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REL is dead. Long live REL

Hi Guys,

REL Acoustics has been sold to Sumiko!!!

Per a recent press release:

It’s all change for REL. The UK ’s best known subwoofer brand has changed hands, having been bought out by its US distributors, Sumiko.

Richard Edmund Lord, the mastermind behind all the company’s previous award winning products, and affectionately known as The Lord of Bass, is no longer involved.

Rising from the ashes of REL is an entirely new company, REL Acoustics.
Its upcoming 'R' series subwoofers have been conceived by Sumiko and will be built in China . Further distancing themselves from previous REL products, they will utilize digital amplification.
jdog428
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drubin
3,274 posts
 
a sad reflection of our society (where "brand recognition" has become more important than substance)
What a strange, naive comment. Do you imagine yourself "immune" to brands?

Think about the investment Sumiko has made in building the REL brand in the US. Think about how strong that brand is and how much "substance" audiophiles associate with it.
rel
225 posts
 
I'd just like to report that the rumors of my death, if not greatly exaggerated, are at the very least, mostly untrue.

And while Richard Edmund Lord's claim to the initials REL likely predates mine by quite a few years, I still lurk proudly here on the 'Gon, posting now and again as time allows and the spirit moves me (although the moderators have seen fit not to post my last three entirely innocuous submissions for some reason).

And for those of you who might be curious--no, my (primarily non-audiophile) friends do not refer to me as the "Sub-Dude"!
--
terrat
9 posts
 
Good Riddance! IMHO Rel subs are the most overhyped, over priced piece of audio gear on the planet! Because of the sheepish nature of so called "audiophiles" REL has achieved legendary status. Of course REL sold out. $$$ What did you expect from a legendary fascist like "Sir" Richard Edmund Lord? How many people know that REL got their start designing sound weapons for her majesty's secret service? The same sound weapons used on American citizens who protest the WTO, world government, and the destruction of national soviernty.
seandtaylor99
1,262 posts
 
Drubin .... I don't think I'm being naive. There has been a steady move towards brand recognition ABOVE ALL ELSE. Of course a quality brand will develop a following over time. But if that brand becomes simply a name, completely divorced from what created the original brand name recognition, then that is where I see a problem. Perhaos that will not happen with REL, but there is a danger that is exactly what will happen.
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drubin
3,274 posts
 
You are correct, that could happen. Look at Marantz, for example (though there has been some improvement in the past few years). So this is where the integrity and goals of Sumiko come into play.
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