REL Q201E vs REL STORM

The Storm is a good deal better for music. If you can stretch to it financially then go for the Storm.

First: REL is an audiophile company, so Audio comes first. All REL subs are designed to work well with Audio and Home Theater (HT). They all come with both High Pass connections to the amplifier for Audio and RCA Low Pass connections for your HT receiver or decoder/preamp. There are separate volume and roll-off setting for each, so you can set it up for both Audio and HT and forget about it. The REL "ST" series namely STratus, STorm, STadium, STentor and STudio are designed with Audio as a first consideration and HT secondary. They are very musical. The "Q" series (Quake, Q50, Q100E, Q200, Q201E) are designed for HT as a first consideration and Audio second. (They are also quite musical). The Q201E is a 200 watt active sub with a very small footprint. It is a cube only about 12 inches per side. It performs like a much bigger sub. The Q series come only in black, The STorm III is 150 watts and comes in black or various wood veneers for $200 extra. One reason I know all this is I have a STorm III connected to my Audio system and a Q100E connected to a separate HT system in the family room. The Q100E has a nifty extra switch that changes the character of the sub. One choice is "Depth" for Audio and regular listening (more bass extension); the other choice is "Slam" for times when the movie you are watching demands more Thump. So if you want just one, decide which is more important to you; Audio or HT. (Or maybe you want the good looking wood veneers.) Happy Listening !!!

The Q201E is only $200 less than the Storm, so there is very little stretch.

I see my $200 amount could be confusing. The Q201E lists for $1600; the Storm III in black $1800; the Storm III in wood veneer $2000. The STratus III which is similar to the Storm, just smaller in size and 100 watts (will not go as low or as powerful in a large room). The STratus III is $1300 for black and $1500 for wood veneer. The Q100E lists for $1000. There is an original Storm for sale on Audiogon for $800. It is a completely different animal than the Storm III in every way. The original Storm is only in Black; is only 100 watts.