Problem with older REL subs & class D amps

Second what Norton said. I had Stentors and Sumiko would not help.....last time I ever used or recommended any REL product. To me dealer support is as important as the product itself!

Ditto what you said. I've got Stentor Sub that I use for an end table because I couldn't get anywhere with Sumiko.

Good luck with customer support REL is a joke.

I was told by the REL/Sumiko rep to just not use the black ground cable on my REL Gibraltor and my Roland 302 amp. When I hooked the black ground up properly to the negative speaker terminal, I got a terrible LOUD hum from the transformer in the Rowland amp, which I quickly turned off. Again after being told to not use the ground at all, everything works great. I get no audible hum from the amp or the sub. However, when I power the sub on and off, it does make a popping noise. Hope I'm not hurting anything and just doing what I was told.

Hey, I'm scared! Does this issue also apply to Wyred 4 Sound amplifiers??

I have had my W4S ST-1000 connected to the High-level input on my REL Storm III for about 2 months now with no apparent issues so far.

Or have I just been lucky and my system is on danger?

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

I ordered a digital high level cable last week. I will probably receive it next week. REL UK & Sumiko said you require this cable with class D digital amps. I bought a Rowland Continuum & started getting a click sound in the left speaker once I pushed the mute, phase, or bypass button on the front of the Rowland. The low level cable has always been hooked to a Marantz AVR at the same time.

When I disconnected the low level cable on the REL & disconnected the ground from the high level cable, all was fine. When the high level ground was re-attached, the click returned.

Sumiko said the new cable should rectify the issue. This problem only started when I received the Rowland. It was fine with a BAT VK 300se,which was not class d.

Excellent !!!

This might help:
http://www.belcantodesign.com/pdfs/e_OneTOsub.pdf

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=027-340%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&FTR=027-340&CFID=13296297&CFTOKEN=75660924

You can see a photo of the new cable in this thread at AVS forum. The ground lead now has a male RCA connector on it, supposedly to go into an unused RCA jack, and the standard Speakon connector at the sub end is changed. WTF?

There's something fishy about this. Why can't or won't Sumiko provide a decent technical explanation?

I wish I was able to get more detail on the fix. No one seems to know - except there is a fellow at REL who builds these cables by hand. I'll see if I can get him to let us know. Generally they want to keep things trade secret I'm sure BUT this involves support to existing customers in order to correct a problem. I'd like to think that the issue is simply a matter of filtering but why would they not simply say that if true? We shall see.

Stan, thank you for confirming the issue regarding dealers getting information. I also called a local - long established and very highly regarded - dealer of REL products, only to discover that they had never heard of this problem.

Meanwhile the folks at Sumiko are saying "just ask your dealer"!!!

Sigh.
Art

What would the problem be? Grounding issue?

The purpose of the dealer [I am one] is to be the go between between the importer and /or manufacture and the customer. I find that nowadays I know no more about a produce than anyone else as I have no more info than is posted on the web site. Almost without exception all I get from a company is the price sheet; sometimes some blurbs but no technical info. It use to be you would get repair manuals, I still have some from the old days. When I called REL for some technical data on their subs the told me to call a dealer, they didn't know the answer. How the dealer is suppose to know things the importer [ who owns REL] doesn't know is beyond me. So don't expect too much from your dealer, many of us are enthusiasts like yourselves who have no source of info except the ones you have yourself.

Its probably noting more than the insertion of a LPF in the hi level interconnect line---pretty easy fix i would think.