J
juboy
Guest
As some forum members may be aware, up until recently I had been using a Rel Q150e as the subwoofer in my system.
Whilst I'd be the first to agree that this sub is very much at the entry level point to 'real' subwoofers, I genuinely felt that it performed well and integrated smoothly with the rest of my set-up.
As people may also be aware, there has been a lot of critisism of the new(ish) Rel Q series within these forums... some from people who know nothing more than what they've read in magazines and some from people who's very existence depends on knowing good AV kit from bad - OK, that was maybe a little overstated, but you get the picture.
Anyway, I had read with much interest and some, at times, quite heated debate the views of Uncle Eric regarding both the Q150 and the Velodyne CHT-10 subs that have been a huge success within the Power Buys area of the forum.
It occured to me that defending the Rel's corner was all very well but I couldn't really speak with any true authority on the matter until I'd done a direct comparison. To this end, I ordered up a Velodyne from Uncle Eric about a week or so before Christmas with a view to spending the holidays putting the two subs head to head in what, for me at least, was the most important scenario of all... my living room.
The 'winner' at the end of the holidays would stay put, the 'loser' would find a loving home somewhere else via eBay.
Eric's service and supply of the Velo was faultless. Talk about bending over backwards to be of assistance, this guy should take up limbo dancing as a profession!
So, with both subs run in, set-up with the aid of an SPL and some serious time spent tuning I went through my usual 'demo' type discs.
Now, I had thought this fight was going to be a close one. I figured the two subs are pretty much equal in terms of position in the market and level of design. The truth of the matter is, to my ears, somewhat different.
The Rel is small, granted. It's easy to locate and easy to tune. I do quite like the ease of their 'ABC' graded control knob system, especially when needing to turn the bass down a touch when listening to music through Sky Radio and then back up for DVDs.
I also think the Rel is quite well made, although the grittex finish gives it a rather industrial look.
Sound wise, I always thought it was good. It has punch and seemed to me to go quite deep, although I had previously noticed a tendency for it to 'rattle' when pushed just a little hard.
This was noticeable and easy to repeat every time in one almost incidental scene in 'We Were Soldiers', when a helicopter takes off in front of the camera before it pans to resume the dialogue/main sequence of one of the chapters.
The Velodyne, on the other hand, is quite large... maybe 75% larger than the Rel? Anyway, it's more noticeable in the room but it also looks nicer. The grille and badge look classy, the finish and construction is like it was made to withstand bombs and the port at the bottom looks great.
The sound? Well, I now know what Eric means by 'mid-woofers'. I realised that where the Rel had sounded in your face and very 'present', the Velodyne is almost like a huge sleeping giant, the snores and occasional belches aren't audibly over the top but the rumbles and deep bass that you feel are like BT started digging up the road... from under your house!
The true sub bass from the Velo sounds more tuneful, seems to disperse round the room better and underpins the overall soundstage in a much more convincing manner than the Rel can manage. The bass is also less fatiguing over extended periods of listening. I guess it just sounds and feels more natural and less forced.
This post has gone on way too long already but suffice to say that eBay just debited my account for the money I owed them for selling the Rel.
Many thanks again to Eric and I hope that this post is helpful to anyone looking to spend up to £500 or so on a sub, you know what you have to do:
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=41254
Whilst I'd be the first to agree that this sub is very much at the entry level point to 'real' subwoofers, I genuinely felt that it performed well and integrated smoothly with the rest of my set-up.
As people may also be aware, there has been a lot of critisism of the new(ish) Rel Q series within these forums... some from people who know nothing more than what they've read in magazines and some from people who's very existence depends on knowing good AV kit from bad - OK, that was maybe a little overstated, but you get the picture.
Anyway, I had read with much interest and some, at times, quite heated debate the views of Uncle Eric regarding both the Q150 and the Velodyne CHT-10 subs that have been a huge success within the Power Buys area of the forum.
It occured to me that defending the Rel's corner was all very well but I couldn't really speak with any true authority on the matter until I'd done a direct comparison. To this end, I ordered up a Velodyne from Uncle Eric about a week or so before Christmas with a view to spending the holidays putting the two subs head to head in what, for me at least, was the most important scenario of all... my living room.
The 'winner' at the end of the holidays would stay put, the 'loser' would find a loving home somewhere else via eBay.
Eric's service and supply of the Velo was faultless. Talk about bending over backwards to be of assistance, this guy should take up limbo dancing as a profession!
So, with both subs run in, set-up with the aid of an SPL and some serious time spent tuning I went through my usual 'demo' type discs.
Now, I had thought this fight was going to be a close one. I figured the two subs are pretty much equal in terms of position in the market and level of design. The truth of the matter is, to my ears, somewhat different.
The Rel is small, granted. It's easy to locate and easy to tune. I do quite like the ease of their 'ABC' graded control knob system, especially when needing to turn the bass down a touch when listening to music through Sky Radio and then back up for DVDs.
I also think the Rel is quite well made, although the grittex finish gives it a rather industrial look.
Sound wise, I always thought it was good. It has punch and seemed to me to go quite deep, although I had previously noticed a tendency for it to 'rattle' when pushed just a little hard.
This was noticeable and easy to repeat every time in one almost incidental scene in 'We Were Soldiers', when a helicopter takes off in front of the camera before it pans to resume the dialogue/main sequence of one of the chapters.
The Velodyne, on the other hand, is quite large... maybe 75% larger than the Rel? Anyway, it's more noticeable in the room but it also looks nicer. The grille and badge look classy, the finish and construction is like it was made to withstand bombs and the port at the bottom looks great.
The sound? Well, I now know what Eric means by 'mid-woofers'. I realised that where the Rel had sounded in your face and very 'present', the Velodyne is almost like a huge sleeping giant, the snores and occasional belches aren't audibly over the top but the rumbles and deep bass that you feel are like BT started digging up the road... from under your house!
The true sub bass from the Velo sounds more tuneful, seems to disperse round the room better and underpins the overall soundstage in a much more convincing manner than the Rel can manage. The bass is also less fatiguing over extended periods of listening. I guess it just sounds and feels more natural and less forced.
This post has gone on way too long already but suffice to say that eBay just debited my account for the money I owed them for selling the Rel.
Many thanks again to Eric and I hope that this post is helpful to anyone looking to spend up to £500 or so on a sub, you know what you have to do:
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=41254