, so do not assume that they bought what they did from a position of ignorance. Indeed, a lot of the early SVS personal imports were REL owners taking the risk at their own personal expense to see what the fuss was about and sharing their experiences with others.

So please don't invoke terms like 'fanboy'. Not only is it offensive, but it is only factually correct when referring to someone who bangs on about the superiority of a product, without actually having tried the alternatives he puts down.

Russell

 

[Member 639844]

I have an SVS, after moving on from a Rel. The Rel was musically excellent, just didnt have enough grunt. So when I came to replace it I wanted oodles of grunt to make up for having to be careful watching films all these years, but I had to have a sub that would at least be a good as the old Rel was with music.

You have my choice below, and I spent over 12 months looking for the perfect replacement. I also originally had reservations on following the SVS heard, I'm glad I sorted my head out!!

Old sub above, new one below

[URL=http://img11.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sizecomparisonrelvssvs.jpg][/URL]

Nothing wrong with REL, I love REL subs, but for the budget I had I couldnt have got a Rel anywhere near as good!

 

[IronGiant]

Regarding BK, I will not blindly follow the herd...

M.

I stopped reading after that comment, did he have anything to contribute or was he just trolling?

 

[Member 639844]

I stopped reading after that comment, did he have anything to contribute or was he just trolling?

He was blindly defending REL

 

[mohsin_uk]

Man I love this forum

 

[Martinf419]

He was blindly defending REL

I have to laugh when I look at your system. Firstly, you have to admit, your sub is not pretty (I could use stronger terminology). Secondly I see you've chosen Radius for your mains! Gotta laugh again there. No offence mate, but you definitely need a giant sub to make up for what your Radius (or should I say Radii) lack. And their positoning -- one of them next to the TV and muffled by the curtains!

Also, your room does not have anywhere near the size to realise deep bass. When I took my REL subs from my old place (similar size to your living room) to my new abode -- a with much bigger room, I was suddenly hearing bass going much deeper than before. The bigger the room, the more bass without changing anything else. In fact, there is now so much bass, that I don't need any more.
M.