Low and High Level Inputs on REL Subs

For anybody who's interested you have to call Kathleen at Sumiko 510.843.4500. This is way too complicated for me to explain well but I get it now and the answer is good. There is no need to switch anything between HT and Music with their setup if your preamp cooperates. Thanks, leo.

I had to ask Sumiko this question too. Here's their response:

"A lot of people find it a confusing concept that it accepts both high and low level. The woofer does not "decide" which one it uses, but simply plays whatever signal it is given, which usually in home theater is both a high and low level signal at the same time. In most cases, if you set your speakers to large, subwoofer yes, the only signal coming through the low level connection is the LFE signal. The REL blends that signal with the high level signal that is reinforcing the bass on your main speakers. When you play music, there is no LFE signal so the only thing that plays through the REL is the high level."

So, this means you don't need to do anything at all. It blends both. Not what I would've figured from the manual but I like this even more. Of course it begs the question that Prd brought up, why have a switch for low and high level? I think I'm going to call them...

leo.

The top left knob (as you look at the back of the sub) lets you switch from the hi to low level connections (including 180 phase shift for both).

Other knobs allow you to modify settings so you can both (1) fine-tune how high in frequency range the REL goes so it "comes up beneath" and integrates well with your main speakers for music (hi level), and (2) increase volume for movies (low level; your preamp sets the crossover frequency, usually sending everything below 80 Hz to the sub only).

I leave mine connected both ways and simply turn the top left knob over when I watch a movie. From my reading of the manual (and it's not intuitive) this seems to be all you have to do. However, make sure your preamp is set to *only* send low frequencies to the sub during *movies*, and not also during stereo music playback, or you lose the benefits of REL's proprietary connection method (connected via your speaker outputs at the hi level). In other words, the preamp should be sending the entire signal at all frequencies to the main speakers during music playback.

At least I think. :] Enjoy.

- Paul